Tolman and Woonsocket are once again the favorites to be playing in the Division IV championship game. (Photo by Rich Dugas)
PAWTUCKET --- Just like they did when they faced each other in last year's title tilt, both Woonsocket and Tolman entered Friday's contest with unbeaten records. And just like they did in the championship game, the Villa Novans emerged victorious, hanging on for a 2-1 win.
After battling to a 1-1 tie in their first meeting earlier this season, this game was a second chance for one of the teams to distinguish itself as the postseason nears. Woonsocket (9-0-1) did just that, looking like a well-oiled machine to further cement its intentions of defending its title this year. With the win, the Villa Novans move past the Tigers (8-1-2) into sole possession of first place in the North, in addition to handing them their first loss of the season.
"This was such a huge game for us, and such a huge win," Woonsocket head coach Kathleen Fagnant said. "We've been preparing for this game ever since we tied them in our first meeting this season. Every game, our fundamentals have been getting better. We've been fine-tuning things at practice, and now it's showing on the field."
A pair of Woonsocket players battle with a Tolman defender in front of the net. (Photo by Rich Dugas)
The Novans looked impressive early on, sending crisp passes up the field to start the attack on several occasions. On the receiving end of one of those passes was senior Kristin Cahill at about the 20-minute mark of the first half. During one such attack, Cahill corralled a pass mid-stride, made a nice crossover move to her left to avoid the Tolman defender who slipped in front of her, and snuck a beautiful left-footed shot into the bottom-right corner of the net for a 1-0 Woonsocket advantage.
About five minutes later, the lights started shutting off, one by one. Apparently someone flipped the wrong switch when they were trying to turn on lights for another field at the soccer complex, and it wound up to be the off switch for the lights on the field of the Tolman-Woonsocket game. Play was restored after a 15-minute delay, but the girls were antsy in the meantime, doing drills to stay loose and warm while waiting.
Tolman had a couple chances right before the half off of corner kicks and free kicks, but Woonsocket goalie Kayla Cullerton was up to the task each time.
"We dominated the entire game," Cullerton said. "Everyone did their job. Our defense was on top of their game and they played great, and then the offense did really well, too."
Woonsocket players congratulate each other after their big win over Tolman. (Photo by Rich Dugas)
Just about three minutes into the second half, Cahill struck again, giving the Novans a two-goal cushion.
"Sam Landry gave me a nice little pass behind the defense," she said. "I took a back cut to get to the ball, and I was able to get my foot on it with a slide tackle. I slipped it between the post and the goalie, and it was an amazing shot. I couldn't believe it went in."
Coach Fagnant had nothing but praise for her senior leader following the win.
"Kristin is our leading scorer," Fagnant said. "With the two goals she scored tonight, she actually tied the school record with 78 goals in her career. And we still have a few games to go, so she's just going to blow that record away. She's just a great player."
The Tigers had plenty of chances in the game, but they couldn't seem to finish. Senior Kayla Perdomo did her best to get her team on the board, sending several rockets off her strong right foot. Two of them sailed over the net, while two of them nearly went in. First, she banged one off the crossbar off a free kick just outside the 18. Then she drilled one right on net from about 35 yards out. Cullerton initially slipped when she came out of the net to get to it, but she recovered in time to make the save.
"This was a playoff-type game, as it usually is whenever we play them," Tolman head coach Bel Pereira said. "We had opportunities, and we didn't put the ball in the net. That's the way it is. They won fair and square. But we'll see them in the playoffs again."
Tolman finally converted one of its chances late in the contest, when sophomore scoring sensation Valeria Zapata worked her magic. Entering the game, she led all of Division-IV scorers with 21 goals and five assists. With about five minutes to play, she corralled a cross-field pass at the left elbow of the box, and ripped a left-footed lazer into the top-right corner of the net, cutting her team's deficit to one.
"I was really getting mad," Zapata said. "We needed a goal and we were running out of time. So I just did what I could to get to the ball first, and once I got it, I had some space and I kicked it as hard as I could."
The Tigers had one or two more chances in the closing minutes, but Cullerton turned them aside to preserve the win.
"It feels great to win this game," she said. "But we have to leave everything out on the field, because we know we're going to see them again in another month or so in the state championship."
Despite being rivals, the feelings are mutual between the two teams.
"We'll see them in the finals," Zapata said. "We know we can beat them. I can't wait to play them again."
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