BAY STATE SUMMER GAMES
Gold Medal Champion West
WALTHAM – A total of 20 local soccer players came together over a six-week period to play as a team and work hard to become Gold Medal champions at the Summer Bay State Games held at Veterans Memorial Sports Complex in Waltham.
The West team ventured through a five-team round robin format as the second seed, reaching the Gold medal game with a 2-1-1 record. The championship game was played last Sunday versus Southeast.
The West went down 1-0 in the first half, although carrying the majority of the play. The West continued to press into the second half. With under a minute to play, the West drew a foul at 25 yards out from goal. Brianna Murphy (Monson) scored the game-tying goal with a laser shot over the goalkeeper, tucking under the cross bar. The teams entered two 5-minute sudden victory periods. As the West pressed up the field, Wylee Candon (West Springfield) was fouled at the top of the box with one minute remaining in the first overtime period. Up stepped Brianna Murphy again. She calmly struck a ball low and hard into the corner of the net past the wall and diving goalkeeper to give the West their Gold medal for 2016.
For a few of these players, this was their third Gold medal in a row.
The West, which features Westfield juniors Katrina Arona and Erin McDermott represented Westfield, and Southwick junior Tori Richburg, as well as Smith Voke freshman Arya Jane Mitchell, of Southwick has enjoyed recent success at the Games, winning six golds and two silvers over the past eight years.
“This is truly a recognizable feat for all the local soccer talent in the West,” West coach Keith Saltmarsh said.
