It’s difficult to get into the Region 1 Tournament - only 24 teams out of about 100 make it. This year - similar to 2014 and 2017 - we got in from the waitlist because we had good points and a few other teams decided not to go. As a result, the players were very excited to go, even though it’s six hours away and requires leaving the Friday before Saturday/Sunday’s three games.
After our long drive, routed this time across Vermont via Manchester and through Albany because of heavy traffic near NYC, we checked into the Bordentown, NJ, Red Roof Inn after stopping for dinner nearby. We met at 6:30am to get a little breakfast at Dunkin Donuts before heading to Friendship Fields for our 8am game with Northeastern. It was 2C/36F and the dew made the fields slick, but the Sun eventually appeared and warmed up nicely.
Erika’s mom was our treasured fan, fully equipped with drinks and snacks!
G: Caris White
CD: Molly Knox, Kelly Zreloff, Rachel Horne
OD: Aislinn Mitcham, Erika Huston, Kate Clark
CM: Lizzy Strapp, Avery Jones, Claire Meli, Abby Burgess, Lana Kanno, Abby Headstrom
OM: Genevieve Schaefer, Kalyn Dawes, Zanna Stutz
F: Mudia Ikoba
Northeastern
Northeastern has always been very physical, and today was no exception. But we adapted quickly and kept the ball moving well, matching their high pressure. They had a couple free kicks and a corner kick before Mudia had a shot go wide in the 16th minute.
Lana had the same experience minute later before Kalyn’s perfect cross from the right side set up Genevieve, who was wonderfully wide open at the far post - she smartly slotted the ball lower-right for her goal in the 19th minute.
Kalyn had a shot saved before Northeastern’s corner kick and Kelly Z’s free kick earned by Zanna. Lizzy had a shot go wide. Zanna earned another free kick from midfield for Kelly Z before Northeastern’s free kick from their third.
Mudia earned a corner taken by Ash before Northeastern’s penalty kick was awarded when Caris came out to prevent their shot that went wide. Early in the second half, Mudia had a shot blocked for a corner taken by Lizzy.
Avery had a good chance in the 48th with her solid shot saved. Then Northeastern had two corner kicks and a shot high.
Claire had a good shot saved in the 56th before Northeastern’s two goals to upper left and lower right. Caris made a save in the 65th before Kelly Z earned a free kick from our third. Ash had a shot go wide and Avery pinged a shot off their upright before Northeastern’s free kick from midfield.
Genevieve earned a corner, resulting in two corner kicks for Lizzy. Avery and Kalyn had shots go wide before Avery earned a free kick from midfield. Northeastern had a corner and a shot go over our cross-bar before Caris saved a shot.
Genevieve had a shot go wide and Northeastern had another shot go high before Lizzy took one last corner kick in the 80th minute.
Shot 13:8 Saves 2:3
10 NE free kick in their third
14 NE corner
16 NE free kick in their third
Mudia shot wide
17 Lana shot wide
19 Kalyn to Genevieve lower right -> 1:0
21 Kalyn shot saved
23 NE corner
25 Zanna earned a free kick from midfield taken by Kelly Z
Lizzy shot wide
27 NE fouled Zanna in midfield, Kelly Z took the free kick
30 NE free kick in their third
35 Mudia earned a corner taken by Ash
38 NE awarded a PK when Caris came out to prevent a shot that went wide -> 1:1
46 Mudia shot blocked for a corner taken by Lizzy
48 Avery shot saved
50 NE two corners
53 NE shot over
56 Claire shot saved
58 NE shot from 25m upper left -> 1:2
60 E shot lower right -> 1:3
65 NE shot saved by Caris
Kalyn earned a free kick in our third
66 Ash shot wide
67 Avery shot hit the upright and zinged back out
NE free kick midfield
69 Genevieve earned a corner; two corners taken by Lizzy
70 Avery shot wide, Kalyn shot wide
72 Avery earned a free kick in midfield
73 NE corner
77 Genevieve shot wide
78 NE shot over
80 Lizzy corner
Siena
We had overheard some of Siena’s game with UConn next to us during our game with Northeastern, and we learned that they tied that game, so we expected them to be a strong team. We planned to make better passes in this game!
Avery got us off well within the first few minutes with a solid shot that was saved before Siena had a free kick from midfield and a shot go wide. Abby B earned a free kick from midfield that Kate took and Siena took one from their third before Erika took one in their third.
Avery had another solid attempt in the 16th minute, but her shot was saved. A minute later, Mudia made a wonderful cross that found Genevieve, who sent herself onto the ball and followed it into their net - what you could call a full-body shot?
Siena had a shot go wide before Mudia had the same experience a minute later.
Lizzy passed to Genevieve, who found Kalyn in the 24th minute for our second goal. Ash earned a corner kick for Zanna, Claire earned a free kick from midfield, and Lana earned and then took perfectly a free kick in their third that was saved.
Mudia and Abby H earned corner kicks late in the half, taken by Lizzy, Mudia followed up with a shot blocked and Kate with a shot wide before Zanna’s shot was saved.
During the break, we relished our improved passing!
Avery again headed us in the right direction with a shot, but it went wide. After Siena’s free kicks they sent a shot wide as well and had one saved by Caris. Kalyn earned a free kick in their third that was taken by Avery just before Mudia’s shot was saved.
Avery took a corner kick and had a shot go high before Siena and Ash took free kicks. Siena had a shot go high, Abby B had a shot saved, and Caris saved a shot from Siena in the 53rd minute. After Siena’s free kick, Genevieve had a shot go wide, and Caris made another save on a Siena free kick in our third.
