MAHOPAC, N.Y. — Fiona Kelleher scored twice (assisted by Niamh Kelleher and Riley Hughes), but the Wolf Pac girls soccer team had to settle for a 2-2 deadlock in a game played Saturday, Oct. 11, in Harrison.
“We came out a little flat,” Pac coach James Carroll said. “We did put ourselves in a good position midway through both halves, but we let momentum slip at key moments. Losing too many 50-50 balls and getting pushed off the ball cost us. We showed a lot of resilience defensively to hold off a lot of pressure, but we have to finish games stronger and with more urgency if we want to close out.”
Two nights earlier at home for Senior Night, the Pac dominated in a 5-1 win over John Jay of East Fishkill. Gianna Tucci, Sam Mazzella, Gianna Dolan, Valentina Ivezaj and Fiona Kelleher had goals for Mahopac (9-4-2). Sophie McLoughlin had a pair of assists, and Kayleigh Dolan, Fiona Kelleher and Emma Dicob each had assists. Roslyn Jacobs made eight saves in net for the Pac.
“That was an incredible Senior Night performance,” Carroll said. “The first 20 minutes were a bit shaky, but after that we found our rhythm and played some of the best soccer we've seen all season. It's a testament to the grit and composure of this team to handle the physicality of a tough opponent and still come out on top.”
Mahopac honored seniors Hughes, Gianna Dolan, Lauren Westcott, Niamh Kelleher, Fiona Kelleher, Angelina Mazzella, Maria Garafolo and Emily Chin at the game.
Mahopac opened the week with a 4-1 road loss to John Jay of Cross River, with Fiona Kelleher scoring the team’s lone goal (assisted by McLoughlin). Jacobs had three saves in net. Mahopac took a 1-0 lead with 15 minutes to play, then allowed four goals over the final 12 minutes.
“We competed hard for most of the match and put ourselves in a good position with that late lead,” Carroll said. “Unfortunately, we lost focus late and allowed the game to get away from us in the final minutes. We defended well for a long stretch, but we struggled to create enough quality chances in the final third. When the pressure came late, we didn’t respond the way we needed to, and that’s something we’ll learn from moving forward.”
Mahopac is set to host Somers on Saturday, Oct. 18, at 12:30 p.m.
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