Cosmos drop season finale, 6-1 on senior night

It was a bittersweet Senior Night for the Springfield Cosmos girl's soccer team as they lost to Mill River Thursday evening, 6-1.
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Cosmos drop season finale, 6-1 on senior night By RALPH TUTELA | Oct 16, 2015 Photo by: Ralph Tutela Left to right: Samantha Metcalf, Lexie Bellows, Jade Twombly, Brooke Willey, Calista Polidor, Elizabeth Mackenzie, Ari Rowe, Adrienne Stevens, Leah Godin. Front row: Coaches Jade Costello and Joe Costello. SPRINGFIELD — It was a bittersweet Senior Night for the Springfield Cosmos girl's soccer team as they lost to Mill River Thursday evening, 6-1. The Minutemen were off and running 10 minutes into the first period when Rylee Nichols scored on a shot sent to the right of the net, out of reach of Springfield goalkeeper Grace Morvan. This was exactly what Minutemen head coach Dave Carr expressed he wanted his team to do when he stated before the game, “We want to come out early and score and set the pace of the game,” adding, “Springfield has always been a great rival for us and a game on Senior Night can get tense is you don’t take an early lead.” The Minutemen would build off of this momentum when Nichols scored her second goal with 13:30 left in the half. Nichols would end up with four goals on the night, scoring two more in the second period. The other two goals by the Minutemen were scored by Olivia McPhee, who scored with 7:21 in the first, then notched the final goal for Mill River with 24 minutes remaining in the game. The Cosmos came out of the second half with a bit of momentum, but were unable to capitalize. Valiant efforts were made by the Cosmos seniors as they desperately wanted to win their final game together. Brooke Wiley scored the Cosmos’ only goal with 22:06 left in the game. “I saw the ball beneath my feet and instinct just kicked in, and I kicked it with my right foot. It was the greatest feeling in the world,” she said. Now down 6-1, Springfield showed renewed energy. Three minutes later, Calista Polidor would take a great shot on goal, but would be stifled by Minutemen goalkeeper Kaylyn Cottrell. In the end, Mill River and its lead was just too much for the Cosmos to overcome. Before the game began, Springfield held a ceremony that had each of the seniors presented with flowers and then joined by their family on the field. Though the loss was tough, the Cosmos kept their heads up high as they bid farewell to one another. The Cosmos’ seniors were filled with emotion as they reflected on losing their last game played at Brown field while reminiscing on the years that they spent playing together. Fighting through tears, Wiley had this to say at the end of the game: “We all worked hard and it stinks to lose our last game on Brown field, but I am glad I got to play with all these girls that I have been playing with since parks and rec.” Springfield head coach Jade Costello pulled her team in for what could possibly have been her last speech to her seniors and reminded them, “Don’t leave tonight just thinking about the scoreboard, you have to think about the last four, 8, 10 years that you have been playing the game of soccer and how much fun that has been with each other. You have a lot to be proud of, you’re an awesome group of kids.” As it stands, the Cosmos are in 17th place in the division and only the top 16 make it to the playoffs. There are circumstances that could allow Springfield to get into the playoffs, but that picture will not be clear until the beginning of next week. The Cosmos finished the season 2-9. Mill River finishes the season with a 9-5 record and a guaranteed playoff spot.