RallyNorth.net

Tue, May 27, 2008 03:30 PM @ Arlington

Team	1	2	3	4	Final
Playoff Game North Division 2 - Round 2
Manchester Essex	0	3	0	3	6
Arlington	0	7	0	4	11

Spy Ponders end Hornets' season

Wednesday, May, 28 By Richard Slate
Staff writer

Even Mother Nature seemed to be going against the Manchester Essex girls lacrosse team yesterday.

As if playing a state tournament game on the road (and dealing with a long bus ride) weren't enough, the Hornets (9-7) and host Arlington (13-5-2) had to wait out a one-hour rain delay before they could compete in their Division 2 North second round contest. The Spy Ponders led from start to finish in an 11-6 win.

Manchester Essex head coach Sarah Holch felt like aside from two goals, the Hornets failed to get its fast break started which is the style they prefer to play offensively.

"Our midfield transition game, if you saw us earlier in the season, it was night and day from today. We had a tough time completing passes and almost no opportunities to fast break. When we do well, it's because of that."

Manchester Essex seniors Anneliese Brosch (3 goals, 1 assist) and Molly Osborne (2 goals, 1 assist) were outstanding in their last games for the Green and White.

The Spy Ponders were led by Becca O'Quinn (2 goals, 2 assists) and Emily Pillemer (3 goals). Arlington moves on to face another Cape Ann League team, Hamilton-Wenham, in the quarter finals.  

"Our defense played really well today," said Arlington head coach Kim Visco. "The offense also did a good job slowing the game down, they tried to control it for as much time as we could. We took careful shots, looked for good passes rather than rushing things. We had a nice flow."

Getting off a quick start is a key to winning a road game so Manchester Essex made things especially difficult for themselves by spotting Arlington a three-goal lead.

O'Quinn opened the scoring as she scored off a restart from behind the Hornets goal. Kelly Curran found the back of the net after a dodge and O'Quinn tallied another goal to put the Spy Ponders up 3-0 less than eight minutes into the first half.

Molly Osborne ignited the Hornets comeback by making a dodge and spin move on her defender before shooting past Arlington goalie Jill Shaner (3 saves). Annie Osborne cut it to 3-2 after a nice feed from Brosch, who was stationed behind the Spy Ponders net.

Unfortunately, that was as close as the Hornets would get as Arlington ended the half with a 4-1 burst. Molly Arnold scored off an O'Quinn assist and Pillemer scored her first before Brosch finished off a perfect fast break, started by Kyle Marsh.     

Cherelle Flynn answered with a give-and-go from O'Quinn. Hornets goalie Vicki Grimes (7 saves) made a critical stop on Brett Whelan before Brooke Anderson scored with a minute left in the half.

Other than the scoreline, the first half statistics were pretty even: Manchester Essex held a 6-5 lead in draw controls and Arlington had two more ground balls (18-16).

In the second half, the Spy Ponders started dominating time of possession by controlling ground balls (14-5) and draws (5-2) while also scoring opportune goals.

Pillemer scored on a free position shot, giving Arlington an 8-3 lead. Brosch answered with a fast break goal off a beautiful pass from Molly Osborne. Curran scored her second, off a free position shot. Then Lindsey Kelly scored her lone goal off a feed from Curran. Manchester Essex called a timeout as the game was slipping out of its reach.

Brosch responded again with a goal from Hannah Beardsley. Beardsley started the fast break by intercepting a pass near midfield.

From there, the Spy Ponders basically played keep away in the Hornets zone. Manchester Essex had to double-team the ballhandler but they still couldn't get it. Pillemer closed out the Arlington scoring and Molly Osborne notched the last goal of the game.

The Hornets had a couple great chances late-Brosch shot over the goal, Molly Osborne hit the post and Brosch was denied on a quick stick attempt-but time ran out on any possible comeback.

Visco cited her team's composure when they grabbed a sizable lead as paramount to the win.

"If we had a four-goal lead, we wanted to make sure to chew as much time (off the clock) as we could. Our rule was we're going to slow things down, but if it was there, we were going to take it which they did on two nice plays. The thing about this team is when there's pressure and we're ahead, they handle it very well."

Hornets head coach Sarah Holch and her team weren't looking to make excuses after the loss though. "That's always tough (to wait) but that's no excuse. The seniors were disappointed that was their last game. They were such a good group, I really enjoyed coaching them the last three years. We'll really miss them."