Times Chronicle & Public Spirit
Iate goals lift GMA by St. Basil
It seemed as though the ball had something against Gwynedd Mercy Academy in its game against St. Basil. Despite upwards of 10 shots in the first half and numerous other opportunities, the Monarchs could not score if they were hitting beach ball into the ocean.
Persistence pays off, however, and the relentless Monarchs’ attach finally found its way in the second half, scoring two goals and stealing a 2-1 win over the Panthers.
The first half was end to end all the way through. The possession was even for the most part, perhaps slightly in Basil’s favor. GMA was getting chances, but those chances turned into transition runs for the Panthers and it seemed only a matter of time before they capitalized.
“Our goal was to come in and hold Gwynedd,” Basil coach Erin McDonald said. “We wanted to get a few offensive corners and hold them. We never expected to hold them 45 minutes before their first goal, so it was a good game for us.”
With 1U:57 left in the half, Basil finally did. Myranda Gormeley found the net after a wonderful build up. The passing was crisp and there was little GMA could do about it. The momentum was on Basil side, but that would not last long.
“I have to give a lot of credit to Basil, they gave us a real run for our money,” GMA coach Sue Persichetti said. “In the beginning we had too much distance between the midfield and the defense. Once we went into halftime and figured that out, we were able to stay on our end for the rest of the game.”
GMA faced two obstacles for the majority of the game: finishing problems and Basil goalkeeper Christine McIntyre. Although the Monarchs had plenty of shots and opportunities, the ball just didn’t want to go in the net for a long spell. Passes flashed across the face of goal many times, but no one was there to smash it home.
“Finishing is our issue right now,” Persichetti said. “I can’t even think about all the shots that we had and
didn’t score.” McIntyre was a bigger problem. She made 17 saves in the match and was just as solid when she wasn’t making saves, kicking crosses away and poking incoming passes from danger.
“My goalie was fabulous,” McDonald said. “She is coming off a serious injury and we didn’t even know if we were going to have her this season. She has come back two fold and she’s been great.”
Finally, after what felt like a lifetime, all the attempts at goal and offensive pressure paid off for GMA. Corrinne Persichetti knotted the game at 1-1 with a goal in a scramble in front of the net, receiving a solid feed from Nicole Catalino. The Monarchs finally broke through and the relief was visible.
“For me it was a relief especially,” Sue Persichetti said of the goal. “But the pressure was lifted after that and we were fine. What you do is try to make adjustments at halftime and if the girls have the heart to do that, you end up with good results.”
After getting one, they would not fail to keep the momentum going. Five minutes later, Catalino blasted a shot from distance that beat Gormeley and gave GMA a deserved victory.
Even in the loss, McDonald was very happy with the way her side performed.
“It was a huge victory for us, we never anticipated doing this,” McDonald said. “My girls played great and were able to move the ball and get some offensive corners and that’s something we wanted to accomplish.”