Late Spartans' Goal Deals Tough Defeat to Devils
NORTH ADAMS, Mass. — Drury girls' soccer coach Molly Meczywor really felt like her team was starting to build something special this week. After all, the Blue Devils earned a hard-fought 1-0 win at Lee on Monday and were battling neck-and-neck with Monument Mountain late in a game on Tuesday afternoon.With that being said, it's easy to understand Meczywor's disappointment when the Spartans' Haley Korte scored off of a corner kick with just over three and half minutes to play to allow Monument to sneak off John J. DelNegro Field with a 2-1 win.
"This is a devastating loss for us," Meczywor said. "We played our best half of soccer this season, but, unfortunately, a communication error led to the goal off a corner kick. Not sure if we're just unlucky or other teams have good karma, but this one hurts."
The late goal ruined a terrific effort by Drury, which hung tough with the same North Division team that defeated the Blue Devils (2-6-1) 3-1 in the first game of the season. Despite falling behind in the 16th minute on a blast from 30 yards out by Courtney Freedman, the hosts quickly tied the game less than two minutes later when junior Cori Ghidotti scored off of a pass from senior Jenn Monyahan. The Spartans (3-6) held a slim 13-11 advantage in shots in the game, but Drury keeper Ali Tatro was up to the task, finishing with 11 saves on the day.
"Offensively in the second half, we moved the ball to the corners and crosses were kept away from the sweeper and keeper," Meczywor said. "We played a very good positional game and won many 50/50 balls. Our intensity was high as was our energy all over, including the bench players."
Meczywor also credited junior Kasha Wissman with a stand-out performance on the defensive end. Although she was upset about Tuesday's outcome, the Devils' head coach was optimistic about her team's play, particularly in the second half.
"Hopefully, the girls come back to continue to play the same dominating fashion they did in the second half when we play against Mount Everett on Thursday," Meczywor said. "There's still a great deal left to the season, especially in the South [Division]."
The Devils are at the Eagles on Thursday with kickoff scheduled for 4:30 p.m.