Malloy leads Chiefs past Cowgirls

LITCHFIELD – Nonnewaug’s girls soccer team scored four goals in the first half at Litchfield’s Plum Hill Sports Complex Tuesday afternoon, then coasted home to a 5-0 win behind three goals from senior captain Azria Malloy.

Early this season, the teams battled through overtime to a 3-2 Nonnewaug win. This time, they both came off a rough week in the Berkshire League.

Litchfield (6-3-1) started with a 0-0 tie at Northwestern, then suffered an 8-0 loss at home from leagueleading Lewis Mills on Friday.

Nonnewaug (6-3) had it worse, losing three in a row, to Lewis Mills, Housatonic and Northwestern.

Tuesday was a chance for recovery.

“We wanted to get last week’s monkey off our backs,” Nonnewaug coach Nick Sheikh said. “We’re not used to losing three in a row.”

The Chiefs wiped last week away from the opening touch, leaving the Cowgirls looking still stunned by Friday’s wipeout.

Nonnewaug had three corner kicks in the first 11 minutes. On the third, Malloy sent her kick into the box for a header by Danielle Forte.

By the 15th minute, a

Litchfield player beseeched “C’mon Blue, be aggressive!” after multiple shots by the Chiefs.

Litchfield got off its first shot in the 26th minute with just one more shot to go in the half.

Meanwhile, Malloy, a four-year Nonnewaug starter headed for Division I Sacred Heart next year, was just warming up. Last week she had the flu, with a 104-degree temperature keeping her away from the Mills

game.

This week, the flu is gone.

With 11 minutes left in the half, she threaded her way through the Litchfield defense for a shot to the right corner of the net.

A minute later she took a pass from Forte in for a left-foot goal to the other corner. A minute after that, she missed a two-minute hat trick by inches.

“We tried to contain her,” Litchfield coach Mike Wilson said.

With a 3-0 lead, Nonnewaug’s pressure steamed on.

A minute from the half, a

Cowgirls defender knocked down Carmen Lo in the box, giving her a penalty kick for the final first-half score.

“We were not aggressive enough in the first half; in the second half, we showed up, but it was too late,” said Coach Wilson.

After a 10-2 first-half shot deficit, the Cowgirls pulled even, 6-6, in the second. But Litchfield’s shots were off the mark or gathered in by Nonnewaug goalkeeper Nicole Mercer (6 saves).

Litchfield keeper Sydney Donahue (11 saves) still had to face a healthy Malloy.

Donahue got a break with five minutes left as Malloy slipped on a shot in front of the goal. Two minutes later, Malloy took a pass from Lo for another solo charge upfield and into the net.

“A win like this gives the girls confidence, which we need,” Sheikh said.

The Cowgirls get their next chance Thursday at 7-1 Housatonic.