LANCASTER – The girls Under-12 district 7 soccer team strived to defend their 2015 State Championship over the weekend in Lancaster, MA, in the District Select Program (“DSP”) tournament.
DSP is the summer league run by Massachusetts Youth Soccer (governing body of soccer in MA). The league features “select teams” from throughout the state that compete at various ages (U11-U19 for both boys and girls). Western, MA (District 7) is the largest geographic district stretching from the New York boarder to the West, Vermont to the North, Connecticut to the South and just past Palmer to the East. The girls have been practicing all summer long in Westfield with this year’s U11 girls team.
The U12 girls team (Super 7) was primarily comprised of players that last year secured the first State Championship in over a decade for Western, MA as a U11 team.
‘SUPER 7’ REPEAT CHAMPS
This year’s team had found terrific success during the regular season, which ran during the month of July. The team had compiled an impressive record of 7-0-1, scoring 30 goals and only allowing four.
Over Saturday and Sunday, the team played four matches for the right to head to the finals. The District 7 girls continued their regular season success by going 4-0, scoring 17 goals and allowing two. They headed into the finals as the top seed.
The finals matched up the Western, MA girls against a team from District 2. District 2 is made up of players from just south of Boston from towns like Duxbury, Raynham and Quincy. Surprisingly, this was a rematch of the 2015 finals, which found these same two teams playing for the Championship.
Earlier in the morning the Western, MA girls had played the District 2 team and had won the match handily 4-0. However the girls from the eastern side of the state would not allow the game to be won as easily as the morning matchup.
Both teams had excellent scoring chances throughout the first half but the keepers for both teams were up for the challenge. Selena Negron of Easthampton made a number of quality saves for District 7. The first half ended and the game was still knotted at 0-0.
The score would remain 0-0 until District 2 would make an excellent cross to an open player on the far side who beat Negron with a shot just inside the post. However the District 7 girls would not back down. With the wind at their back they continued to press the attack securing numerous shots and corner kicks.
With time ticking down the “Super 7” earned another corner kick. Emma Pedro of Westfield would serve a ball through the defense to Sarah Shaw of Southwick who smartly struck the ball into the net tying the game at 1-1 with just over 5 minutes to go.
As regulation time expired the game would still be tied 1-1 and the teams moved onto overtime. Both teams had chances during the 10 minutes of overtime, but neither would be able to find the back of the net.
The game would be decided by penalty kicks. District 7 would kick first. Stepping up and netting the first shot was Megan Alvarado of Westfield. D2 would also make their first shot. The second shooter for the Western, MA team was Sam Breton of Chicopee who easily beat the keeper with her shot. Again D2 would score on their attempt. Emma Pedro of Westfield was the third shooter for and would also soundly beat the keeper with her shot, but again D2 answered keeping the PK score tied at 3-3.
Allison Goodreau of Westfield was the number 4 shooter. Goodreau placed her ball and quickly took her kick, however the referee said he had not blown his whistle and forced her to shoot again. She would not be denied this time shooting the opposite direction and burying her ball in the goal. With District 7 up 4-3 the other team stepped up to take their shot, but this time the ball struck the post and bounced harmlessly away keeping defending champions up 4-3. Addison Lepak of Amherst was up next with the chance to seal the victory and just like her teammates she calmly struck the ball into the back of the net ensuring that Western, MA would repeat as State Champions. Her teammates quickly surrounded her to celebrate their victory
The District 7 team was coached by Todd Jensen of Westfield and assisted by Dave Lepak of Amherst and Joe Camilleri of Westfield.
Miki Negron of Easthampton administered the District 7 summer soccer program.
The ‘Super 7” roster is comprised of Megan Alvardo (Westfield), Tash Barnes (Springfield), Sam Bretton (Chicopee), Riley Byrnes (Westfield), Gwen Duggan (Palmer), Nell Dwyer (Amherst), Morgan Fillion (Westfield), Allison Goodreau (Westfield), April Hurley (Holyoke), Annika Jensen (Westfield), Addison Lepak (Amherst), Christina Negron (Easthampton), Selena Negron (Easthampton), Emma Pedro (Westfield), and Sarah Shaw (Southwick).
