Defense Key for Mount Greylock in Battle of Unbeatens
WILLIAMSTOWN, Mass. – Someone finally was able to contain the high-flying Monument Mountain girls soccer team offense.
Mount Greylock’s backline held the Spartans without a shot on goal in the first half and led the Mounties in a 2-0 win on John T. Allen Field on Wednesday evening.
Tanley Drake and Mila Marcisz each scored a goal to help Mount Greylock (3-0-1) stay unbeaten on the young season.
At the other end of the field, Mai O’Connor made four saves and the Mounties held Monument Mountain (3-1) scoreless after it put 16 goals on the scoreboard in its first three games.
“I think it was our toughest challenge to date since I stepped into this role, for sure,” first-year Mount Greylock coach Natalie Harris said.
“Some of the things we talked about was what we have to do on our end defensively to get the ball forward. We talked about focus and composure, keeping control on that back line, making sure we’re recovering.”
The Mounties scored their first goal in the 10th minute of play.
Defender Madison Drake sent the ball down the right wing side for Nora Lopez, who settled and found Tanley Drake open at the top of the 18.
Lopez’ crossing pass was on target, and Drake took a touch before firing the ball just inside the post to make it 1-0.
The Mounties had just two other shots on goal in the first half, and Jaziyah Forte (five saves) was able to keep it a one-goal game.
The Spartans’ best chance to score came in the 36th minute, when Mount Greylock defender Rowan Apotsos shut down the Spartans’ Iris Firth on a dangerous opportunity inside the 18.
In the first few minutes of the second half, the Mounties again called on Apotsos to check Firth, this time on a dangerous run up the left wing.
“Rowan, absolutely, and I think all of them together – Maddie [Powell], Nora [Lopez], Maddie Drake – they all had an incredible game defensively,” Harris said.
“And we’re hard to shut down when we’re all on form like that.”
About five minutes into the second half, Mount Greylock took advantage of a turnover at the midfield stripe, sending a through ball to Lopez up the middle. She beat one defender and ripped a shot that curled under the crossbar and over a leaping Forte to make it 2-0.
Harris said the two-goal advantage allowed her a sigh of relief.
“The game was a little bit stale at that point,” she said. “It could have gone either way. Monument is an incredibly strong team. And they have a lot of talent on there. So, for us to be the team to push forward and get that next goal – which I had every confidence we could do – was important for us to be able to keep focused at the back, keep our control in the middle and keep that composure up front.”
Monument Mountain coach Miguel Silva was disappointed to see his team’s two-game shutout streak come to an end in its first loss. But he was encouraged that the Spartans were able to turn things around in the second half and start putting some pressure on Mount Greylock.
“I think our first half – the moment was too big for us and we kind of felt the pressure and shut down,” Silva said. “I don’t think we played a really good first half.
“The second half, I thought we picked up. I couldn’t be happier with our effort. I think [Mount Greylock] scored on two mistakes that we made, and they pretty much had two opportunities and they put them away. We kept trying, we kept going at it, and, for me, that’s all I can ask from these players: that they don’t give up and continue to play and play and play.
“And I think we did.”
Monument Mountain will look to start another winning streak on Tuesday when it hosts Springfield Central.
Mount Greylock hosts Wahconah on Friday.