GRANBY — Though it was a dreary, wet afternoon for a soccer game, the Granby girls soccer team didn’t let the weather dampen their enthusiasm — or their offense.
The fourth-seeded Rams exploded for four goals in the first half of the Western Mass. Class D quarterfinal against No. 5 Hopkins Academy, earning a 4-1 win to advance to the semifinals. It was a win by committee, as Sienna Hill, Sophia Gagnon, Ella Laliberte and Autumn Sicard all scored for Granby.
Tia Fyden picked up the lone goal for the Hawks, and her sister Cassidy Fyden made nine saves in the loss.
Granby head coach Bob Weaver is leaning on his upperclassmen, especially his eight seniors, to guide the team this postseason. That wealth of experience was crucial, especially against a talented but young Hopkins squad.
“(The seniors) have been in the Western Mass. finals, most of them were with me in the state final game, so they know come tournament time, all the teams step up,” said Weaver. “We stressed that we wanted to pressure [Hopkins] all over the field in the first 10 minutes just to get ourselves into the game, and by doing that we were lucky enough to get at least one there.”
That was exactly what the Rams did, scoring two of their four goals in the first eight minutes of the first half. Netminder Gabby Walz did her part to keep her team far ahead, making several crucial saves at key moments throughout the game. She finished with 13 saves.
Ultimately, Granby’s speed and communication were two key pieces that earned them the win.
“A big thing we had to work on this season was definitely connecting and passing, and as the season progressed we got better at that,” said Laliberte, a junior. “I think today in this game we really showed that we can do it, and we can work together and pull out a win that’s [by] more than one goal, because we’ve had a very long season of tying people, not winning by very much and very close games, so it felt good to get a higher win than we usually do.”
It’s a good confidence boost for the Rams going into their next game on Wednesday, on the road against top-seeded Monson, a team that they know will be a challenge. But if they play as cohesively as they did Monday, the Granby players think they can keep up with their next opponent.
“I think the way that we were passing, connecting, is going to transfer into the next game, and I think that our communication is going to as well,” said Hill. “And we know that we’re going to play a hard team next time, and the way that we played today definitely has to transfer into the next game.”
Hopkins full of youthful
enthusiasm
It’s been a while since Hopkins has last been in a Western Mass. playoff game, and those first-game jitters may have gotten the best of them early.
“I think our nerves (were a difficulty), especially the first half; all their goals came in the first half,” said Hopkins head coach Vinny Catania. “We haven’t been in the Western Mass. tournament for plenty of years, I think it’s been four or five years since this team has been in, so this is the first tournament experience any of them had.”
The Hawks are a fairly young team, with just five seniors on the roster, including Fyden, who was their lone goal scorer and a consistent threat from the offensive line. Up against a more experienced Granby team, they know there’s lots to take away from the experience going into their next match on Wednesday. Hopkins will play Hoosac Valley in a consolation tilt.
“I think we’re just not used to that. They played a great game, they’re well coached, lot of hustle, they didn’t back down to anything,” said Catania. “We’re a young team, so learning from this and moving forward is all we’re going to expect.”
Tia Fyden, one of the team’s few seniors, agreed that there were nerves heading into Monday’s contest, but that the team was more thrilled to be back in the postseason than nervous, and thinks those good vibes will carry them through their next game.
“Definitely nerves, but more excitement, and I think the excitement is going to fuel our team,” she said. “That’s something special, since most of the team is so young and hasn’t been to the playoffs, the excitement is what’s going to push through.
“Being our first playoff game, and just the experience itself is something good to learn from,” she continued. “Now we know what to expect, we’re playing different teams than what’s in our conference, so just the experience itself is good.”