Edgett penalty kick lifts Fenwick girls

LYNN – Expecting the unexpected is typically a mutual mindset for whenever Catholic Central League rivals Bishop Fenwick and St. Mary’s get together and Wednesday afternoon’s girls soccer showdown explained why.View Photo GalleryLynn native Jackie Edgett’s successful penalty kick attempt 18:35 into the action would hold up, as the Crusader’s snapped the host’s seven game unbeaten streak with a 1-0 victory at Manning Field.”Fenwick is traditionally a great team and we gave them all we had today,” said Spartans coach Jim Foley whose squad went 6-0-1 following a season-opening loss to Classical. “This loss certainly wasn’t for a lack of effort.”Edgett’s golden opportunity came on the heels of a questionable ruling from the referee trailing the play who whistled senior defender, Madison Welch, for an elbowing infraction.Moments later, the visitor’s senior midfielder placed a low and unstoppable shot just inside the left post, beating senior Katie Donnelly (10 saves).”I don’t want to have sour grapes but when you lose on a penalty kick it is what it is,” lamented Foley. “There’s really nothing you can do about those kinds of calls but I give Edgett all the credit for capitalizing on it.”To assume that the aforementioned ruling gave Fenwick a win would be unwise however, as the visitors carried the play from start to finish, resulting in a 20-5 margin in chances.”It’s always a battle with St. Mary’s and today was really no different,” reflected Crusaders coach Karen Guillemette whose team improved to 5-1 overall and 4-1 in CCL play (St. Mary’s fell to 3-1-1 in the conference).”I thought we controlled the play for most of the game, especially in the second half, so to come away with a win feels especially nice.”In the final 40 minutes, the visitors racked up a 13-2 advantage, the best of the bunch, a short drive from Emily Charette that hit the cross bar at 22:40.Earlier in the half, a pair of Fenwick corner kicks preceded respective headers from Ellen Fantozzi and Danielle DelTorto, both of which found their way just over the crossbar.St. Mary’s never established a consistent pressure in either half; mustering just three shots that required saves from junior Merry Harrington.And yet, the Spartans were never fully out of it, nearly finding the equalizer with 11 minutes to go and then again in stoppage time.Taylor Capozzi generated the former of the chances with a spinning bid that Harrington scooped up before the goalkeeper made an alert read with time dwindling, pouncing on a loose ball following a cross from right to left.”Our defense played extremely well from the opening whistle and I thought Merry saved the day in the end,” said Guillemette. “It’s still early in the season and we were worn down towards the end but the girls dug deep.”