LYNN — Entering Thursday evening, the No. 41 Revere Patriots were 2-0 at Manning Field. That said, the No. 24 St. Mary’s Spartans had the stronger ranking, and Thursday, the stronger game.
In the 7-1 final, Jim Foley’s squad had the flexibility to force mismatches and exploit Revere’s weaknesses. For example, his two wingers and one striker constantly switched positions – not only showing a different look, but confusing the defense.
“We’re tough to beat when we’re able to switch up and move people around. They can play on different sides of the field and [that] makes it difficult because you get scoring from different spots from Sophie (Skabeikis) and Brooke (Moloney),” Foley said. “Then, you can put Georgia (Allaire) up there to give a different look while having Cierra (Johnson) in the middle. We even have Bella (Owumi). When she comes in, she adds another threat; she’s another phenomenal player.”
A player who thrives in Foley’s system is Brooke Moloney (goal, 3 assists). She assisted the opening goal with a perfectly-weighted through ball to Sophie Skabeikis, who fired it in to make it 1-0 four minutes into the tournament.
“She (Moloney) just brings that type of play no matter what. That’s the type of person she is. I’ve known her for a long time. She’s just a phenomenal player and a great person,” Foley said. “When she possesses the ball, she doesn’t stop. She’s like the energizer bunny; she just keeps going.”
Revere answered back, tying the game 1-1 on a perfect free kick from Ari Pina, who shot the ball over St. Mary’s wall and beneath the crossbar with 22:10 remaining in the first half.
After that Revere strike, the Spartans’ midfield and defense upped the intensity. Every time the Patriots got the ball, they were immediately surrounded by multiple Spartans.
The midfield of Johnson, Isabelle Skabeikis, and Allaire made sure Revere didn’t sneak by.
Speaking of Isabelle Skabeikis – playing as the defensive midfielder – she stopped nearly every Revere counter. From her strong tackles to silky footwork, she drew praise from Foley.
“Isabelle is a phenomenal player. She’s able to control the middle of the field,” Foley said. “She’s done it all year for us. We can control the game when we work as a group.”
The Spartans led 3-1 at halftime thanks to two goals from sniper Owumi.
“I think everyone was a little nervous to start,” Foley said. “In the first game of the tournament, it doesn’t matter who you play. You get jitters because you realize it’s not the regular season. You realize that if you lose, you’re out. I think once we settled down and just possessed the ball and used our skill, I think that was the key.”
In the second half, the Spartans sparkled. Moloney, Allaire, Johnson, and Sophie Skabeikis were all on target.
It was showtime, too. Skabeikis drew applause from the crowd when she nutmegged her defender before firing a rocket into the back of the net from 18 yards out.
The No. 24 Spartans look to keep the scoring going when they travel to No. 9 Danvers on Saturday for a 2 p.m. showdown.
“They’re a good team. They have one of the best players in the state in Georgia Prouty (Boston University commit),” Foley said. “She’s tough to defend, but we’re in the postseason and anything can happen.”
