MIDDLETON — It was the perfect shot from the perfect distance — and it gave the Masconomet girls soccer team the perfect ending to Saturday afternoon’s Division 2 state quarterfinal playoff game.
Senior Sam Schena’s perfectly placed free kick from 30 yards away hit the top corner of the net midway through the second half and sent the unbeaten Chieftains to a 2-1 win over No. 8 seed Hingham on the turf at Essex Tech.
With 22 minutes left in a tie game, Masconomet drew the free kick on a Hingham foul. The trio of Schena, Abby Moore and Nicole Schneider gathered around the ball as the visiting Harborwomen set up their defensive wall. At the whistle, Moore and Schneider criss-crossed over the ball to fake passes before Schena stepped up and uncorked her right-footed game-winner.
“I didn’t think it went in at first, and when everyone kind of turned to me with their arms up I was so excited,” said Schena. “We’ve been practicing those plays for a long time. We have a lot of options on the kick, and this time we wanted to aim for the top corner.”
Top-seeded Masconomet (18-0-2) advances to the state semifinals, where it will face No. 4 Notre Dame Hingham (14-6-3) next week. It took a complete effort, and a comeback bid, to down Hingham (11-7-3) in this physical quarterfinal battle.
“That was an awesome moment for a senior,” Masconomet coach Alison Lecesse said of Schena’s game-winner. “She’s been working on that like crazy, waiting for it to work. Today was the day.”
For the first time in the playoffs, Masconomet found itself behind as Hingham’s Adrianna Ryan snuck into the box and finished in just the third minute of play. If they Chieftains were a bit shell-shocked, they didn’t show it while controlling much of the next 15-20 minutes.
“Hingham is the kind of team where if you give them an inch, the ball’s in the back of the net,” said Lecesse, who was recently voted Division 2 Coach of the Year by the Eastern Mass. Girls Soccer Coaches Association.
Among the close calls at tying the game were a free kick by Schena (this one from 25 yards away) that she put between the soccer crossbar and the football uprights, just barely missing. Lauren Boughner, Kayla Scannell and Amanda Schneider all had quality looks stopped by Hingham keeper Abigail Griffin.
Masconomet’s freshman goalie, Evy Mills, had to be on her game as well, stopping a breakaway chance at the 24-minute mark. Her classmate, striker Maggie Blosser, tied it up just five minutes later.
Moore, a senior captain, sent the ball in and Blosser kept her head up, dribbled through two defenders with both feet, and scored to level the game at 1-1.
“Our two goals were one senior and one freshman. That’s kind of poetic for what this team is,” said Lecesse. “Maggie’s been coming into her own these last few weeks. She’s the kind of kid that can take a game over.”
The shots were 5-5 at halftime, but in the final 40 minutes the Chieftains didn’t allow Hingham to take a single shot on frame. Defensive midfielders like Moore, Kara Lindonen, Teaghan Skulley, Cate Shaffer and Blythe McLean played huge roles in Masco’s constant possession.
“It was a total team win in that every girl that subbed in contributed. We sub so much that we can run teams and stay fresh,” said Lecesse.
“It was a physical game both ways and our ability to move the ball around faster allowed us to create some space for ourselves.”
Boughner and Scannell took a beating in the offensive box but kept attacking. Outside backs Riley Bovardi and Nicole Schneider had no trouble pushing the ball up the sidelines with speed, which also helped stretch the defense and, as a result, limit Hingham’s ability to close space and be physical.
“Our game plan was really to shoot a lot,” said Schena. “Get the ball on net and then use our speed to get on top of it.”
Lilly Podgurski had her usual strong afternoon at center back and Masconomet wound up outshooting Hingham, 11-5 (6-0 in the second half).
Masconomet had no qualms about lifting and posing with the MIAA Final Four banner and the Division 2 semi-finalist trophy. They’d been chasing it for two years, having lost in this round a year ago. So even though they have bigger goals, this final home win was cause for celebration.
“It’s awesome. You feel like all your hard work has paid off,” said Schena. “We’re not done yet, though, and we know the bigger trophy will feel that much better.”
It’s the first trip to a state semifinal for the Masco girls soccer program under the statewide tournament format, and first of any kind since the Chieftains won the Division 1 North title back in 2006.
“It’s been a long time coming,” said Lecesse.