Dumas, Cote Score as Wahconah Girls Rally Late to Win Semi-Final
NORTHAMPTON, Mass. -- Throughout 77 minutes of play between No. 1 Wahconah and No. 5 Sabis Wednesday night, it 
looked like an upset as Sabis held a 1-0 lead over the top-seeded Division 3 Western Massachusetts girls soccer team.
looked like an upset as Sabis held a 1-0 lead over the top-seeded Division 3 Western Massachusetts girls soccer team.
But late heroics from Wahconah senior captain Katie Dumas turned the game around
After coach Pat West called a timeout with 3 minutes, 19 seconds left in regulation, Dumas tied the game.
Wahconah had countless opportunities throughout that either went high and wide of the net or were stopped by Sabis’ goalie Sarah Brown, but Dumas was able to control a rebounded ball in front of the net and put it in the net to keep things alive for her team.
“We knew time was running out, but we weren’t backing down,” Dumas said. “I had my opportunity and I put it in. It was my team, I give all the credit to them, working it up the field, it was amazing they never gave up and I’m proud of them.”
Dumas was right when she says her team never gave up. Wahconah went into the second half down 1-0 after Sabis’ Avalon Mateo finished one off a shot from the 18, 10 minutes into the first half.
Wahconah never backed down; it outshot Sabis and controlled the ball throughout the game, but none of its shots were hitting the net.
“What led up to that first goal was just the pressure; we could of have five goals by then and they just didn’t go in,” West said. “I knew somebody was just going to carry it in. We kept trying to drop it in, but they had it crowded in there for us.”
The pressure was certainly turned up for Wahconah after Dumas tied the game 1-1, but sophomore Emmy Cote did just as they had practiced in the final 30 seconds when a Sabis penalty was called outside of the 18.
She set the ball up and wasted no time getting a shot off. She sent the ball to the low left corner out of Brown’s reach; giving Wahconah the 2-1 win and a trip to the finals.
“I knew I needed to grab that ball and we needed to put it in as soon as we could,” Cote said. “I heard my whole team yelling just shoot it, don’t wait, and we’ve been practicing this, and I knew where to put it.”
“We were getting frustrated all game and that was just the relief right there.”
Wahconah (16-2-2) now advances to the finals of the Western Massachusetts D3 tournament. It will play sixth-seeded Granby (15-4-2) at Westfield State University on Saturday at 11 a.m. Granby advanced on Wednesday night with a 1-0 win over Hampshire in overtime.