Smith Voc Deals Hornets Their First Loss

NORTH ADAMS, Mass. – Smith Vocational’s Monique Fredette and Erin Miller each scored a pair of goals Monday to give the Vikings a 4-1 win that spoiled the first girls soccer game under the lights at McCann Tech.

 

More importantly, it handed the Hornets their first loss of the season and kept Smith Voc unbeaten with a 1-0-1 mark in the season series against McCann Tech.

 

The Vikings took it to McCann Tech right from the opening whistle, pinning hosts in their end of the field for about the first six minutes of play.

 

The Hornets held up under the pressure, but when they finally made a foray into the Vikings’ defensive third, Smith Voc hit with a counter to score the game’s first goal.

 

Fredette made a run up the right wing and converted a pass from Savannah Fredette, slotting a ball past a diving Natalie Tatro (nine saves) and inside the far post to make it 1-0 in the 19th minute.

 

Eight minutes later, Miller connected from about 30 yards out on the right wing to put the visitors up, 2-0.

 

From there, the play evened out.

 

And despite Smith Voc’s decided advantage in the opening stages, the teams finished with six shots on goal apiece over the first 40 minutes, thanks in part to the Hornets’ play in the back.

 

“Faith [Brazeau] was solid tonight,” McCann Tech coach Lindsay Lincoln said. “She always is. She’s our rock back there. She really had a good game.

 

“Their shots from outside the 18, there’s nothing we could do about them. Their shots were one. They weren’t afraid to shoot from anywhere on the field tonight.”

 

The Hornets got back in the game with a shot from distance of their own in the 25th minute, when Lainey Field connected from deep on the right wing with an assist from Jordyn Lloyd.

 

Shaylee Lawson and Field pressured Smith Voc keeper Julianis Suarez (six saves) with shots on goal in the 34th minute, and Emmalie Wood forced Suarez to make a leaping save with about three minutes left until half-time.

 

Fifteen minutes into the second half, Miller turned and fired a shot from about 20 yards out in the middle of the field that put the Vikings up, 3-1.

 

Fredette capped the scoring by converting a penalty kick in the 71st minute.

 

Smith Vocational, which came into the game as the 10th-ranked team in Division 5 statewide, improved to 8-0-4 with the win.

 

The Hornets slipped to 6-1-3 with four regular season games left, starting Tuesday at St. Mary’s of Westfield, before getting ready for a likely berth in the Western Massachusetts Class C Tournament.

 

“Like I said [to the players] after the game, we don’t hang our heads after this game,” Lincoln said. “I’m really happy with the way we played. Unfortunately, the shots weren’t going for us. … Their shots were right on, nothing our goalie could do about it.

 

“I think our midfield broke down a couple of times, and that cost us a couple of goals. So we need to work on that in practice – and eliminating the shots from out there.”

 

Photos from this game to come.