Saqib lifts Lions into semis
LINCOLN — Standing by yourself seven yards from the goalie with the fate of a Division II quarterfinal contest resting on what you’re about to do next would seem like a lot of pressure for a high school athlete.
For Lincoln junior forward Jennah Saqib, the pressure of converting a penalty stroke to advance her team to the semifinals is ex- actly what she wanted considering where the Lions were just a season ago.
After failing to score a goal in Division I last season, the No. 3 Lions are on their way to the Division II semifinals after Saqib fired a penalty stroke past goalie Julia Mitchell with just 1 minute, 18 seconds left in Lincoln’s 2-1 victory Tuesday night at Ferguson Field.
“It was a little nerve wracking, but you just have to focus on what you’re doing,” Saqib said after registering a goal and an assist in the win. “All you do is breathe and focus on what you’re doing because nothing else matters. I’m extremely proud of this group of girls because we’ve improved so much and come so far this season.”
“To see how far we’ve come this season based on their hard work, we just told the girls to let’s not let it end here,” Lincoln coach Lea Miguel said. “We wanted to capitalize on the momentum we’ve built throughout the season.”
Lincoln (6-7-2 Division II) heads to Cranston Stadium tomorrow night at 7 o’clock to play No. 2 Wheeler for a spot in Sunday’s final at Bryant University. Wheeler defeated Lincoln 4-1 at Ferguson Field in the first match of the season, and then the Warriors posted a 5-0 victory at Wheeler Farm on Oct. 8.
The Warriors, whose only two D-II losses were to No. 1 Lincoln School, are led by forwards Victoria Wassouf (12 goals) and Olivia Bush (10 goals and 10 assists). Miguel said the Lions are using a different defensive approach in front of goalie Maddie Flaxington.
“They have some very skilled players and they pass the ball very well,” Miguel said. “We’re implementing a new strategy where we’re trying to take away the other team’s most dangerous player. We’re trying to deny them the ball. It’s worked so far, and we’ll try to do the same thing against Wheeler. They’re a very skilled team.”
Smithfield (5-9-1) never led in the game because the Lions grabbed a ninth-minute lead when Saqib found Haley Rose for a close-range goal past Mitchell. The visiting Sentinels tied the game less than two minutes later when junior Riley Fague put a shot past Flax-
ington.
The Lions thought they regained the lead with just over eight minutes left in the second half when Drew Swanson scored, but one of referees spotted an infringement on the Lions. Lincoln responded by earning back-to-back penalty corners, but the Sentinels managed to clear their circle.
After a Sentinel penalty corner, Lincoln counterattacked and created a penalty stroke when Mitchell made a save on the ground, but she covered the ball. Saqib stepped up and blasted a low shot past Mitchell for the game-winning goal.
“I’m not sure what my approach is, but I try to psych the goalie out as much as I can,” Saqib said. “I just get ready for the shot and do the best I can to push the shot with everything behind me. You just try to take what the goalie is giving you and push it hard to one corner.”
Tuesday marked Lincoln’s first playoff game since a 6-0 defeat to eventual state champion Moses Brown in 2013 and its first playoff victory since the Lions beat North Kingstown, 2-1, in the 2005 state semifinals before losing to Barrington in the state title game.