SOMERS, N.Y. - All afternoon long on Monday, May 17, Somers jumped ahead and Arlington fought back. A 16-12 lead with 79 seconds left seemed pretty safe. Three straight Arlington goals said otherwise, and suddenly 13.9 seconds felt like an eternity.
Especially after Arlington won another draw control, the potential for heartbreak loomed large, leaving Emma Donaldson ready to come up with one final save.
“I have to go get it,” the goalie thought — and she was right.
Open on the right side, Sophia Rescigno couldn’t connect on the final shot, and the Tuskers quickly found the game’s offensive hero.
“I was so happy and hugged Sofie (Conner),” said Donaldson of the eighth-grader, who scored six goals.
Somers opened the scoring, and Donaldson helped make it happen. After receiving a pass from behind the net, Lyla DeGregorio came free in front, but the Somers goalie reached up for the save.
That quickly sparked transition offense from Shea Mullins and Caitlyn Mayfield. Mullins tightroped the goal line and, as she fell out of bounds, delivered a perfect pass to Mayfield in front for the goal.
At 10:21, Mayfield kept the pressure on by stealing the ball during Arlington’s clear. She found Mullins, and on the setup, Sofia Conner drew a penalty. Starting eight yards out on the right side, Conner swept across the crease and beat the Arlington goalie easily for a 2-0 lead.
Donaldson came up big again moments later. After Rachel Lawrence drew a penalty, her eight-meter attempt was stopped by Donaldson’s stick, keeping the score intact until Arlington earned a man advantage. Soon after, Rescigno sliced through the Somers defense, drew a free-position shot, and scored to make it 2-1.
Rescigno kept the momentum going by winning the ensuing draw. Arlington stayed on the attack, and although Donaldson stopped Lizzy Keevins’ initial chance, the rebound found Lawrence for the tying goal.
With 3:42 left in the opening quarter, Mayfield answered in the draw circle. She elevated for possession, and Lyla Mancini rewarded her from behind the cage. Positioned at X on the left side, Mancini threaded a pass across the crease, where Mayfield finished overhead to restore the Somers lead.
Mayfield struck again in the closing seconds of the quarter. Refusing to be denied, the midfielder came from behind the net and slipped her shot over two Arlington defenders.
Leading 4-2 after one quarter, Somers carried the momentum into the second.
“She puts the ball where it needs to be,” said Kate Barton.
Amelia Marcus benefited from Mayfield’s precision passing. Standing calmly behind the net, Mayfield worked her way around the crease before finding Marcus cutting through traffic for a 5-2 lead at 11:26.
After another draw-control win, Mayfield connected with Bella Mancini following Marcus’ scoop off the draw. Mancini held possession behind the net before finding Mayfield cutting to the middle, and the finish made it 6-2.
Arlington responded with four of the next five goals, cutting the deficit to 7-6 with nine minutes left in the third quarter. Right on cue, Somers answered.
An Arlington turnover at 8:30 sparked a three-goal run. First, Marcus beat a triple-team ride near the sideline before Conner took over. Circling from behind the net to the right side, she fired home for an 8-6 lead at 7:36.
Mayfield then controlled another draw and got the ball to her middle-school teammate. With the defense momentarily losing track of her, Conner darted to the cage and scored again for a 9-6 advantage.
At 7:04, Arlington won the next draw, but Donaldson came through once more, snaring Nicole Petrillo’s point-blank shot.
Still, Arlington kept pressing. Donaldson eventually found Megan O’Reilly on the outlet, and O’Reilly moved it ahead to Marcus. After a dangerous shot led to a free-position opportunity for Barton, she converted to make it 10-6 with 5:29 remaining in the quarter.
Somers appeared to have full control when Mayfield set up Conner again, but Arlington answered with three straight goals, including one with 1.9 seconds left in the third quarter.
Another turnover helped Somers regain momentum early in the fourth. Barton scooped up the ball, and once Conner received it at midfield, she took off.
“She finds a lane,” Barton said.
Then it became a footrace.
“I just sprint as fast as I can,” said Conner.
She went coast-to-coast for an 11-9 lead at 11:19.
Mayfield continued dominating the draw circle. After another possession win, Barton found Marcus, who swung the ball to Mullins on the goal line. The freshman finished to make it 12-9.
The next goal came after Ari Scully was fouled along the sideline. With the extra-player advantage, Mayfield found Mullins again, pushing the Somers lead to three goals.
At 8:29, Mayfield controlled another draw, and moments later she connected with Marcus cutting inside. Marcus turned and scored to make it 14-9 with 7:40 remaining.
But Arlington refused to go away, scoring the next three goals to pull within 14-12.
Needing a crucial draw-control win, Mayfield delivered again at 3:55. She pushed the ball forward, scooped up the bounce, and helped Somers maintain possession for nearly 90 seconds before Barton drew a penalty. Barton stayed low on her free-position shot and scored to provide breathing room.
Mayfield then helped Somers exhale again with more work in the draw circle.
“Caitlyn knows how to get height. She has the draw stick, so our strategy was to get the ball in the air and pop out,” Barton said.
After another Somers possession, the familiar connection struck again. Marcus received the ball near the goal line and found a cutting Conner in front for a 16-12 lead.
Still, there was no relaxing. Arlington won three straight draw controls and made one final push. Keevins found Rescigno on the right side, but her shot sailed wide.
“I was like, ‘We got it,’” Donaldson said with relief.
Now, the real season begins.
Comments
No comments on this item Please log in to comment by clicking here