St Mary’s girls run past Archbishop Williams 5-0

LYNN – Williams coach Meredith Coakley knew she was in for a long day when the team pulled into the Manning Field parking lot. It was cold and very windy, a day suited for late November, not October, and she only had 14 players with her. The remainder of the team was at home, either injured or sick.St. Mary’s came ready to play after a 2-0 loss to Swampscott. Coach Jim Foley used his practice time since last Saturday to turn the team around. St. Mary’s defeated Williams, 5-0.Williams is going nowhere but home when the season is over. Its record of 4-8-3 won’t qualify Williams for the tourney. The Spartans are now playing for seeding purposes, having already qualified (8-6-2 Catholic Central Large). With two games left (Arlington Catholic at Manning Sunday afternoon at 3:30 and D-1 powerhouse Dracut on Monday), a couple of wins could give the Spartans an opening home game in the tourney.The game was only 12 minutes old when Amy Bozarjian put a through ball up to Amanda Webster, who hit a bullet that went over the keeper’s head, hit the crossbar, bounced back and hit the keeper, and went in the net. This was Webster’s 19th goal of the season, and it increased her league-leading scoring record to 28 points. By the 20th minute, the Spartans were beginning to take control of the midfield game and were shutting down any Williams attacks before they could get to keeper Megan Brickley.In the 33rd minute, the Spartans scored in a very unusual way. The Williams sweeper, attempting to clear the ball, had it bounce off her foot and go over the keeper’s hands and into the net. There is no credit to any St. Mary’s player on an “own goal.”In the 38th minute, the Spartans put the icing on the cake. Michelle Macchione and Courtney Winters worked the give-and-go. Winters fed Macchione, the ball going down the left wing all alone as the Williams defenders collapsed on Winters, who had received the original pass. Macchione made no mistake as she cut into the area, stared down the keeper and blew the ball low left into the net. This made the score St. Mary’s 3, Williams 0.The second half was one of complete domination by the Spartans. The Williams defense was not covering the Spartan midfielders, and Webster sent through ball after through ball up the middle and to the wings. Most of these attacks ended with offside calls by the referees.In the 60th minute, Webster took the game over, and she broke in all alone from 40 yards out. The keeper made the huge mistake of staying on her line. As Webster came into the area, she had almost the entire net at which to shoot.She pulled the trigger on the shot at about 6 yards out and tucked it in the low right corner. This was her 20th goal of the season, and it made the score Spartans 4, Williams 0. At the 67th minute, there was some worry on the St. Mary’s sideline. Keeper Megan Brickley was kicked in the hand during one of Williams’ infrequent attacks on the Spartan end. Most attacks never got to Brickley as the Spartan defenders – sweeper Stephanie Mowry. Mikaela Donovan, Briana Marotta and Louise Sheehan – broke up almost every attack. St. Mary’s finished up the scoring with 2 minutes to go in the game. Webster’s through ball finally found everyone on-side. Molly Carey picked up the perfect through ball pass and beat the keeper from 12 yards out to make the final score St. Mary’s 5, Archbishop Williams 0.Coakley had praise for the Spartans and also for her own team, saying, “We played very well, considering we only had 3 subs. St Mary’s played very well and should do well in the tourney.”Williams ends the season with a game against Coyle- Cassidy of Taunton.Foley felt much better, as his charges turned their game around 180 degrees. He said, “We needed this win. We still have two games left, a make-up game and a non-league game. We will be ready for the tourney.”