AGAWAM – Despite pushing No. 3 Mount Everett to the brink, No. 4 Smith Academy fell just one bounce short in the Western Mass. Class E girls soccer final on Wednesday.
Chevelle Raifstanger gave Mount Everett its first-ever Western Mass. title, bouncing the ball off the goal post and in with 2:49 left in overtime to earn a 2-1 victory.
It was a heartbreaking loss for the Falcons, which put together one of the program’s most successful seasons in years.
“As far as being bought in – I’ve never coached a group that’s been quite like this. They came to me in August, they asked me to push them as hard as I could because they knew they had a chance to be to be good, and not all teams ask you to do that,” Smith Academy head coach David Zononi said. “And you know, it paid off.”
Both teams had a tough road to the finals – Smith Academy had to take on the No. 1 seed Granby, and shut them out, 3-0, in the semifinals. Meanwhile, Mount Everett took No. 2 Hopkins Academy to overtime and scored the game-winner to punch its ticket to the title game.
Neither team had won a Western Mass. title before Wednesday’s final.
Smith Academy didn’t want to wait around to get off and running on Wednesday. Emma Moynihan needed just 54 seconds to notch the first goal of the game, a laser of a shot off an assist from Meghan Bell for a 1-0 lead.
Moynihan’s goal was the only tally in the first half. Mount Everett had chances to tie it up, including a late corner chance and a shot that hit the side of the net seconds before the whistle blew to end the opening frame.
“We told them after the Granby game, it was important we get the first one, that could change the game and and it’s kind of crazy – we get that one and and then they turn around the second half and do the same thing to us,” Zononi said. “We just couldn’t get the second one we needed.”
Undaunted, Mount Everett answered back the same way early in the second half, needing just 30 seconds to tie things up with an unassisted goal from Raifstanger.
Mount Everett pushed hard in the second half for the go-ahead goal, getting two clean breakaway attempts a minute apart and blocking a Smith Academy shot just a few minutes later. Despite a number of chances, neither team could break the stalemate, forcing a 10 minute sudden-victory overtime period.
Smith Academy had a clean breakaway in overtime that Mount Everett’s keeper turned away. The Eagles scored the game-winner two minutes later to take home the title.
Smith Academy now turns its attention to the upcoming Division 5 state tournament, where it is seeded 20th. The Falcons will host No. 45 Boston Collegiate in the preliminary round.