St. Mary’s girls throttle Marian to advance

LYNN – The St. Mary?s girls soccer team took all of two minutes to warm up and then it was off to the races in a 9-1 win over Marian in Division 4 first round play Monday at Manning Field.
The Spartans (11-6-2) advanced to the quarterfinals where they?ll play Winthrop Thursday at 5 p.m. at Manning Field. The Vikings (8-9-2) are the 16th and final seed. They knocked off No. 1 seed Mt. Alvernia to earn a crack at the Spartans.
The Spartans scored 2:18 into the game and by the half, held a robust 5-0 lead. Temi Falayi got the first one, followed by freshman Mia Nikolakopoulos less than five minutes later. St. Mary?s kept its foot on the gas the rest of the first half with Taylor Capozzi making it 3-0. Kaylin Deschenes, Capozzi?s other half up front, scored the next two goals and it was pretty much over for the visiting Marian team.
The Spartans add four more goals in the second half courtesy of Sophia Holmes, Capozzi, freshman Marnelle Garraud and Jordan D?Orsi. Marian?s Antonia Fantasia spoiled the shutout with a goal midway through the second half that made the score 8-1.
?It was a good effort,” St. Mary?s coach Jim Foley said. “We came out and did what we had to do. This was the best we?ve looked in the first half in a long time.”
Capozzi and Deschenes have given the Spartans a pretty good one-two punch up front all season, but Foley was also happy to see some other players, like Nikolakopoulos and Holmes, get involved in the offense.
Capozzi, a junior, has 21 goals. She led the team in scoring last year with 10 goals.
?She kind of struggled because we struggled (as a team),” Foley said.
Foley said what makes Capozzi so effective is that she can score with either foot and she?s also content to be the one setting up a teammate.
?She?s just as happy getting the assist and when she gets a point blank shot, she makes it,” Foley said.
St. Mary?s dominated play all night with Marian not putting a shot on net until the second half.
Foley is expecting Winthrop to be tough on Thursday. The two teams met in the tournament two years ago and St. Mary?s won, 2-0. The Vikings were the 18th seed that year and came in with only four wins.
?They?re a tough, physical team,” Foley said. “They play in the Northeastern Conference South against teams like Danvers, Marblehead and Swampscott. I expect a good game.”