WOBURN — Bragging rights. For all the marbles. May the best team win. However you wanted to say it, Tuesday night was all about the stakes.
And in the end, a highly-anticipated semifinal matchup in Division 1 saw No. 8 Saint John’s Shrewsbury stun No. 4 St. John’s Prep, 3-2, at Woburn Memorial High School.
Shrewsbury punched its state final ticket (TBD), while The Prep checked out with a strong record of 16-2-4.
“It’s been a great season,” said Prep coach David Crowell. “Our seniors have been awesome. It’s just tough to go out this way, but they are a great team.”
In an action-packed, highly-physical first half, Shrewsbury struck first as Seta Tah took one himself and deflected the ball into the net for a 1-0 cushion.
“We played well and had our chances,” Crowell said. “They just played a little bit better.”
But good teams don’t run – they respond. The Prep did exactly that when Garrison Murphy equalized on a solo effort. The goal-scorer’s touch was on full display, and the game was knotted, 1-1, with 10 minutes remaining in the first half.
The score stayed that way through the break, but it was all Shrewsbury in the second half. It pulled away with a pair of goals to put the pressure on.
William Baltas controlled a long ball from his teammate and put on the moves to put one in the back of the net (2-1). From there, Daniel Cristo danced around a few Prep defenders and put another in (3-1).
Call it a commanding two-goal lead.
“We gave up some bad goals tonight that hurt us overall, but I liked our effort and we were right in it until the end,” Crowell said.
With The Prep in need of a spark, it quickly drew a penalty kick. James Minor gave the Eagles hope with their second goal of the night (3-2).
“It’s always a great game between us,” Crowell said. “It always comes down to a goal – back and forth – and it has for years.”
Despite the goal to cut Shrewsbury’s lead in half, a late push from The Prep wasn’t enough. The Eagles saw their state championship quest come to an end. They defeated No. 29 Acton-Boxborough, No. 13 Framingham, and No. 5 Concord-Carlisle in their tournament run.
Owen Finn is a student at Endicott College studying journalism
