MEDFIELD — The No. 16 Saugus girls soccer team traveled to face No. 1 Medfield and battled to the very end, coming up short in a 1-0 final.
The Sachems, 15-4-1, who have impressed all season long, left a lasting impression as underdogs.
“I don’t mind defending,” said Saugus coach Chris Coviello. “They just put the ball in the back of the net once, and we couldn’t.”
Medfield started the game strong, trying to put the visitors away early, but Saugus never wavered.
One player who stuck out in particular was Saugus goalkeeper Tori Carter, who made eight first-half saves and 13 in total.
When asked about her performance, Coviello sang his praise.
“Oh my god. She was unbelievable,” he said. “We leaned on her a lot tonight. She was amazing.”
From deep free kicks to denying one-on-one chances, Carter was on a mission to keep her clean sheet.
“They had a lot of outside shots from 25-35 yards out and Tori did a great job of claiming them,” Coviello said.
Attack after attack, the Warriors had no answer for the brilliant shot-stopper. Both teams went into halftime scoreless.
In the second half, a miscommunication within Saugus’ defense gave Medfield a corner. The ball was swung into the box and the Sachems failed to clear. It fell to a Warrior who poked it home, giving the hosts a 1-0 lead four minutes into the second half.
“When you defend a lot, bad things usually happen – and they did,” Coviello said. “They’re quick and skilled. They’re the No. 1 seed for a reason.”
Despite defending the majority of the game, Saugus raised its level. The Sachems tried to feed Madison Botta – whose holdup game was superb – alongside Madi Femino in transition.
“Their motors are always running,” Coviello said of his forwards.
From defenders all the way up to attackers, the Sachems were locked in, trying to do the unthinkable and take down Medfield.
Late in extra time, Femino received a one-on-one opportunity against Medfield’s goalie, but a passed ball was a tad too far in front of her, allowing the goalie to clear away the danger.
Coviello spoke highly of his senior group. Despite losing seven of them, it provides opportunity, according to the Saugus coach.
“All of them are four-year varsity players,” he said. “We’re going to miss them, but it also gives opportunities for other people to step up.”
And despite elimination, he couldn’t have been more proud.
“They played unbelievably,” Coviello said.
