Hornets Fall in Final Minute of State Voc. Semis
NORTH ADAMS, Mass. -- The McCann Tech girls' soccer team had gone 10 games without suffering a loss when it found itself down 2-0 in the second half of Wednesday's state voc. semifinal game with Minuteman Tech. The second-seeded Hornets managed to rally back to tie the game, but the third-seeded Mustangs eventually stole the victory when Lindsey McBride scored the game winner with 45 seconds left in the match to give Minuteman a 3-2 win on the road.McBride was in the perfect place at just the right time, knocking in a shot right in front of the net after a corner kick deflected off of McCann goalie Alex Wood. It was just the second loss of the season for the Hornets (16-2-1), who still have at least one more game left to play in the upcoming Division 3 Western Mass. tournament.
It was a tough outcome for McCann, which outshot the visitors 13-9 in the game and hit the crossbar and post two times each. Hornets head coach Mike Dowling called it a "close, hard-fought battle," but noted that his team fell behind because of two counter-attack goals by the Mustangs' Rebecca Pieroe. The Minuteman forward's second goal just over two minutes into the second half put the hosts on the offensive. Senior forward Mary Nguyen got one of those goals back in the 54th minute, taking a pass from classmate Alexa Durant and scoring her 43rd goal of the season on a breakaway.
The two Hornets then hooked up again with just eight minutes left in the game. This time, Durant took a crossing pass from Nguyen and found a way past Minuteman keeper Morgan White. It was one of the few times in which McCann had an answer for White, whose eight saves were crucial in the Mustangs picking up the win.
Although they came up just short in the state voc. tournament, the Hornets still have a chance to make some noise in the Western Mass. tournament. McCann earned the No. 3 seed in the draw and will host either No. 6 Gateway or No. 11 Holyoke Catholic early next week.