Pomperaug reaches SWC final
SOUTHBURY — It was a goal worthy of deciding any game, let alone a playoff semifinal.
Pomperaug sophomore Sean Murray tried a shot from a similar angle in his team’s last game against Bunnell in the quarterfinals, only to see it fall wide.
But the substitute made perfect contact this time when it mattered most, hitting the ball into the corner of the net from an acute angle to give the No. 2 Panthers a 21 win over No. 3 Barlow and a spot in the SWC final. The goal came with 1:49 left and overtime looming.
“I just tried it again; it was on target this time and went right over the goalie,” said Murray. “It was pretty cool because we didn’t have a lot of time left. We just had to stick it through; we were excited for the final at that point.”
It’s the first final appearance since 2010 for veteran coach Joe Mancini, who has guided the Panthers to over 200 wins in his tenure.
“It’s great, especially with this group because they’ve been through so much,” Mancini said. “It is really nice to get there. There’s still more work to do.”
It looked like another goal was going to steal the show before Murray’s winner. Barlow senior Jack Ledbetter curled in a perfect shot from 25 yards out that tied the game at 11 with nine minutes left. Pomperaug took a 10 lead with 20:44 left on a header from Andrew Doan.
“It was nervewracking,”
Mancini said. “But we kept our composure and we didn’t fall apart after we got scored on. It would be very easy to fall apart. This could have been anybody’s game; we always have great games with Barlow.”
The Falcons’ possession game bothered the hosts in a first half of very few chances. Pomperaug began making gains in the second half, though and created several quality looks before Doan’s breakthrough.
“We played them before and it was an even match,” Murray said of the Falcons’
10 regularseason win. “We were really ready; we talked about what we did wrong at halftime and perfected everything we did.”
The goal woke the visitors and they began pressing for the tying strike, which came in spectacular fashion from Ledbetter. Barlow had another late chance to win the game with the score 11, and one final ball into the box with seconds left was caught by Pomperaug freshman Zack Farren.
“For him to come in there, he’s probably a little nervous,” Mancini said. “But he did a great job.”
PLAYER OF THE GAME
Jack O’Brien, Pomperaug: Provided the throwin for Doan’s goal and could have had a pair of goals.
QUOTABALE
“They possess and move off the ball real well,” Mancini said of the Falcons. “It’s hard for us to find where they are going to go; they get into spaces and it’s hard to track guys when they do that. But we did a good job staying composed and compact.”