LEOMINSTER – Set pieces were the difference for top-seeded Cohasset in Wednesday night’s MIAA Division 4 Girls Soccer semifinal match.
The Skippers scored two of their three goals on set plays, once on a corner and once on a free kick, en route to a 3-1 win over No. 4 Hampshire Regional at Doyle Field.
The Raiders finished their season with a 14-6-1 record. Cohasset (16-1-3) advanced to Saturday’s Division 4 final against either No. 2 Northbridge or No. 3 Littleton.
“There’s no lack of effort. I think we gave this team everything they could handle,” Hampshire head coach Steve Croft said. “We know they’re a good team. They’re number one seed for a reason. But that’s all I can ask for the outstanding effort, which we got all over the field.”
Hampshire put together one of the more memorable seasons in program history with its postseason performance. The club reached the Western Mass. Class B semis before falling to powerhouse Belchertown, and then made it all the way to the Division 4 state semis for the first time since 2005.
“The first thing I said (after the game), I know today was a loss, you’re gonna feel down after a loss, but keep your heads held high because of everything we accomplished this year,” Croft said.
Cohasset looked like it had all the momentum in the first half. The Skippers opened the scoring just over 10 minutes into the first half on their second corner kick attempt of the evening. Tessa Barrett sent a long ball into the box, where Cat Herman was there to head it past Hampshire keeper Makena Rogalski for an early 1-0 advantage.
The Raiders tried to counter back with a rocket from Maisie Bowler that hit the post and bounced out, the best chance they’d had up until that point.
Despite impressive defense from Hampshire’s back line, Cohasset doubled its lead on a free kick. Rogalski jumped up and made the initial stop, but couldn’t corral the rebound, and Cohasset’s Ava Carcio was there to make it 2-0 with 14:29 remaining.
After a timeout to settle back down, Hampshire cut the lead in half just before halftime. The Raiders sent a free kick way up the field, where Anna Puttick picked it up and fired a rocket past Cohasset keeper Tessa Curatola to make it a 2-1 game.
“Some teams may get down after being down two [goals], but I called the timeout before that. Hopefully that re-energized them,” Croft said. “The goal energized us, and I think we held the momentum for the end of that first half.”
The second half was back and forth. Cohasset had a slight edge in quality scoring chances, but Rogalski was there to make a number of saves to keep the game close. She finished the night with 10 stops for the Raiders.
“She’s been phenomenal all season, making big saves. I can’t say enough about Makena,” Croft said. “She sees the entire field, is one of the best goalkeepers around in Western Mass. We’re definitely fortunate to have her.”
Despite playing with a purpose in the final minutes, Hampshire couldn’t find the equalizer. Cohasset capitalized on a long free kick, sending a ball deep toward Hampshire’s net that Rogalski made the initial stop on. Sarah Conroy was there to collect the rebound for the Skippers, giving them the 3-1 lead that ultimately stood as the final.