Spartans Come Back to Top Mount Greylock

GREAT BARRINGTON, Mass. – Jade Nelson scored in the 78th minute Tuesday to give the Monument Mountain girls soccer team a 2-1, come-from-behind win over Mount Greylock.

 

The win avenged a 2-0 loss earlier this season in Williamstown and snapped a nine-game winless streak for the Spartans in the series.

 

Irish Firth scored the game-tying goal in the 56th minute and set up Nelson for the game-winner.

 

The Spartans, who averaged 4.5 goals per game coming into the night, went into the second half with a 1-0 deficit and three straight scoreless halves this season against the Mounties.

 

“In the second half, we were really focusing on pressuring the goal and making sure we crashed afterward because, obviously, their goalie is really good,” Nelson said. “We wanted to make sure we stayed consistent, and we were really looking to play wide, and I think that paid off.”

 

Neither of the Spartans’ goals involved crashing for rebounds. Both involved going wide.

 

First, Mercedez Raifstanger sent the ball out to Firth on the right wing on a counter to tie the game.

 

Then, with time in the officials hands and the teams looking at a stalemate, Firth sent the ball to Nelson on the right wing, and she buried a shot from distance to give the Spartans their 10th win of the season.

 

“I got it from Iris Firth,” Nelson recalled. “Usually, she plays up top, but we’ve been pushing her back into the middle because she’s a really good distributor. So she played me the ball, and I don’t really remember what happened. I noticed the goalie was out, so I just shot it.”

 

Monument Mountain coach Miguel Silva confirmed that the Spartans are finding different ways to utilize Firth, the team’s leading scorer.

 

“We know that Iris is going to get marked,” Silva said. “So we thought that if we pulled her back, she would be able to get more of the ball, and then we could open up spaces for the other forwards.

 

“So that’s exactly what happened. I think we created two or three chances that could have been goals. But that was the strategy – to get her back on the ball and have her have some joy and then just distribute to the forwards and see if we could get something happening.”

 

Mount Greylock was making things happen in the final third in the early stages, generating three shots on goal in the first nine minutes of the game and putting the first mark on the scoreboard.

 

In the 18th minute, the Mounties’ Tanley Drake collided with Monument keeper Jaziyah Forte (eight saves) in the 18, and Mount Greylock was awarded a penalty kick.

 

Nora Lopez buried the PK for her team-leading ninth goal of the season, and it looked like the Mounties were on their way to extending their unbeaten string of 12 games to start the season.

 

But from that point, it was the Spartans who created the overwhelming majority of dangerous scoring opportunities.

 

Although the final shot on goal numbers were close (14-9 for the Spartans) Monument Mountain controlled play for most of the remaining 62 minutes after Lopez put the Mounties ahead.

 

Mount Greylock’s defense and senior keeper Mai O’Connor stood up to that pressure until midway through the second half, though.

 

In the 28th minute, Mounties back Rowan Apotsos made a strong play to deny Raifstanger on a through ball up the left wing into the final third. A minute later, Monument Mountain’s Annette Boyko fired a shot on goal that O’Connor deflected over the end line for a corner kick, and then O’Connor made another save on the ensuing set piece.

 

Early in the second half, O’Connor made a spectacular leaping save, somehow getting her fingertips on a shot by Lily Haskins-Vaughan from 35 yards out to keep the Spartans scoreless.

 

“Mai’s an incredible goalkeeper, we all know that,” Mount Greylock coach Natalie Harris said. “Never say it’s in until that ball hits the back of the net. She’s got an incredible vertical. Her agility to get across that goal is incredible.

 

“We’re never surprised when she gets these saves, because we’re used to it. But we’re always grateful for her.”

 

Finally, with 24 minutes, 57 seconds on the clock, Firth was able to convert from distance tie level the score.

 

With 10:33 left, Silva called timeout to regroup the Spartans, and a couple of minutes later, it looked like Monument Mountain had the go-ahead goal for sure.

 

Firth took a shot from outside the box that forced O’Connor to make a diving save, and one of those crashing Spartans appeared to have a wide open net to work with from the top of the 6. But her shot went wide of the far post, momentarily deflating the Monument Mountain crowd.

 

In the 72nd minute, another Firth shot from distance drew another O’Connor save to keep it 1-1.

 

But Nelson, with time winding down, hit a one-timer that sailed over O’Connor’s hands and into the back of the net to give Monument Mountain the lead it kept until the final whistle.

 

The win was a long time coming. Monument Mountain was 0-8-1 against Mount Greylock going back to September 2018.

 

“It’s been a long time since we beat them, so it definitely feels good,” Nelson said.

 

Asked to recall the last time, the Monument Mountain senior replied, “I think we beat them … No, I don’t think we’ve won since my freshman year. It’s been a long time, but we’ve been working toward it, and I’m very proud of us.”

 

The Spartans (10-1) host Hoosac Valley on Thursday.

 

Mount Greylock (10-1-2) hosts Drury on Friday.