FUSION TAKES HOME MTOC TITLE. The North Reading girls’ grade 9 and 10 Youth Soccer team won its first-ever Massachusetts Division I State Championship title. Fusion won four out of five games in the series and defeated Weymouth for the title. Team members include (front row, l-r): Bella Mawn, Eva Cannalonga, Sydney Rech, Kiersten Higgins, Reilly Tassinari, Sara Suny and Juliet Wasilewski; (back row:, l-r): Coach Ryan Osterlind, Ava Colbert, Mikaela O’Driscoll, Katie Attwood, Mady Forbush, Allie Lanciani, Sydney Palmer, Mary Doble, Coach Laura Doble and Coach Guy Tassinari. Missing from photo: Ariana Demetri, Mackenzie Freedman, Addie Kelly, Erin McBain, Taylor Osterlind and Julia Petrosino. (Courtesy Photo)

NORTH READING — In historic fashion, the North Reading Fusion girls’ soccer team won the Massachusetts Tournament of Champions (MTOC) Division I State Championship for grades 9 and 10. 

Their victory marks the first time in the history of the North Reading Youth Soccer program that a girls’ team has won the state title!  

The 10th grade members of the Fusion team have been playing together since they were fourth-graders and were augmented this year by several ninth-graders. The team is comprised of sophomores Ava Colbert, Mary Doble, Mackenzie Freedman, Kiersten Higgins, Allie Lanciani, Mikaela O’Driscoll, Taylor Osterlind, Sara Suny, Reilly Tassinari and Juliet Wasilewski, plus freshmen Katie Attwood, Eva Cannalonga, Ariana Demetri, Madison Forbush, Adelyn Kelly, Bella Mawn, Erin McBain, Sydney Palmer, Julia Petrosino and Sydney Rech. 

This state championship is the culmination of several years of hard work and teamwork by the girls.  They were guided in their efforts through the tenacious coaching of Guy Tassinari, Laura Doble and Ryan Osterlind, who together won ECYSA, Massachusetts Youth Soccer and U.S. Eastern Region Youth Soccer coaches of the year in 2022, along with additional coaching from Gina Palmer this year.

THE ROAD TO VICTORY

Fusion had a hard-fought route to the state championship. The girls battled all season and were the second seeded team heading into the Essex County Youth Soccer Association (ECYSA) tournament held annually at Pingree School in Hamilton. 

The Fusion team won its first game 3-1 against Beverly in a come-from-behind victory. Beverly scored early and went up 1-0 in the first half, but the Fusion rallied in the second half, scoring three unanswered goals for the 3-1 victory.

The girls then faced a tough Andover team in the ECYSA final. Missing several key players, and with only one substitute player on a hot Father’s Day match, the girls ultimately succumbed to Andover, with a final score of 2-0 in favor of Andover.  However, through a wildcard bid, the North Reading Fusion girls still qualified for the Massachusetts Tournament of Champions (MTOC).

MASS TOURNAMENT OF CHAMPIONS

The MTOC games were played at the Massachusetts Youth Soccer headquarters in Lancaster from Friday, June 21 through Sunday, June 23. The top youth soccer teams from across Massachusetts converged on Lancaster to battle for the top spot for girls’ and boys’ youth soccer in the grades 5-6, 7-8, 9-10 and 11+ (PG) age groups. 

North Reading Fusion had advanced to the MTOC tournament the prior two years, but had lost in the semi-finals in 2022 and finals in 2023. 

Eight teams across Massachusetts in the girls’ grades 9-10 Division I category qualified for this year’s MTOC tournament. Teams were organized into groups of four with each team playing the three other teams in their group. The top four teams after the three “play in” games qualified for the semi-finals with the two winners of the semi-finals moving on to play in the final for the state championship.

DEFEAT BILLERICA, LOSE TO WEYMOUTH 

First up for the Fusion was the top-seeded team from Middlesex Youth Soccer, Billerica. This was a close game on a hot Friday afternoon with North Reading Fusion coming out victorious with a score of 2 goals to 1. Next up at 8 a.m. on Saturday morning was the talented team from Weymouth. Fusion had lost to Weymouth last year in the MTOC final, 1-0, and was feeling the pressure. Unfortunately, North Reading had a slow start, on which Weymouth capitalized, ending in a 3-0 loss for the Fusion.

SHUT OUT GROTON-DUNSTABLE 

After a quick break and a pep talk from their coaches, the girls quickly moved on to their next game at 9:20 a.m. against Groton-Dunstable. The North Reading girls came out ready and pounced on their opponents, shutting them out for a 4-0 victory.

DEFEAT ANDOVER IN SEMIFINALS 

That win secured their spot in the semi-finals on Sunday. After all the scores were tallied, they realized that they would be up against their familiar foe from ECYSA, Andover. But the Fusion girls had hit their stride, were communicating well, and passing, shooting and defending brilliantly. Fusion got on the board first with a goal from sophomore Allie Lanciani about 15 minutes into the first half. A few minutes later, Lanciani scored her second goal, assisted by sophomore Kiersten Higgins. 

Leading 2-0 at halftime, the coaches made sure the Fusion girls didn’t relent. Higgins scored an unassisted goal early in the second half to make it 3-1. This was followed by another unassisted North Reading goal, this time from freshman Sydney Rech. Andover got on the board to make the score 4-1, but Fusion wasn’t done yet. Lanciani passed the ball to a streaking Rech who placed the ball in the back of the goal. The final score was 5-1 with North Reading moving on to the finals. 

North Reading watched the last minutes of the other semi-final game between Hanover and Weymouth with Weymouth leading the way to a 1-0 victory. This set up the championship game between North Reading Fusion and Weymouth.

FINALS OPPONENT: WEYMOUTH!

Weymouth approached the pitch with a tremendous amount of confidence, but North Reading was hungry for revenge. After some strategic adjustments by the coaches, Fusion came out strong. A quick shot from Rech that sailed just wide of the goal had the Weymouth players scrambling and their fan base breathing a sigh of relief. But that didn’t last long as Lanciani blasted a shot into the back of the net shortly after, putting North Reading on the scoreboard, 1-0. 

A few minutes later North Reading scored again as Rech made a beautiful pass across the front of the net to freshman Eva Cannalonga who tapped the ball in past the outstretched goalie to put North Reading up by two. But with time expiring in the first half, Weymouth scored to cut the lead to 2-1. 

ALL-AROUND TEAMWORK LEADS TO VICTORY

The coaches rallied the girls at halftime and throughout the second half to keep the pressure up and not let the momentum swing the other way. Sophomore Reilly Tassinari dominated the midfield all game with support from freshmen Katie Attwood, Sydney Palmer and Bella Mawn. Outstanding team defense by sophomores Juliet Wasilewski, Sara Suny, Mikaela O’Driscoll and Ava Colbert and freshman Mady Forbush, along with some great saves by sophomore goalkeeper, Mary Doble, led to a final score of 2-1 with North Reading taking home the championship trophy! 

Congratulations to Fusion, North Reading’s girls’ grade 9 and 10 Youth Soccer Massachusetts Division I State Champions. What a season, what a team!