Seniors Key Canes on Field and on Sideline
CHESHIRE, Mass. -- Abigail Hugger arrived at Wednesday’s Berkshire County South Division soccer semifinal with her right knee well wrapped in Ace bandages.
But what mattered was what was wrapped around her left arm.
Wearing her captain’s armband, the Hoosac Valley senior arrived at the field two hours after undergoing knee surgery. Two hours later, she was celebrating a 1-0 victory over Mount Everett with her teammates.
“I was a little drowsy, and woke up about 45 minutes ago, and I said, ‘Dad, can I go to the game?’ “ Hugger said as the Hurricanes warmed up. “With a lot of terms and conditions, he was like, ‘Sure.’
“I’ve been here all season. I didn’t get to play my Senior Night. But we made it to the playoffs, and I think we have a good chance of winning. If I couldn’t play in the game, I wanted nothing more than to be here and see how it played out.”
Hugger’s friend and fellow captain Sydni Jamros scored with an assist from Kim Mach in the 62nd minute, and the Hoosac Valley defense stood up to strong pressure from the Eagles down the stretch to advance to Friday’s league championship game.
Hugger said it has not always been fun watching from the sidelines as Hoosac Valley went 3-0-2 against its South Division foes to earn the second seed in the tournament.
“It’s been awful,” she said. “It’s probably been one of the hardest things I’ve ever done, like with basketball and now this. I think that’s why it meant so much to be here.”
It meant a lot to her teammates, too.
“She is one of my closest friends,” Jamros said. “She’s been a part of the program since we were both in seventh grade. And I know it’s really been hurting her not to be able to play, especially in these competitive games.
“I knew that she really wanted to be here and she really wanted to make it out here. But, obviously, with surgery, you never know how you’re going to feel afterward. I was so excited to see her out here, because, even though she can’t play, she’s been a super important, strong part of our team. She is our morale. She is our spirit. Having her here was great, and I wouldn’t have it any other way.”
Hoosac Valley, which tied Mount Everett, 1-1, a week ago, took it to the Eagles in the early going. The Hurricanes kept the visitors pinned in their end of the field, but Mount Everett keeper Emma Goewey made four first half saves to keep it a scoreless game.
Despite having the better of play in the first 40 minutes, Hoosac Valley coach Kathy Budaj made a big adjustment going into the second half.
“We had a lot of pressure in the first half, but we tended to start getting lazy,” Budaj said. “We started putting the ball in the middle instead of outside, and that’s where we started having some issues.
“I said, ‘Let’s go for the win. Put Sydni up top.’ “
It was the Eagles who had the best chances in the early stages of the second half. First, Hudah Ngoy Nkulu was left open in the middle of the 18 for a try that forced Hoosac Valley keeper Emma Meczywor (six saves) to make a diving stop. Moments later, Chevelle Raifstranger fired a shot on goal after taking a cross from the right wing.
But just after the teams took their second half mask break, the Hurricanes broke the stalemate. Mach made a run up the left wing and crossed the ball into the 6 for Jamros, who played it off her body and into the goal.
“It all started with Annie Canales,” Jamros said. “She’s been doing great in the middle. Perfect ball through to Kimmy, who is an eighth-grader, and she’s really progressed through the year and stepped it up. She put in a perfect ball, and I saw it coming perfectly.
“And their goalie is really good, so I knew the only way I was going to score was to step in front of her. I stepped in front of her and had to run through the ball, basically, into the goal.”
Jamros and Budaj credited junior Lilly Boudreau for anchoring the defense that preserved that one-goal lead.
“Having Lilly back there is huge,” Budaj said. “Some games, we’ve moved Lilly up. We’ve played these guys before, so I thought, ‘No, we need to keep Lilly back,’ which was a big difference in the game.”
Hoosac Valley moves on to face rival Drury on Friday for the Berkshire South Fall 2 title.
Mount Everett, meanwhile, can look forward to a strong “Fall 1” later this year.
“Unfortunately, that one mistake on the defensive end cost us a goal,” Mount Everett coach Joshua King said. “But, overall, I couldn’t be prouder of what these kids accomplished and how they’ve played this year. The future definitely looks bright for us if everyone continues to work hard and improve and play the way we did this year.”