Bad bounces for McMahon
Missed chances cost Senators in quarterfinal loss to St. Joseph
TRUMBULL — Barely holding off an upset-minded Brien McMahon team for most of the first half, St. Joseph needed a momentum swing in a big way.
That turn came 34 minutes into the first, as Jessica Mazo connected with Maddie Fried on a textbook two-on-one chance to break the scoreless tie.
The second-ranked Cadets would go on to defeat No. 7 McMahon 2-0 at home in the FCIAC quarterfinals Thursday.
“For 20 minutes in the first half I really thought they were playing better than us,” said Cadets coach Jack Nogueira, whose team will play the winner of No. 6 Trumbull and No. 3 Ridgefield in the semis on Monday. “Once we scored the first goal I thought we weren’t as nervous and started playing a little bit better. Today we finished our opportunities. They had a couple opportunities they could’ve finished that they didn’t. We found a way to win a game that was very tough for us.”
Mazo put St. Joseph up 2-0 in the 52nd minute, sending home a loose ball in front, and the Cadets used that cushion to control play for the rest of the game.
“Our attitude changed,” Mazo said. “We were able to gain more confidence and were able to possess the ball and know that we’re in control.”
What made the loss more difficult for McMahon was the fact that it had plenty of chances.
Just minutes into the contest, a ball got past the goalie, but was saved on the line by a Cadets defender at the last second. Then, at the 14-minute mark, junior captain Peyton McNamara got loose on a breakaway, survived a hit and sent a roller just inches wide to the right.
In the second, McNamara had a free kick from 25 yards out and curved it just left of the net before drilling the crossbar on a corner chance.
“We had three or four chances where 90 percent of the time those go in,” Senators coach Angelo Tsingerliotis said. “We could have been up two-, three-nothing, but credit to St. Joe’s; they had one good opportunity in the first and they scored, and that’s what teams do when they’re a high seed; they finish the chances they’re supposed to make, and we’re still working on that.”
PLAYER OF THE MATCH
Mazo, St. Joseph. The senior captain registered a goal and an assist in the victory.
“We knew they were going to be a tough team,” Mazo said. “So we were ready to have a tough fight and we knew that if we went out and played our game, we would be OK.”
BODIES FLYING
For most of the match, the action more resembled American football than soccer, with the refs letting the teams play, and they took full advantage.
“I thought we dealt with it well today,” Nogueira said of the game’s physical nature. “It’s the FCIAC, every game is like this. It’s competitive, two teams that wanted to win really bad. We’re not a physical team, but it’s something that we have to deal with and we try to play through it.”
ANY GIVEN DAY
McMahon has a week to regroup and get ready for states. If Thursday’s game taught it anything, it’s that the Senators should have no problem competing.
“We’re a confident team,” Tsingerliotis said. “We know we can take anyone on any given day and that’s because our girls work hard and train hard and know that we’ve played well against some of the top teams in the FCIAC. If you can contend with teams like Ridgefield, Staples and St. Joe’s, then you can contend with teams in states.” @reportedbytheAP