MONSON — Four-time defending Western Massachusetts Division 4 girls soccer champion Monson very much fit the role of a perennial powerhouse Tuesday afternoon.
The second-seeded Mustangs showed no signs of slowing down despite moving up to Division 3 this season. The result was a solid 4-0 victory over No. 10 Frontier Regional in a quarterfinal at Rogers Field.
“With their skill and speed, we struggled to keep up,” Frontier coach Phil Pittelli said. “Their midfield won the game for them. They’re very difficult to match up with there.”
Pulling the upset would’ve been a difficult proposition had Frontier been at full strength. But injuries have hampered the forward tandem of sophomore Natalie Denkiewicz and freshman Cambrie Hamilton, and the duo was unable to play the full 80 minutes.
Denkiewicz, the team’s leading scorer, came off the bench against Monson. The team employed the same strategy in their first-round 4-2 victory over Mount Greylock, where she came on as a substitute and scored three goals.
Monson was aware of Denkiewicz’s abilities.
“Denkiewicz is as dangerous a player as you’re going to see,” Monson coach Eric Degnan said. “I know she’s under the weather health-wise, but we definitely didn’t take her or Frontier lightly. I watched her single-handedly put the team on her back in the (win over Mount Greylock).”
Monson took a 1-0 lead in the 13th minute, when Hannah Hicks tallied on a one-time blast that was placed in the upper corner of the goal frame from 30 yards out. Hicks’ shot got just over the hands of Frontier’s diving goalkeeper Lexa Boyden.
Despite a 10-2 edge in shots in the first half, Monson was unable to add to its lead the rest of the first half. Boyden and the Frontier defense, led by sophomore Tori Speth, kept the visitors within reach, quelling several scoring chances and carrying the 1-0 deficit into halftime.
“We weren’t pressing enough to make things happen offensively so we talked about playing with heart and determination at halftime and just seeing what we could make happen,” Pittelli said.
Aimee Wutka made it 2-0 with a goal seven minutes into the second half, while Lily Fabian scored goals in the 55th and 67th minutes to provide more insurance.
“We’ve had Monson in our division before so we definitely know how good they are,” Pittelli said. “Having some injuries up top hurts us in trying to possess the ball and balance things out a bit. But they were definitely the better team today.”
Monson finished with a 26-5 advantage in shots, as Boyden recorded 14 saves. Three of Monson’s four goals came on shots from 25 to 30 yards away.
“Their keeper played well,” Degnan said. “She starts a lot of their plays with a long kick. I know her and Denkiewicz work well together on long balls so we wanted to try and slow that part of their game down as well.”
The loss was the final game for Boyden and fellow seniors Angela Self and Katie Thompson. The Red Hawks (13-4-2) have a very young roster overall. Pittelli employed two sophomores, two freshmen and an eighth-grader in his starting 11 against Monson.
The quarterfinal appearance is “a step in the right direction,” Pittelli said. “We haven’t made it to the tournament in three years and it’s been awhile since we’ve made it this far. We’re young, and we have a lot of young players who I think are going to be very good moving forward.”