Better late than never
Delaney Green’s goal in penalty kicks was the difference as the Mount girls’ soccer team survived to beat West Warwick.
WOONSOCKET — Most soccer coaches start preparing for a potential penalty-kick shootout when the regular season concludes, but Mount first-year coach Phil Pincince has been around the sport long enough to know it takes more time than that to prepare players physically and mentally for the pressure-packed cauldron of oneon-one competition.
That’s why the former Brown University coach has been working on penal- ty-kick situations since he started practice in August.
The nearly three months of preparation paid off in a Division II preliminary contest against No. 11 West Warwick Wednesday afternoon. After the teams failed to score in 90 minutes of regulation and overtime, the squads each scored on their first four penalty kicks before Delaney Green put her shot just over Zolia Enriquez for the game-winning goal in a 0-0 (5-4) shootout victory over the talented Wizards.
“I was very nervous making the walk, but I don’t know if coach was physic or what, but we’ve been training for PKs and going through the five girls every week and preparing,” Green said. “I tried to act like it wasn’t 4-4 in the game. I know coach likes me to shoot low, but for my club team I like to go high to the corner. I didn’t mean to hit where I did, but it worked out.”
Green’s kick only set the stage for West Warwick sophomore Gabrielle Gonzalez to try and send the game to a sudden-death shootout. The Wizard blast her shot to the same spot as Green’s, but Mount goalie Abbie Dalpe managed to get a finger tip to it before the ball cannoned off the crossbar to send the Mounties to their fourth straight Division II quarterfinal.
Dalpe has now won penalty-kick shootouts in the last three seasons. As a sophomore, she was in net when Mount defeated Burrillville for the JV state title. She was also in net last season when Mount upset Ponaganset in the D-II preliminary round.
“Honestly, I feel real good about PKs,” Dalpe said. “Most goalies don’t feel that way. My nervousness in the overtimes was through the roof, but then in PKs, I was just like ‘We got this.’ I’m just used to practicing them. I have a good feeling in these.”
“Abby wants to be in there, you can tell,” Pincince said. “Some goalies have heavy legs in there, but she’s moving around and getting her hands on the ball.”
West Warwick (5-8-4 Division II) was the only side to put the ball in the net during the first 90 minutes, but the Wizards had what would’ve been the game-winning goal in the first overtime expunged because of an offside call. Even though his squad dealt with numerous injuries, West Warwick coach Dan Lima was proud of the way the Wizards played during the season and in Wednesday’s game.
“Unfortunately, we had to go to a shootout, so it’s tough to lose in a shootout,” Lima said. “We played really well and we defended really well. I think we scored, but they took it away from us – I didn’t think it was offside. Nobody wants to take a penalty shot because it’s difficult and a lot of pressure. I’m proud of them. We fought until the end.”
No. 6 Mount St. Charles (10-5-2 Division II) advanced to the quarterfinals Saturday morning at 9 o’clock against No. 3 Exeter-West Greenwich. The Scarlet Knights only lost one home game this season – to Mount St. Charles, 2-1, on Sept. 26. The Mounties received a firsthalf goal from Katie Lynch and the game winner from Anna Gicobbe.
“We definitely need to play even better on Saturday,” Pincince said. “As you move forward in the playoffs, you have to bring your A-game plus. I talked to them about bringing their A-game today, we need to bring our A-game plus in the next round. We just need to make faster decisions and move the ball.”
Wednesday, each team had one good scoring opportunity in an otherwise nondescript first half. Green beat two defenders, but fired a left-footed shot over the West Warwick goal in the ninth minute. Senior Deana Maynard had a free kick saved by Dalpe in the 37th minute. Dalpe made five saves in the win.
The Wizards dominated the opening 10 minutes of the second half, creating numerous chances. The Wizards nearly scored in the 47th minute, but Mount sophomore Kylie Perron blocked a closerange shot.
After neither team scored in the second half and the two overtimes failed to produce a winner, the contest moved to penalty kicks. Mount received goals from Lynch, senior Kaitlyn D’Abrosca, Eileen Whalen and Nicole Lemos to set the stage for Green. The junior, who is dealing with an ankle injury, just put her shot under the crossbar.
West Warwick also received scores from Sam Strain, Jazlyn Estrella and Maynard to send Gonzalez to the line. Dalpe saved the ball on to the crossbar to eliminate the Wizards.
“I got a little touch on it. It was going to hit bar, but I touched it,” Dalpe said. “I know how to read their bodies – it’s a secret technique. You can’t look at their face because they can fake you out. You have to look at their hips because they can’t move their hips in a different direction than they’re shooting.” da streaking own the right side. She promptly pitched the ball over senior netminder Sam Amegashie-Baako’s head and inside the left post to slice the deficit to 2-1.
And, in the 52nd minute, BVP junior Rachele Segura received a feed inside the right section of the box and fired a low attempt at Amegashie-Baako, yet she responded with a terrific save.
Slowly, however, the Pats regained momentum. Approximately seven minutes after Segura’s shot, senior Julie Desautel stole the ball deep in the BVP defensive zone, settled it and scorched a try at the cage, though that flew past the left post.
Davies registered an insurance tally with 6:06 remaining in regulation, but it didn’t come without controversy. On the play, Desautel delivered a long, strong through pass to the hustling Ivelisse Martinez down the left side, and she roped it past Adelani, but Brown and assistant Ryan Gray questioned the near-side official why it wasn’t called offsides.
They had a legitimate gripe, but apparently it was too close to call in the eyes of the two referees.
“They turned up the heat in the second half, and we had to cool them off,” Brassard joked afterward. “We just reminded the girls to keep doing what they were doing in the first half. They were getting away from what got us that 2-0 lead.
“We told them that they were changing their strategy on the field when they didn’t have to, and that allowed BVP to come back,” she added. “We said, ‘What you were doing was working, so stay with it.’”
Defensive standouts for the visitors included Desautel; fellow seniors Jocelyn Aroche, Tiana Spooner and Blanca Sanchez; junior Brenna Williams; and Amegashie-Baako (14 saves). Among those for the Pride: Senior Charlotte Geohegan, freshman Ashley Zambrano and Adelani (10 stops).
“We did beat (the Patriots) before, but we also knew they were vastly improved,” Brown said later. “We needed to play our best soccer, and we were fully aware of that. We just fell a little short.”
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Davies Tech 2–1–3 Blackstone Valley Prep 0 – 1 – 1
First half: DT – Ivelisse Martinez (Melissa Martinez) 10:35; DT – M. Martinez (una.) 32:45.
Second half: BVP – Sole Miranda (Gianna DaSilva) 48:11; DT – I. Martinez (Julie Desautel) 73:54.
Shots on goal: Davies Tech 13, BVP 15. Goalie saves: Samantha Amegashie-Baako (DT) 14, Toluwani Adelani (BVP) 10.