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Girls youth fourth week action

Date last updated 9:08 am May 14th, 2008

Girls youth teams have mixed record in games against Scituate

   With youth teams from Hingham opting to take the day off rather than travel to Cohasset in the rain, it was only the Cohasset Blue youth teams that got in games in the drizzle of May 4, traveling to the Hatherly School to play at the new Ryan Flannery Field.

   It was the 11-and-Under girls (grades 3 and 4) who started the day off, and after Cohasset Blue had beaten Scituate’s Blue team at the end of April, the girls might have been hoping for more of the same, but Scituate’s White team avenged the loss in a tighly controlled contest that was closer than the 5-2 final score suggests.

   Cohasset center Lilli Smith controlled the draws from the beginning. This allowed middies Holly Maher, Ellie Jackish, Lanie Schwartz, and Danielle Picot to run an aggressive offense, keeping the early game in the Scituate zone. Cohasset scored first as Abbie McLean transitioned the ball into the Scituate zone; after Scituate briefly knocked the ball away, Colleen McGowan picked up the loose ball and fired a shot to the upper right corner of the net. With 2 minutes left in the half, Cohasset scored again as Lanie Schwartz picked up a loose ball behind the net, lost her defender coming around the left side and found the bottom left corner of the net for her team-leading fourth goal of the season. Clair Glavin played a tremendous half in goal – the first time she has tended the net for the Blue – making 5 saves and triggering the transition game with tight clears to the wings. Megan McElgunn, Madeline Schwandt, Margaux Robbins and Olivia Sanderson stood out on defense, holding back an aggressive Scituate attack.

   Scituate came back strong in the second half, however, scoring three unanswered goals to put Cohasset on its heels. Cohasset’s momentum was stalled three times midway through the half by close foul calls that reversed play deep in the Scituate zone. Minnie Stavis and Jackish continued to pressure the defense, refusing to let the game get away. With 5 minutes left in the game, Regan O’Donnell was fouled five yards from the mouth of the goal. After a loose ball scrum, O’Donnell emerged with the ball again but was fouled a second time. Play resumed outside of the zone where O’Donnell was given the ball once more. On the whistle, O’Donnell drove to the left side of the net, rolled a defender and scored to the bottom right, but the official waved off the goal saying that Regan’s foot had crossed a faintly painted crease. Though Cali O’Neil, Madigan O’Neil and Maggie Queenan continued to pressure from the attack position, the Blue couldn’t manage to come back. Scituate finished off the match with two more goals to close out the game with a 5-2 edge.

13-and-Under (grades 5 and 6)

   The 13-and-Under Blue team won its third straight game, topping Scituate White by a score of 10-7. Cohasset started fast with Lexa Grasz controlling the draw, sprinting up the middle of the field and swinging the ball to the right wing to Jackie Driscoll, who ripped one into the net for a quick 1-0 lead. The Blue team would take a 3-0 lead on goals by Kathryn Dunn and Grasz before Scituate responded and the game would be back and forth until the second half. 
   Cohasset regained control in the second half by dominating the ground balls. Dunn was fierce, scooping ground balls between two and three Scituate players, while Rebecca Brown and Maggie Ernst joined in with strong efforts as well. Scituate pulled to within two goals before the Blue team reeled off several goals. Micaela Braun, Molly Fitzgerald and Dagmar Seppala scored – the latter netting a slick free-position shot – and Victoria Bryan scored her first goal of the season on an amazing backhand shot from in tight, putting the game well in hand.

   Shannon McGowan anchored the defense with two ground balls, two interceptions and an assist. Goalie Olivia Blackburn continues to impress with seven saves and has stopped almost 60% of the shots she has faced this season.

15-and-Under (grades 7 and 8)

   The Cohasset Blue 15-U team took to the soggy day in Scituate as if they would have rather been warm and cozy at home, giving up four goals and squandering any chances through the first 14 minutes of play. At that point, the team scored on two consecutive direct-free position shots – one from Nicole Hajjar, the other from Kristen Alecander – to cut the deficit in half, only to see Scituate answer with two goals to make the score 6-2 going into the break.

   From there, however, Cohasset started to play with more energy. Whitney Jaffe answered a Scituate goal, then Mariel Teague took the ensuing draw, raced down the field and blasted a shot past the Scituate goalie. When Scituate scored off the ensuing draw, Cohasset answered on its next possession, as Jaffe fed Kate Bodner for a quick-stick score. The assist made Jaffe the all-time leader in helpers for the Cohasset girls youth program with 19.

   Scores from Alison Whelan and Danielle Healy made it a one-goal game with all of the momentum seeming to be with the visitors, but a bad turnover after a great stop by goalie Sarah Evans – who finished the day with 6 saves – led to a Scituate goal.

   Whelan’s second goal made it 9-8, but was answered by Scituate. Jaffe then worked her way around a double team to bring it back to a one-goal game with less than two-minutes left.

   It would not be enough, however, as Scituate scored quickly on its next possession, and then weathered a furious Cohasset offensive charge. Cassedy Gwynn scored with 8 seconds remaining in the game to make it 11-10, and Cohasset won the final draw of the day, but could not advance the ball to get a last crack at the net.