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10/14/2013 12:00 AMWinding down toward the end of the season, the Old Saybrook girls’ soccer squad found itself in a must-win scenario for the remainder of the campaign. Needing wins to not only qualify for the Class S State Tournament, but also, the Shoreline Conference Tournament, the Rams have achieved state qualification with two very important wins last week over North Branford and Morgan.
On Oct. 8, the Rams shut out North Branford 5-0 on their home field. Molly Beck, Lizzie O’Brien, Juliana Jacoboski, Elizabeth Marshall, and Maggie Smith all scored for Old Saybrook with Smith notching her first varsity goal.
“We dominated the game right from the start,” said Coach Larry Bright. “Jocelyn Hanley, who was taking Mia Neas’s place because she had to sit out for the game, did a great job in goal. It’s always great to have different players scoring as it shows that we are creating chances.”
Old Saybrook got it done again on Oct. 11, when it edged Morgan 2-1, again at home. The Rams put a lot of pressure on the Huskies in the first 15 minutes of the game and had at least five opportunities to score, but couldn’t put the ball in goal. Halfway through the first half, Morgan broke through Old Saybrook’s defense down the left side and the Rams were unable to clear the ball as it came across the goal and Morgan put it in the net. Late in the first half, Beck scored on a breakaway from a nicely placed pass from Nicole Valente and the Rams and Huskies were tied 1-1 going into halftime.
The second half saw several chances by both teams in the first 15 minutes, but neither were able to score. In the final 10 minutes, Old Saybrook found a second wind and put a lot of pressure on Morgan’s defense. O’Brien scored with just under four minutes to go after Beck broke through a couple of Morgan defenders and crossed the ball into the box, where a rushing O’Brien calmly passed the ball into the goal after catching Morgan’s keeper out of position. This gave Old Saybrook the victory and qualified the Rams for the state tournament for the fourth year in a row.
“It was a great win for us, especially since we had to come from down a goal,” said Bright. “Wonderful effort by the girls and I’m very happy that we were able to qualify for the tournament with a couple of weeks still left in the season.”