HADLEY — Granby’s Erin Mikalchus fired her first two shots into Hopkins Academy keeper Miranda Pitta’s chest and hit a third off the left post.
She approached her fourth attempt with more finesse to give the Rams a first-half lead, slotting a ball to the right corner past a diving Pitta.
“I had the opportunities over and over again, and I just needed to lean over the ball and pass it into the goal,” Mikalchus said.
The Rams became more selective and efficient with their offensive pressure in the second half and left Hadley with a 3-0 road win Tuesday.
Summer Molin doubled Granby’s lead 13 minutes into the second half on an assist from Trystin Burger.
She tapped in a cross from the right side of the net.
“The second goal was more of what certainly brought our attitudes further down into what I call the pits of despair,” Hopkins coach Lyndsey Roberts said. “That was a miscommunication from us on defense, and that was what brought the level of play down to the chippier level.”
Both teams pursued the ball aggressively throughout, and the referees allowed it.
The game’s only yellow card went to Burger in the second half for dissent after she voiced her displeasure to a no-call.
“I don’t think our team has any problem with being physical. A lot of our team has played club, and it’s a lot more physical,” Mikalchus said. “I’m all for letting it play when it’s physical, but when we’re getting hit after the play, I don’t like that.”
Once Granby (8-2-1) established its lead, Mikalchus moved further back on the pitch to play a defensive role and protect it.
“For me and Trystin in the midfield we’re both playing both positions, but generally I play more defensive and she attacks more,” Mikalchus said. “As our lead goes up, we both try to focus more on defense.”
Mikalchus still found a way to contribute to the Rams’ third goal, though.
With 10 minutes to play, Molin set up a free kick to the right side of the 18-yard box.
No one found the end of it, and Mikalchus gathered the ball near the center circle after a Hopkins (8-1) clearance. She measured a pass to Nora Young, who took it at the right corner of the 18, used a back-heel touch with her right boot to send it left, tapped it into position with her left foot and lofted a curling, right-footed shot into the net.
“Erin played literally a perfect ball to me,” Young said. “It was right at the perfect spot.”
Hopkins nearly got on the score sheet in the game’s last few minutes when AJ Mitchell squared up a first-touch shot from the left of the frame, but it went over the bar.
That was the Golden Hawks’ best chance since the sixth minute, when they had two crosses go across the face of goal without a player to finish them.
“We came out playing lazy, and we certainly did not come out strong. We needed to be better in the second half than we were in the first half,” Roberts said.
Despite its first loss, Hopkins is one win away from qualifying for the postseason.
“I’m almost relieved in a way and I think this is a good reality check to put he girls back to where they are and make them realize they have to play 80 full minutes,” Roberts said. “It’s a good reminder.”
Kyle Grabowski can be reached at kgrabowski@gazettenet.com.