Cosmos cash in after missed opportunities

The Springfield girls soccer team's 1-0 victory over Otter Valley on Thursday was like a Super Bowl win and World Series title wrapped in one green and white package.
http://rutlandherald.com/article/20140926/SPORTS02/709269923

Otter Valley goalie Gabriela Poalino, left, knocks down a shot headed toward the goal by Springfield’s Chelsea McAallister, right, during Thursday’s game in Brandon. OV’s Abbie Pinkowski helps out on defense. Photo: Albert J. Marro / Staff PhotoPublished September 26, 2014 in the Rutland Herald Cosmos cash in after missed opportunities By Tom Haley STAFF WRITER BRANDON — The Springfield girls soccer team’s 1-0 victory over Otter Valley on Thursday was like a Super Bowl win and World Series title wrapped in one green and white package. There is nothing to make you appreciate winning like losing and the Cosmos brought an 0-7 record to Markowski Field. “It’s huge. It’s exactly what we needed,” Springfield coach Jade Costello said. “We would have loved to have gotten that one against Hartford (a 1-0 loss). We would have loved to have stolen that one, too, but this is great.” The game’s goal came 1:51 before the half. Calista Polidor played a ball long to Chelsea McAllister and the Cosmos’ top goal scorer finished it off. McAllister worked the ball toward the goal and goalkeeper Nora Enright originally was going to charge out and cut down the angle. But she had a moment of indecision and decided to go back and stay her ground in the net. McAllister capitalized. The Cosmos’ Sam Mirra made a serious bid for a pad goal just before the half but Enright picked it out of the air. It was a tough one for the Otters to swallow as they also came into the game winless and fall to 0-7. “We knew coming in that we both needed a win,” McAllister said. The Cosmos came out attacking from the beginning. McAllister had a couple of testing shots in the early moments and Lina Geyer unloaded another. That set the tone as the Cosmos outshot the Otters 21-7 for the game. That does not mean the Otters were without chances. Alexis Hedding made a few nice runs down the wing where she either got off shots on goal or threatened freshman keeper Grace Morvan and her defense with some crosses. One of the Cosmos’ best early chances came when Corrina Nichols played a ball in front of McAllister. The Cosmos’ three-sport star ran onto it and the play had the look of a goal, but McAllister hit it over the bar. Another time McAllister hit the bar and Polidor had two chances on the rebound. Lizzie MacKenzie had yet another threatening shot for the Cosmos. Another time Mirra made a nice run but OV’s Abbie Pinkowski made a nice play to deter her. That’s the way it went. The Cosmos threatened but kept coming up empty. “It’ll come, Chels, it’ll come,” Springfield assistant coach Joe Costello yelled to McAllister in an attempt to keep the spirits up. But the Cosmos kept attacking without the effort bearing results. Nichols chipped a ball over the top that set up McAllister with a great look but Enright made the save. Another time McAllister pivoted and sent a screamer from 20 yards out that went just over the bar. OV also had a good chance to be the one to break on top. Emily Fox found herself on a break-away with Morvan but the freshman keeper was able to deny her. Then it happened. The Polidor-to-McAllister combination clicked, giving the Cosmos the lead and just their fourth goal of the season. “They kept saying, ‘it’ll come, it’ll come,’” McAllister said. “I knew it would eventually and it did.” The Otters were not done. They pressed hard for the equalizer in the second half. They nearly cashed in on Olivia Drew’s textbook cross and Drew got off a hard shot that whistled wide. They attacked to the end. Hedding had a shot from the wing that looked as though it might tie the score with just 30 seconds left. But it curved just wide and elicited a collective groan from the OV bench. Molly Fisher also had a shot on goal in the final minute for OV. But the Cosmos attacked even more feverishly the final 40 minutes. The problem for them was Gabriela Poalino. The freshman was inserted into the net for the second half and she displayed an uncommon brand of aggressiveness and athleticism in denying the Cosmos again and again. Sometimes it was with her cat-quick reflexes on point-blank shots. Sometimes it was an athletic save and often it was charging to the edge of the penalty area to break up the play before the opportunity could materialize. “It was definitely not our best game,” Otter Valley coach Rick Hedding said. “I really thought this was a winnable game, but we didn’t possess the ball.” Springfield hosts Proctor at 11 a.m. on Saturday. “That’s our homecoming week game so it’s a big game for us,” McAllister said. “Proctor beat us 5-1 up at their place,” said Jade Costello, noting that Saturday’s game will serve as a good barometer for how far her squad has come.