TIGERS ELIMINATED
Tolman comeback falls short vs. Narragansett
JOHNSTON — The No. 4 Tolman girls soccer team had the chances, the possession and the desire to win their semifinal contest against Narragansett on Wednesday.
They just didn’t have Anna Lubic.
The Mariner junior scored twice in the first 15 minutes of the Division III semifinal clash, and top-seeded Narragansett held on from there to win 2-1 at Johnston High School to earn their first championship appearance since 2011.
“We started the game with really high intensity,” Lubic said. “We came right out of the gates and we were ready for them.”
Lubic’s fast start gave way to Tolman dominance. After Lubic made it 2-0 in the 15th minute, the Tigers possessed the ball for the rest of the half, even drawing back within a goal.
Alexandria Lorenzo lofted in a shot that was misplayed by Mariner keeper Shannon O’Connell, and suddenly the Tigers had life.
“I’m not entirely sure what happened there,” Lubic said. “We got to two goals and got comfortable with it. Thought we could hold them at that. They came back, there was a mistake by our keeper and they got that goal. We got a little upset, people talking on both benches, started to get into our heads. Things got a little frantic but we were able to rein things in by the end of the game.”
“They’ve got some talented players,” Mariner head coach Kathryn Mahoney said of the Tigers. “[Jordan Carman, Lorenzo and Haleigh Correia] were our marks. Our goal was to shut down their top players. Heavily focused on the defensive aspect of things.
“We held back a little offensively in our first goaround against Tolman. We needed to get a jump today.”
The got just the jumpstart they needed courtesy of the quick Lubic. Her first goal came in the 13th minute as she won a foot race against Olivia Badwa. Two minutes later she was back at it again, winning possession in the box and effortlessly slicing through a trio of Tigers.
“Since I was young, speed has kind of been my strength,” she said. “I’m of that mindset where I’m not even looking [at the defenders], I just see the ball. I’m going to get to it before they do.”
“She’s phenomenal,” Mahoney said. “I said to [assistant coach] Mark [Lubic], her father, you can’t match that speed. I’ve been working with her on high-pressuring the defense and sitting in on that back-line. With her speed, if she gets in a footrace, I don’t know of anyone who can stay with her. Her speed is explosive.”
A bevy of Tolman chances followed. The Mariners chose to slow the pace and see if they could simply run out the clock until the finals. Correia did her level best to make them pay for that ad- justment.
She took a free kick following Lubic’s second goal, but Lorenzo couldn’t finish the chance. Correia nearly tied the game right before the half break, and started the second half by turning another free kick into a scoring opportunity.
“We got up by two, then they scored,” Mahoney said. “I just decided that [shifting back] was the risk that we had to take. Happy with that move, it worked out.”
Aside from three consecutive Mariner corners in the second half, the Tigers dictated play. Carman looked dangerous all over the pitch, but two late shots were both swallowed up by O’Connell. The freshman left the game early with an injury.
The loss was just the fourth of the year for the group, but it brings their season to a screeching halt.
The Mariners defeated Tolman twice by identical scores of 2-1. Their other losses came at the hands of Tiverton and Providence Country Day. The Tigers won their other 14 contests handily.