The upcoming state championship has dominated the discussion in the Granby girls soccer team’s group chat.
“We haven’t stopped talking about it,” Granby junior Nora Young said. “Like, we made it, this is it.”
The Rams broke through to the Division 4 state final after three consecutive losses in the state semifinal, beating Uxbridge 2-1 on Wednesday. They’ll face defending state champion Millis at 4:30 p.m. Saturday at St. John’s Prep in Danvers. The game was originally scheduled for 9 a.m. at Worcester State, but Thursday night’s snowstorm forced a venue change.
“We’ve been very high energy, very chaotic trying to cram everything in with this last-minute change-up,” Granby senior Trystin Burger said.
Granby (16-5-1) thrived in the chaos against Uxbridge. The Rams tested the Spartans’ aggressive defense with through balls that Young and freshman Gabby Walz could run with and find a shooting angle.
“We need a much quicker start,” Granby coach Bob Weaver said. “We didn’t settle in fast enough on Wednesday. As long as we start quick and get into our style of play, we’ll be fine.”
The Rams define their style of play with effort.
“They’re so mentally tough, they’re so willing to work hard and give everything they have,” Young said.
It comes from trusting each other. Every member of Granby’s roster grew up together playing in the same youth leagues.
“We’re from such a small town. We don’t get to really choose our team,” Burger said. “We’ve all grown up playing with the same coaches and the same team, it’s to our advantage.”
The Rams understand where they’re from and where they are. Granby last played for a girls soccer state title in 2013, a 1-0 loss to Newburyport. Millbury knocked them out of the last three postseasons in the semifinals.
“We’re excited and ready to show everyone we’ve worked our butts of the last four years,” Burger said. “We haven’ been satisfied to get to state semis and lose. We’re here to stay.”
Millis (17-3-4), the South sectional champions, ended Millbury’s three-year title run in last year’s final. The Mohawks emerged from the sectional tournament as the No. 6 seed and beat Amesbury 2-1 in the state semifinals.
“They really attack the ball, they swarm,” Weaver said. “They’re impressive, but we’re both here for a reason.”
Weaver doesn’t expect the stage to rattle his team despite their unfamiliarity.
“We started in 100-degree weather, we played Wednesday night in the 20s, colder than that with the wind chill,” he said. “This group has been mentally tough. This team is very unselfish. All they want to do is win, and it shows. They want to create some history.”