EAST LONGMEADOW — Kayla Henry scored twice in impressive fashion for the Belchertown girls soccer team in the Western Massachusetts Division 1 quarterfinal round.
She won a race to a ball trickling near the goal line for her first goal, then she shed an aggressive defender and a charging goalie to find the open net for her second.
For fifth-seeded Belchertown, those two goals were enough to beat No. 4 East Longmeadow, 2-1, Monday night.
Both goals came in the first half as Henry had to fight through a defender shadowing her throughout the game.
“It made it a lot harder for me to get into open space and move the ball,” Henry said.
The Orioles (11-3-5) advance to play No. 1 West Springfield (15-3-1) in the semifinals at 7 p.m. on Wednesday. A site has yet to be determined.
“We’ve played them twice,” Henry said. “We won on a (penalty kick) the first game but in the second game we dominated most of the game but they finished every opportunity. We have to stop them and finish every chance we get.”
For a team that didn’t make the playoffs last year, this playoff run is extra special.
“This year is a comeback,” Henry said. “If we get to a final this year and get a title in my senior year it would be amazing.”
A persisting problem for the Orioles during the regular season was finishing off opponents. The Orioles had good chances to extend the lead on Monday, but couldn’t finish.
The Spartans (7-3-7) applied pressure until the final whistle blew and even dinged the crossbar with just a few minutes left in the game.
“We came out ready to play,” Belchertown coach Chris Mogavero said. “Had tons of chances. Not being able to finish those chances makes the game tense. They put us under a lot of pressure but our defense was able to resist.”
Goalkeeper Samantha Birks made several saves for the Orioles, including a diving stop at the beginning of the second half, to preserve the trip to the semifinals.
“I am proud of our defense,” Birks said. “I am so excited right now, but gonna have a great sleep tonight.”
Birks made 10 stops overall and limited rebounds in the second half. East Longmeadow’s Elizabeth Knight scored off a rebound to tie the game early after Henry’s first goal.
Lauren LeBlanc and Emma LeBlanc assisted on Henry’s goals.
With under three minutes to play, East Longmeadow sent a ball sky high into the scoring box that kept carrying and carrying.
As the ball descended it hit the crossbar and the East Longmeadow crowd let out a collective gasp as the chance to tie the game bounced harmlessly into Birks’ arms.
Madison Shuttleworth played an impressive game in net for East Longmeadow, making 15 saves with just a few being routine. Shuttleworth’s play kept East Longmeadow within a goal the entire game.
“Got to give credit where credit is due,” Mogavero said. “Shuttleworth played great.”
