Barrett Scores Twice, Mount Greylock Girls Top Spartans

WILLIAMSTOWN, Mass. -- For long stretches on Monday afternoon, the Mount Greylock Regional School could not get the ball out of its end.

 

Fortunately for the Mounties, they had Sarah Stripp in their end.

 

Stripp anchored a Mount Greylock defense that held up to a withering attack from Monument Mountain and held on for a 2-1 victory on John T. Allen Field.

 

The Mounties (7-3) got two first half goals from Lucy Barrett and plenty of pressure from the visiting Spartans -- particularly in the closing moments of the first half and about the first 20 minutes of the second.

 

Monument's midfield did a good job of keeping Mount Greylock pinned in its defensive third during that span. But Stripp and the defense limited the Spartans' quality chances, and Charlotte Rand (eight saves) was able to stop the rest as Mount Greylock won its fourth straight game.

 

"We got some good play out of our defense," Mount Greylock coach Tom Ostheimer said. "Sarah [Stripp] played a great game. She's solid. And then we have others back there who really contributed. And Charlotte Rand, especially on that line drive where she got it over the bar, that was huge.

 

"We play a stopper/sweeper, so [Stripp] typically does not have a mark, and anything that gets played through, she clears it out. ... And she calls a lot of the marks. The goalie sees a little bit more than she does, but she happens to be a really good communicator, and she's smart, and she keeps the defense well organized."

 

The Mounties have allowed just two gals in their last three games, and in at least two of them -- Hoosac Valley last week and Monument on Monday -- it was not for lack of pressure from the opposition.

 

"I thought we had some great, beautiful moments first half and second half," Monument Mountain coach Jess Platt said. "I think we definitely started to pick it up and came out with a lot of that high pressure we were looking for in the second half."

 

Monument was missing two members of its starting lineup due to injury. Crista Cardillo and Ericca Broderick both sat out Monday's game.

 

But Platt, who expects both players to come back within a week or two, was not making any excuses on Monday and said the inter-divisional match was a good learning experience for the Spartans (7-2).

 

"We just had some newer, younger players stepping it," she said. "It took them a while to adjust, but I thought they did.

 

"We'll take it one game at a time. We've got nine more games in our season, and that's what we're looking towards now. It's always good to see what you're made of when you lose your top two."

 

Mount Greylock jumped out an early lead with a counter in the fourth minute of the first half. Ada de Gooyer volleyed a through ball from midfield for Lucy Barrett, and she one timed a shot high into the net past keeper Emily Shaw.

 

It stayed 1-0 until the 25th minute, when Allison Kinne scored out of a scramble in front of the Mount Greylock goal. The Mounties had two chances to clear it off the back line before Kinne ended up with a wide open shot inside the 6, and she buried it to tie the game.

 

With about five minutes left in the half, Barrett got the game-winner, this time taking a through ball from Kelsey Orpin that set up Barrett's team-leading seventh goal of the year.

 

"We're strong up the middle with Sarah [Stripp] and Leah Majumder and Kelsey Orpin and Lucy [Barrett] up front," he said.

 

"We got a couple of goals out of Lucy Barrett, which is about what she's averaging the last few games. So that was a good move, moving her up, and she's added some life to our offense."

 

Mount Greylock plays its last game outside Berkshire County on Wednesday when it visits Mahar. Monument will be at Drury on Wednesday.