NORTHAMPTON – The rich get richer, so to speak.
The second-seeded Lenox Millionaires outlasted No. 3 Gateway, scoring three penalty kicks in a shootout to secure a 3-2 victory in a Massachusetts Interscholastic Athletic Association’s West Section D4 semifinal Tuesday night at Northampton High School.
Gateway (13-2-3) made two shootout kicks – Samantha Belardo and Joanna Arkoette each converted for the Gators – but fell one shy.
“We had a couple of errors in the beginning, some switching problems, and we did not get any luck tonight,” Gateway coach Steve Estelle said. “We had our opportunities. The ball just didn’t go in.”
Lenox (13-4-3) shot out of the gate against Gateway on a slippery field, scoring the game’s first goal in the third minute with a score from Abby Schilling, who dribbled to about the top of the box and let loose. Nicole Gamberoni assisted on the play.
Gateway did not appear to be too shellshocked by the early goal. The Gators knotted the game-tying goal in the 13th minute when Jessica VanHeynigen scored on a rebound. Hannah Coffey took the initial shot.
The celebration was short-lived.
Just a few seconds later, Lenox reclaimed the lead when Alessandra Arace hammered home a goal on a slow roller out in front of the net. Tova Brown set up the play, tapping it past the approaching goalie toward the opposite side of the net.
Gateway made a furious push in the final two minutes of the first half. VanHeynigen blasted a ball toward the Lenox net that sailed over the crossbar. A teammate’s header also smacked the right post, but bounced harmlessly away.
As the rain fell harder in the second half, Gateway applied the pressure. The Gators controlled the tempo as best they could on an even more rain-soaked field, and managed to keep Lenox from barely crossing midfield for eight minutes.
Lenox finally gained a legitimate push a short time later, attempting two shots – one was wide, the other high – and a corner kick that netted no results.
Gateway soon took possession of the ball, pushing it down field and getting off a couple shots to no avail.
With about 10 minutes remaining in regulation, the Gators had another opportunity – a direct kick – but that attempt was squandered away. They had a corner kick with six minutes left, but misfired. Another corner kick with just over three minutes remaining appeared to be the final push.
Finally with 2:51 left, Gateway prevailed. A strong offensive push resulted in Samantha Belardo scoring on a pass from Taryn Kubik.
Gateway dominated the overtime period. Belardo nearly won it with a shot midway through the period, and Joanna Arkoette had a beautiful cross pass intercepted by the Lenox keeper in the final minute.
The Millionaires took possession of the ball in the final seconds, driving the length of the field and nearly scoring on shot from Arace as time expired.
In the second overtime session, Gateway nearly ended the game several times. The Gators failed to score on a couple corner kicks, and were turned away on an open netter.
Lenox was turned away on an offensive push in the final minutes. Gateway made a save on a shot and corner kick.
