WESTFIELD — The beginning of the Granby Regional girls soccer team’s season was unfamiliar, but the end was very familiar.
Working with first-year coach Bob Weaver, Granby won its third sectional title in four years after a 5-1 win over Wahconah Saturday at Westfield State’s Alumni Field.
“There’s an atmosphere and tradition here,” Weaver said. “They’ve taken me for the ride. I knew Thursday in practice that they were ready.”
Weaver took over for Jessica Boardway a week before the season started. The team also had to overcome ACL injuries to Kate O’Connor and Kate Sarnacki.
“Once we overcame some injuries, we got on a roll, we started to figure out what we wanted to do,” Weaver said of the season.
Freshman Nora Young had a hat trick in her second Western Mass. final. The second goal of the game came when Young turned and fired near the 18-yard line on an assist from Trystin Burger.
“My team hyped me up,” Young said.
When the final whistle blew, Sarnacki, who’s about a month into her ACL rehab, slowly walked toward the celebration. When Weaver grabbed the trophy for the first time the team started a chant in honor of the first-year coach.
The Rams(16-2-3) move on to play the winner between Millbury and Auburn at Westfield State on Wednesday. The Central Mass. championship is Sunday at 1 p.m. at Nashoba Regional.
Second-seeded Granby scored two quick goals early and never looked back against the fourth-seeded Warriors (13-6-2), who beat Granby in the finals two years ago.
Senior Erin Mikalchus scored first when she hooked a corner kick into the net.
“We practice corner kicks like crazy,” Mikalchus said. “We practice curving it in. The goal is to score.”
It’s the third title for Mikalchus. Before the season started Mikalchus talked about the goal that has eluded her, a state title.
“The goal since the beginning has been states,” Mikalchus said. “It’s time to focus and use everything we’ve worked on and put it into the game.”
Mikalchus came out of the game in the second half as she is nursing a sore ankle.
“It did not feel nice tonight,” Mikalchus said.
Granby’s stingy defense did not allow many opportunities against keeper Brooklyn Baran, who made three saves.
Burger went for another assist when she found Young again to make it 3-1 before the half. Summer Molin, who was all over the field the entire game, assisted on a goal to Julia Frappier in the second half to make it 4-1.
Young’s final goal came on an assist from Caroline Cyr with 5 minutes, 49 seconds left in the game.
Wahconah’s lone goal came when Emmy Cote found McKenna Mcllquham in the first half to make it 3-1.
