LYNN — The No. 7 St. Mary’s Spartans opened their Division 3 postseason journey with a 1-0 win against No. 26 Medway at Manning Field. The win propelled St. Mary’s to the Round of 16.
With less than 18 minutes remaining in the first half, the Spartans found the goal they were looking for. Freshman defender Noah Woodworth showed he could do more than defend. Woodworth fired in a free kick and the delivery was picture-perfect as Thomas Weber got to it and backheeled the ball into the net.
“That was Tommy’s first goal of the year and what a time for him to score it,” said first-year St. Mary’s coach Dan Garcia. “We worked on set pieces all day yesterday and that finish was just cheeky. It was a class finish. It’s nice to see Tommy get a goal. It’s good to see someone get a goal if our front three aren’t finishing.”
The Spartans went into the break with a 1-0 cushion.
In the second half, St. Mary’s continued to control possession, but couldn’t find that all-important insurance goal. Medway had its moments, but the Spartans’ defense was too much.
“We have Cian (LeVasseur) in net, who’s a CCL (Catholic Central League) All-Star and CCL Defensive Player of the Year. I think that was his 10th or 11th clean sheet of the year. He’s been stellar for us week in and week out,” Garcia said. “We have one senior on our backline, two sophomores, and one freshman – they’re lights out. You can see they’re not just focused on defense; they can play the ball out from the back and they have a ton of chemistry.”
Garcia knew Medway would be a tough opponent, but had the utmost confidence in his squad.
“I think we knew Medway would come in here and fight us hard. However, I know if I have a guy in blue on that field with a St. Mary’s shirt, he’s going to be a dog. I know we have dogs on the field and they know what it’s going to take,” Garcia said. “Sometimes, the finishes aren’t there, but the hard work and the mentality will always be there.”
The Spartans kept Medway off the scoreboard, but Garcia knows his team needs to be more clinical in front of the net as the bracket tightens.
“To win a state championship, we’re going to have to score more than one a game, but it helps when the other team’s column says zero. I know we’re capable of locking it down, but I want to see more goals from this team,” Garcia said. “We’ll review the film and show the guys the chances they had. They just need to deliver when the chances arrive.”
Medway’s best chance came in the final five minutes. A free kick swung in and there were three Mustangs lining up to head the ball in. An equalizer could’ve been celebrated, but LeVasseur, who came out of his net to punch the ball clear, ensured a home-team victory.
“All game, the back four kept Medway away from our net. Cian didn’t see much action, but when the moment is the biggest, we know we can rely on him to make the save,” Garcia said.
St. Mary’s (13-2-4) will host the winner of No. 10 Holliston/No. 23 Greater Lowell Tech. Those two teams kick off on Wednesday. The winner will travel to Manning Field on Saturday for a 1 p.m. showdown.
