Pilgrim JV falls in finals to Coventry

By Jacob Marrocco
Posted 11/3/15

The Pilgrim junior varsity girls’ soccer team’s second-half effort wasn’t enough as it fell 2-0 to Coventry in the state title game on the road.

The Pats were able to create some chances in …

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Pilgrim JV falls in finals to Coventry

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The Pilgrim junior varsity girls’ soccer team’s second-half effort wasn’t enough as it fell 2-0 to Coventry in the state title game on the road.

The Pats were able to create some chances in the Oaker zone after a slow start, but two goals in the final 16 minutes of the first half was all Coventry needed to win.

“Coventry’s a very good team, they’ve been good for the past couple years, we’ve been good for a couple years,” Pilgrim head coach Rich Marrese said. “To see them here, it was a good experience for these girls and they’ve got a bright future going for them.”

Natalie Furtado got the Oakers on the board first, dancing past a couple Pilgrim defenders in the box before firing a shot past goalkeeper Madison Dowling in the top left corner.

Pilgrim defender Harley LeClair had a corner kick soon after, but the ball sailed over a teammate’s head and out of bounds. She had a free kick shortly following the corner, but her shot went just right.

Victoria Jacques was able to give the Oakers some insurance with just more than eight minutes to go in the half when she also put the ball into the top left corner.

The Pats took a 2-0 deficit into the half, knowing the offense had to produce more chances.

“We didn’t play very well in the first half, [and] the girls knew it,” Marrese said. “We had to come out and give a better showing in the second half.”

They did just that. To open the second half, Alyssa Andrews had one of Pilgrim’s best shots of the day when she narrowly missed a goal, hitting the right post. Victoria O’Leary had an opportunity, as well as on the rebound when the goalkeeper couldn’t cover up the shot, but the ball went out of play.

“They showed what kind of team we are in the second half,” Marrese said. “Just for their talent and their attitude, they all had very positive attitudes throughout the whole game. They just had confidence in themselves. I told them they were a good team, regardless of how they played in the first half, they just had to move on and give me 35 minutes of hard work.”

LeClair took another corner kick with about 15 minutes to go and almost curved the shot into the net, but the ball hit the right post. Fatima Lynch-Smith gave the Pats its best and final attempt when her kick from just outside the box went off the goalkeeper’s hands for the save.

Despite the defeat, the future of Pilgrim girls’ soccer remains unquestionably bright. The varsity squad is in the semifinals again this season looking to retain its Division II crown, while the JV team is ripe with talent, including LeClair, Andrews and Lindsey Adams.

“We have a few freshmen that are just straight varsity right now and doing an excellent job,” Marrese said. “We got a large influx of very talented freshmen last year, we had a couple of sophomores who show a lot of promise. We have a very bright future between JV and varsity for next year. It’s looking good.”

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