Devils Lose Their Marks Against Wahconah
NORTH ADAMS, Mass. -- All the momentum the Drury girls' soccer team gained from last week's 2-1 mark came to a screeching halt on Monday, as Wahconah took full advantage of a loose Blue Devils' defense on its way to a 3-0 win on the road.Molly Meczywor's club started the game strong, going toe to toe with the Warriors (6-4-1) for most of the first half. Shannon Lussier got loose inside Drury's goal box, however, and was able to give Wahconah the lead by scoring the game's first goal in the 29th minute of action.
Another opening inside Drury's goal box allowed Bridget Lussier to increase the visitors lead six and half minutes into the second half before Gabby Lavinio finally put the game with an open shot outside the 18 in the closing minutes of the match.
"We were plagued again by lack of marking inside the 18-yard box," Meczywor said. "We came out very aggressive and dominated a great deal of play within the first 25 minutes, but we seemed to be flat the rest of the game. During the last part of the game, we got beat to a great deal of 50/50 balls because we were either out of position or on our heels.
"Wahconah's intensity got the better of us."
The Blue Devils (3-7-1) were outshot 11-8 in the game but managed a 4-2 edge in corner kicks. Still, Drury's offense couldn't avoid being shut out for the fifth time this season. Payton Hines made three saves to earn the win in net for the Warriors, while senior Ali Tatro stopped eight shots in goal for the Devils.
Meczywor did point to one positive on the day; the play of junior defender Morgan Lamarre.
"Morgan continues to play excellent all over the field, regardless of who she is marking," Meczywor said. "She is a spark plug and hopefully will continue to be that energy. The rest of the season is crucial if we want to make the postseason, and Morgan can be instrumental if she continues to play well. Hopefully, the rest of the girls step up to match her intensity and desire."
Drury now enters a stretch of four straight South Division games. The Blue Devils begin the stretch with a home game against Lee at 4:15 p.m. on Friday.