Emotional Loss for Lee in Western Mass Semis
HADLEY, Mass. – Morgan Augustin scored four goals, and the Hopkins Academy girls scored five goals in the second half to hand Lee a 7-1 loss on Friday in the Western Massachusetts Class D Semi-Finals.
Second-seeded Hopkins moves on to face the winner of Sunday’s game between Palmer and top-seeded Palmer in the regional final.
Lee (14-4) lost for just the second time in 11 games but suffered a big loss in the opening stages of the game when senior Jenna Simone departed the game with an apparent leg injury.
Simone went down along the sideline in front of the fans and, after a long delay, was taken off the field on a stretcher to an ambulance as her visibly stricken teammates looked on.
“It’s sad to see a senior go down that way,” Lee coach Gina Guachione said. “A senior in one of her last games, and you see her go down and think, ‘That’s not the way we want to end a season ever.’
“Obviously, morale was really low after that, but we tried to pick it up. She brings an energy that lifts this team up. And without it, we just kind of faltered.”
In the 16th minute of play, Lee was whistled for a handball in the 18, and Alayna Bailey converted the penalty kick to give the Hawks all the goals they needed.
Augustin tacked on a goal with a blast from the right wing with about 10 minutes left in the first half.
And from then on, Hopkins kept the Wildcats pinned in their own half of the field.
Any time Lee started to transition through the midfield, the four and sometimes five Hawks playing in their end easily reversed the ball and put the Wildcats back on their heels.
Lee managed just one shot on goal, which came in the second half after the game was out of reach.
At the other end, Wildcat keeper Maddy Kotek made 15 saves.
While Lee fell short of reaching the regional final, it still has plenty to play for.
Next week, it will prepare for the Division 5 State Tournament. That bracket is slated to be released on Nov. 1.
Guachione said Friday’s loss showed the Wildcats some areas where they can improve.
“We’re gonna go hard, work on our first touch, work on being first to the ball, work on keeping our heads in the game when stuff like that happens,” she said.