MHS girls’ soccer beat East Longmeadow, 1-0 on Saturday to advance in playoffs. (courtesy photo)
Mahoney sole goal gives team 1-0 playoff win
By JENNIFER GENTILE
MELROSE—The Melrose High girls’ soccer team has advanced to the Div. 2 Round of 16 after a first-round win over East Longmeadow, 1-0 on Saturday, Nov. 5 on the road at East Longmeadow High.
For the traveling Melrose High squad, the two-hour bus ride to Spartan land was well worth it, as it proved to be a historic game. While playoffs are hardly a rarity for the MHS girls’ soccer team, playoff victories are and on Saturday, the MHS girls clinched their second ever playoff win since 2005.
At press time #18 seed Melrose (8-6-5) was scheduled to play #2 seed Masconomet (15-0-2) at Bishop Fenwick on Wednesday evening at 6:30 p.m. (post deadline). Fans will know to visit our social media pages and the MIAA website for up-to-date game information.
This 1-0 shutout against East Longmeadow last Saturday represents Melrose second-ever playoff victory since an exciting PK win in 2005. “Today was something special,” Melrose coach Rob Mahoney said. “It’s great to come up with a win that’s pretty historic for the team.”
Melrose only needed one goal in the game, which came in the second half off the foot of Chloe Mahohey, set up by junior Ellie Deeble, who got the assist.
At the net, junior Ava Tormo enjoyed another shutout. “Ava had a great game, and some really strong defensive efforts came from Emily Lucien, Jill Frawley and Abby Taylor. They haven’t disappointed,” notes the coach.
Melrose had nearly a week and a half to prepare for the game and they made that time count, scrimmaging St. Mary’s of Lynn and doing their homework on opposition. On Saturday, they were firing on all cylinders. “To some extent I’d say we’re peaking at the right time, playing a little bit more like we did earlier in the season before injuries,” says Mahoney. “There were peaks and valleys over the season for sure.”
One key cog is the return of freshman Sophia McElligott, Melrose’s leading scorer, from the injury list. Sure enough she was part of Melrose’s winning goal setting up a pass to Deeble on Mahoney’s goal. Another important return is that of Paige Crovo, who is also off the injury list. Having all hands-on deck will be important as Melrose takes another step towards a deeper playoff run.
When it comes to soccer, timing is everything. And how you finish is important. To get to the next level will require some pretty methodical thinking as they train for their next game, which is a big one. “It’s important to stay mentally neutral and composed. And not get too high or low during the game based on what’s happening,” says Mahoney.
On offense, Melrose will continue to look towards Mahoney, McElligott, Deeble and Emily Giovarnardi to help put scores on the board.
While #2 Masconomet represents an uphill climb for Melrose, they’ve had some reason to believe they can match them.
“Winchester really proved what we can do when we play at our best,” says Mahoney. “This could be an evenly matched game. We’ll do our homework. We know what we’re capable of and when we leave it on the field, we can compete with anyone.”
