Pelham’s fast start too much for Somers

SOMERS, N.Y. - On Wednesday, May 6, Somers welcomed Pelham, and the visitors quickly made their presence felt. The Pelicans scored in the opening minute and set the tone early with a 7-1 lead. Still, Somers refused to go away quietly.

The Tuskers eventually pulled within 14-8, but Pelham spread the field in the fourth quarter and went home with a 21-10 victory.

The game began with the first of many faceoff wins by Colleen Sheehy. From there, Pelham settled in offensively, and Parker Koupal swung across the middle for the opening goal at 10:53.

Somers answered, though. After Mia Paulmeno got a stick on Arden Keough’s penalty shot, the Tuskers raced the other way. Sophia Collins passed ahead to Paulmeno, who found Shea Mullins. The freshman refused to give up the sideline and went all the way to the cage to tie the game at 9:01.

Pelham responded immediately. Sheehy won another draw, and moments later she scored off a Koupal feed from behind the net.

With 8:42 left in the quarter, Pelham kept running. The defense forced a turnover deep in its own zone, allowing Brooke Green to go coast-to-coast for a 3-1 lead at 6:30.

Sheehy continued to dominate the circle, winning three straight draws as Pelham stretched the lead to 6-1 on goals by Green, Koupal and Keough.

A faceoff win by Sofia Conner at least slowed the Pelham run, but the Pelican defense backed up its midfielder. Hannah Kindig intercepted a pass, and Green followed with an underhand bounce shot to extend the streak to six straight goals.

At 3:05, Kate Barton responded by winning her second straight draw, and the Tuskers converted. Amelia Marcus passed across from the right side, and Caitlyn Mayfield caught the ball in stride for a 7-2 game at 2:12.

Somers followed with a defensive stop, but Pelham capitalized on a long clearing attempt by Emma Donaldson. Green got to the goal line, forced her way inside and finished low once again to push the lead back to six.

In the second quarter, Barton remained undeterred. She won another draw, and the offense followed her lead. On the left side, Mayfield spotted a cutting Conner, and the eighth grader finished to keep the game within reach.

At 8-3, Donaldson aired out another clearing pass, this time connecting with Bella Mancini on the run. The attacker drew a foul, giving Somers a chance to cut the lead in half.

Scarlett Gristina had other ideas. The Pelham goalie made a low save, and the Pelicans quickly turned defense into offense. Keough sprinted the length of the field and scored at 8:27 for a 9-3 advantage.

The momentum swing proved decisive. Pelham scored the next three goals to build a 12-3 lead with five minutes remaining in the half.

Even so, Somers kept fighting, but Gristina continued to come up big. After Paulmeno drew a penalty, the Pelham goalie made another save at 4:25, and the offense answered once again. Green circled behind the net, waited patiently for an opening and wrapped around to score for a 13-3 lead with three minutes to go.

Somers still managed to make a statement before halftime. Mullins drew a foul and converted the free-position opportunity to send the Tuskers into the break with some momentum.

Sophia Bernardi reinforced that energy with a strip at midfield, and the passing game followed. Conner found Marcus cutting through the middle, and the midfielder finished overhand to make it 13-5.

The score stayed there thanks in part to three big saves by Donaldson. Another long outlet sparked Somers in transition, as Paulmeno found Mancini ahead, and Mullins finished to trim the deficit to 13-6.

At 6:07 of the third quarter, however, Pelham answered again. Green wrapped around low for another goal to restore the eight-goal margin.

Barton stepped up once more by winning the draw, and Somers attacked. Mancini led Conner with a pass on the left side, and Conner’s shot slipped under the crossbar at 4:09.

Gristina countered with another save on the next possession, but Donaldson answered at the other end. During the ensuing scramble, the ball stayed in the Somers zone until Paulmeno took matters into her own hands.

Her overhand check jarred the ball loose from Keough, and seconds later Conner lined up for a free-position shot.

She converted to make it 14-8 early in the fourth quarter, and momentum briefly appeared to swing Somers’ way. Mayfield opened the period with a draw win and then drew a penalty shot at 11:15.

Unfortunately for the Tuskers, the attempt hit the post. Green made them pay immediately, scoring on another coast-to-coast run to spark a seven-goal burst that sealed the victory for Pelham.