Ash took another free kick in the 59th minute before Genevieve earned a corner for Abby B to take. Then Erika did well to get sufficiently upfield to get off a powerful shot that went wide.
Siena, Ash and Lana had free kicks and Lizzy took two corner kicks just before Genevieve beautifully drilled a shot into the lower-left corner of their goal.
Caris made another save from a Siena free kick in our third before Genevieve earned us another free kick. Then she and Erika had shots saved, Lizzy earned and took another corner kick, and Siena put a shot from a free kick over our cross-bar in the last minute.
We were delighted to be playing so well with good passing-possession, switching sides, and being more calm than in the previous game with Northeastern. An additional reward was having the best points for a second-place team; we,began to think that we might get to play a quarterfinal game if we did well vs UConn!
Shot 18:9 Saves 4:8
2 Avery shot saved
3 Siena free kick from midfield
6 Siena shot wide
8 Abby B earned a free kick in midfield taken by Kate
Siena free kick in their third
12 Erika free kick in their third
16 Avery shot saved
17 Mudia cross to Genevieve full-body goal -> 1:0
19 Siena shot wide
20 Mudia shot wide
24 Lizzy to Genevieve to Kalyn -> 2:0
29 Ash earned a corner taken by Zanna
31 Claire earned a free kick in midfield
32 Lana earned and took a free kick in their third, well-taken shot saved
34 Mudia earned a corner taken by Lizzy
35 Ash earned a corner taken by Lizzy, Mudia shot blocked, Kate shot wide
40 Zanna shot saved
42 Avery shot wide
Siena free kick from their third
44 Siena free kick from midfield
Siena shot wide
45 Siena shot saved by Caris
46 Kalyn earned a free kick in their third taken by Avery
Mudia shot saved
48 Avery corner kick
50 Avery shot over
51 Siena free kick from midfield
Ash free kick in our third
52 Siena shot over
53 Abby B shot saved
Siena shot saved by Caris
54 Siena free kick in their third
56 Genevieve shot wide
58 Siena free kick in our third, shot saved by Caris
59 Ash free kick in our third
Genevieve earned a corner for Abby B, Erika shot wide
63 Siena free kick in their third
Lana earned a free kick from our third
66 Ash earned a free kick from midfield
67 Lizzy took two corner kicks
68 Genevieve lower left -> 3:0
70 Siena free kick in our third saved by Caris
71 Genevieve earned a free kick from our third
75 Genevieve shot saved
76 Erika shot saved
79 Lizzy earned and took a corner
Siena free kick in our third shot over
UConn
Our last game with the first-seed team at the top of the rankings was on turf at Bordentown High School. After a good warmup under cloudy skies and 10C/50F, we found UConn to be very aggressive and physical. They made the first shots, high and wide, before Avery almost got us on the score sheet in the 10th minute, but her shot was saved.
Caris made a save before Ash’s clearance for a UConn corner kick in the 11th minute. UConn slotted a shot from the left side into th3e lower-right side of our goal in the 16th minute.
Lana had a shot go wide before Erika made a beautiful shot on a free kick from midfield that was saved, and Genevieve earned a free kick from midfield taken by Erika. Soon after that, Erika took a powerful and accurate free kick from midfield that was saved.
Ash almost converted on a free kick in their third, but her shot glanced off the cross-bar. After UConn‘s free kick from midfield and a corner, they made a shot that Caris saved, and while she was on the ground she was kicked in the jaw, losing a tooth. We took about ten minutes having her see the EMT and looking in vain for her tooth; the rest of the half was suspended while our team decided whether to keep playing.
The EMT made several phone calls, and advised that she go to Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital. Caris’ friend Gabi, a Class of 2022 graduate, wearing a Dartmouth Soccer cap and bearing donuts for our team, helped us look for the tooth and then took Caris to the hospital as we finished our game with Kate Clark in goal.
Kate immediately made a save before UConn did a repeat of their first goal. They had a shot go high before Avery put one on target but was saved. UConn put a shot wide before Kate came up with another big save in the 57th minute; Rachel took a free kick from midfield.
Zanna earned a free kick taken by Erika before Kate came up with another big save. UConn fired a point-blank shot to increase their lead in the 62nd minute and followed that up with a free kick that founf the left side of our net before Avery’s free mick in their third in the last minute of play.
We all got to see the xray of Caris’ jaw - so disturbing, but she handled the whole event with amazing calm and grace. I sent the Tournament director a summary of what happened and thanked him for the really helpful EMT who helped Caris. Time will tell whether this third time at Regionals will be our last.
Shots 5:13 Saves 5:3
6 UConn shot over
8 UConn shot wide
10 Avery shot saved
UConn shot saved by Caris
11 Ash clearance for a UConn corner
16 UConn shot from left to lower-right -> 0:1
21 Lana shot wide
24 Erika free kick from midfield shot saved
25 Ash free kick in their third hit their cross-bar
28 UConn free kick from midfield, corner
30 Caris made a save, kicked by UConn player while she was on the ground, lost a tooth - we looked in vain for the tooth - Caris saw the EMT - game suspended
31 game resumed with Kate Clark in goal; EMT calling hospitals
32 UConn shot saved by Kate
40 UConn shot from left to lower-right -> 0:2
43 UConn shot over
47 Avery shot saved
53 UConn shot wide
57 UConn shot saved by Kate
Rachel free kick from midfield
59 Zanna earned a free kick from midfield taken by Erika
62 UConn shot saved by Kate
UConn shot point blank -> 0:3
68 UConn free kick converted -> 0:4
70 Avery free kick in their third
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