Montpelier extends string, blasts Cosmos

Montpelier goalie Tess Lawson had a singular focus throughout Saturday’s 8-0 Division II championship victory over Springfield.
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Published November 4, 2012 in the Rutland Herald Montpelier extends string, blasts Cosmos By JAMES BIGGAM Staff Writer RANDOLPH — Montpelier goalie Tess Lawson had a singular focus throughout Saturday’s 8-0 Division II championship victory over Springfield. Even with the program’s second girls soccer title firmly in hand, Lawson had another streak in mind and wasn’t content until the final whistle sounded. “Eleven straight shutout games and 47 unanswered goals? I’m happy,” she said. “It wouldn’t matter if the score was 20-0, I will not give up a goal.” Kate Drew’s hat trick paced the Solons, while Annie Jones (two goals), Caroline Kessler, Lilly Schwarz and Rachel Ebersole rounded out the scoring. “I’ve been thinking about this for four years,” Drew said. “I know we’ve come close in the past, but personally I think this is the best time for us to win. In the locker room before the game, coach (Eric) Bagley said, ‘I’m scared for (Springfield). I see it in your eyes, girls. We’re going to do this.’” It’s no small feat to go 887 minutes without conceding a goal, but the Solons are no ordinary team with 10 seniors who have played together since the youth level. Even though Montpelier started the season by dropping two of its first five games, Bagley never doubted his players’ ability to bring home the crown. “I remember watching this senior class play at the Civic Center when they were 10 years old,” he said. “I think their team name was ‘The Incredibles’ or something like that, and even then you could see the potential when they were young. You could see that they were very athletic, there were a lot of them and they worked hard from U-10 all the way up to now. That group deserves to go out like this.” The most lopsided match in D-II championship history began with a bang. Senior Andie Parento dispossessed the Cosmos at the top of the 18-yard box to set up a corner kick in the 3rd minute, and then Caroline Kessler matter-of-factly volleyed in a left-to-right cross by Annie Jones. “It was so important because we really needed to get off to a good start,” Jones said. “In the last game I didn’t have very good corners, so I knew I had to place it right to Caroline. And when that hit her foot, I knew it was going in. It was just the best feeling ever knowing we had the advantage.” Springfield goalie Lauren Bolduc (seven saves) caught a break shortly afterwards when Drew hit the post, but Montpelier doubled the lead in the 16th minute when Schwarz threaded the needle on the left side of the penalty area. Jones was the beneficiary of the pass and seized the window to make it 2-0. “To get that first goal was huge, and to get it so early just makes the rest of the game go so much smoother,” Bagley said. “The girls can relax, they know they have that little bit of a cushion and the other team is pushing forward to get the equalizer. And our second goal was huge too. It was a really nice finish by Annie to the far post, side-netting. You can’t ask for more than that from one of your forwards.” Lawson smothered a direct kick by Bri Condon to preserve the lead and then watched her team add another insurance goal in the 38th minute. Montpelier’s Ellen Eurich paved the way for the goal by sending a shot off the crossbar, and teammate Jayme Parker doggedly chased down the rebound outside the left post. Bolduc made several stabs at stealing the ball, but Parker stayed with the play and slotted a centering pass to set up Schwarz’s 2-yard blast. Montpelier was awarded a 25-yard free kick in the 40th minute and Drew served up her first goal of the day on an assist from Kessler. “I came out here ready,” Drew said. “I hadn’t scored in awhile, so I had to do it.” Lawson (eight saves) blocked dangerous shots by Condon in the 50th and 53rd minutes before two more Springfield bids bounced off the iron in the 65th. If Montpelier’s lead still wasn’t safe, the Solons left nothing to chance by pumping in four more goals during a span of 6:35 near the end of the match. Drew set off the fireworks in the 71st minute, launching a 20-yard rocket past Bolduc and into the back netting. Two minutes later Drew was fouled inside the 18, prompting Ebersole to step forward for a penalty-kick goal. Hartley Bingham’s hustle on the right flank resulted in a point-blank goal by Jones in the 76th minute for a 7-0 lead. Seventy seconds afterwards Drew collected a pass from Kessler and sunk her fangs into the Cosmos defense during a 1-on-3 breakaway. A sudden cutback at the top of the box allowed Drew to charge at Bolduc all alone, and a slick shot to the right side finally satiated the Solons’ voracious offensive appetite. “We knew they were going to want it just as much as us, so we had to play our hardest,” Schwarz said. “And even at halftime when it was 4-0, we knew that we had to keep going. We couldn’t stop because this is everything we’ve wanted for four years. I’ve never experienced wanting it more. We’re seniors and this is our last chance, and we knew we had to give it everything we had.” Montpelier’s big win snapped a seven-game winning streak by the Cosmos, who end the season at 14-3-1 and will graduate seven seniors. “When I heard (Montpelier’s shutout streak), I almost didn’t believe it,” Springfield coach Christian Craig said. “It didn’t show today, but we have a pretty prolific offense and I thought we’d give them a little more trouble in the back than we did. But they are a solid, solid soccer team. They possess the ball so well and they move off the ball so well.” Senior Alexis Boucher delivered her patented hard-nosed effort at sweeper for Montpelier, which caps the year at 14-2. Montpelier’s Kate Drew snatches the ball and begins a drive to the Springfield net. The Solons trounced the Cosmos in D-II semifinal play at Randolph High School in Randolph Saturday afternoon. Photo: Mark Collier / Staff Photo