Dupras Scores as Mount Greylock Girls Snap Two-Game Skid
WILLIAMSTOWN, Mass.-- Two days after taking a disappointing loss on the road, the Mount Greylock girls soccer team Tuesday showed the size of its heart and the depth of its program.
Elizabeth Dupras scored the game-winner, and Delaney Babcock made seven saves in a 2-0 win over Pittsfield as the Mounties celebrated Senior Day in style on John T. Allen Field.
“It was a painful weekend,” Mount Greylock coach Tom Ostheimer said. “We never quite got off the bus down at Mount Everett. We talked yesterday, had a great practice. We brought a few key JV players up, and they got some quality minutes today.
“Hats off to Belen Galvez, who played defensive mid every minute of the game. She looked like she’s been playing with us all year long.”
Dupras was key at the other end, generating several strong chances in the opening moments of the contest.
In the first minute of play, she threatened on a run up the right wing that forced Pittsfield keeper Lexi Swanson to make a diving save.
In the 12th minute, Dupras ran on a through ball from Molly Sullivan and fired a shot that went just wide of the far side of the post. Three minutes later, Dupras broke up the middle for a shot that Swanson again dove to deny.
Finally, with 16 minute, 17 seconds on the clock, Dupras took a shot from deep on the right wing that tipped off Swanson’s outstretched hands and into the goal to make it 1-0.
“We looked great,” Ostheimer said. “We had the right people in the right positions. We were knocking on the door a lot in the beginning, and we were a little frustrated that we didn’t hit the back of the net.
“But this is a good team. [Pittsfield] countered well. Delaney came up huge.”
In the 31st minute, Pittsfield’s Emery Sime had a point black try from the middle of the 18 that Babcock blocked with her body to maintain the one goal lead.
Four minutes later, the Mounties earned a corner kick on the left wing at the other end, and Clara McWeeny’s entry curled in toward the goal, where it caromed off a Pittsfield defender and into the net.
Pittsfield generated a couple of strong chances early in the second half. First, Sime had a shot from deep on the right wing that forced Babcock to make a diving save. A few minutes later, Randi Duquette took a cross from Sime at the top of the 18 and fired a shot that went just high.
Later, as the clock wound down, a Pittsfield striker came even closer to ruining Babcock’s shutout bid.
“They had that crossbar late, that was scary,” Ostheimer said. “If it’s 2-1, it only takes a couple of more minutes to get that equalizer.
“We showed a lot of character, today. It was a great bounceback game for us.”
Mount Greylock (8-3) finishes the regular season at Drury on Friday.
Pittsfield (3-2) is at Berkshire Community College to play Taconic on Wednesday.