The Danvers Varsity Girls Soccer Team earned the #7 seed in the Div. 3 State Tournament.  With the higher seed, the Falcons hosted #26 seeded Team, Dedham.  Dedham came into the match with a 6-11-2 record from the highly competitive Tri Valley League.  Dedham won their preliminary game against Shawsheen, 6-0 a couple of days earlier.

 

"You can't control who you're going to get in the tournament.  You get the best seed possible, hopefully get at least a Home game and hope to avoid Teams from strong leagues.  But you get who you get.  We knew coming in that Dedham would be no pushover.  The Tri Valley League is loaded with good Teams and most of Dedham's games were decided by 3 goals or less.  They clearly were a defensive Team, but one who could give us trouble."

 

Danvers put pressure on the visiting Marauders very early.  Senior Captain, Georgia Prouty hit 2 cannons from distance, both which barely missed the frame of the Dedham goal.  Forwards Lila Doucette, Gianna Sutherland and DeAnna Figueiredo worked hard to get into the Dedham zone of the field but the visiting Team's defense stayed strong.  The Falcons defense also stood up to the test with fine defending.  The back line of Addi McCarty, Ali Doucette, Maddie Hanas, Casidy Randall and Lila Flynn limited Dedham time in their own end.  The game went back and forth for much of the first half with Danvers outshooting their opponent, 9-5.  Senior keeper and captain, Maddie Dembowski made all 5 saves look routine.

 

With 5 minutes left in the half, the Falcons got the break they needed.  Lila Doucette made a great run with the ball up the left side of the field and into the box.  She crossed the ball over the defenders heads that classmate Figueiredo was able to get to.  She passed to Prouty who made a move in the box and was fouled from behind.  With the penalty kick given to the Falcons, Georgia Prouty stepped up and made it count, giving the hosts the 1-0 lead going into halftime.

 

"I felt we had an average 1st half, mostly due to the way Dedham was playing.  They put the ball in the air a lot and played a very deep sweeper and it took the girls a while to adjust.  Our midfield of Georgia, Ashley Freitas and Kaia Glover were playing very well, but we were still lacking the final connection in the attacking third.  Once we got into their end, they were really good at clogging up space."

 

Danvers made some adjustments going into the second half knowing they'd be going against the wind.  Junior Forward Claudia Drakos made some great runs and created some good chances for her Team.  At one point Prouty played a ball across the box to junior Sabina Sturgeon, but the junior couldn't get past d the last defender.  Randall and Hanas both made some great runs up the outside of the field from their defensive positions giving the Falcons some attacking opportunities but the score stayed the same.  With time ticking and the goal margin still at 1, the pressure of the game started to thicken.  Then, with 18 minutes left in the game, Dedham was awarded a free kick.  The Dedham center back hit a long, 35 yard shot that just went over the outstretched arms of Dembowski to tie the game at 1.  Danvers tried furiously to get the game winner down the stretch but the Dedham defense was able to force overtime.

 

With only 3 minutes to play in the first Sudden Victory overtime Danvers found what they were looking for.  Addi McCarty headed a long ball from out of the back.  Her header found the feet of Georgia Prouty at about the midfield line.  The lightning quick junior beat 1 defender and speed dribble past another up the left side of the field.  Once she enter the box, Prouty hit a laser past the keeper towards the near post, giving her Team the thrilling victory and enabling the Team to play another day.

 

"Georgia made it count when the game was on the line.  That goal was the result of a 50 yard, determined run.  You always want your Team and especially your seniors, to get to experience a win in the Tournament.  However, a win in OT like this one is something they'll remember forever.  They really gutted it out tonight.  It wasn't pretty, it wasn't our best, but you take a win anyway you can get it in the tournament.  I can't say enough about Kaia and Ashley tonight.  Kaia played really well at attacking mid.  She was constantly looking to switch fields and she gave us a calming presence on the field, helping us keep possession.  Ashly was awesome behind her.  Ashley made so many key tackles defensively and played very physical.  They both gave us a lot of quality in the middle of the field.  Dedham was a young team with only 2 seniors on their roster.  We're older and have more experience, but I was really impressed with the way our 4 freshmen stepped up tonight.  Kaia, Cassidy, Maddie and Ali have been strong all year but they didn't look like rookies out their today."

 

"You gotta give that Dedham Team and Coach a lot of credit for playing so well.  They never gave up and made things very difficult for us today."

 

Danvers will now move on to host #10 Newburyport on Friday at 6:00.  Newburyport advanced with a 4-0 win over Hudson.  Danvers record improved to 13-3-3 with the win.