Mercy Shows None In Defeating NW Catholic For State Girls Soccer Title

HARTFORD, CT — In a game much closer than a typical #3 seed versus a #13, higher-seeded Mercy High School out of Middletown captured a second straight state championship Saturday evening.

Led by a brace from super sophomore Laney Smith, they did so defeating West Hartford's Northwest Catholic High School, 3-1, for the CIAC Class M championship.

Catholic was ranked #13 and saw its improbable run to playing for a championship end on the chilly turf of Trinity Health Stadium in Hartford.

Smith slotted in a game-winning goal at close range past Northwest Catholic goalkeeper Abigail Casper.

The goal ended a long stalemate, with Smith receiving the ball in front of the net and quickly turning to break the tie.

A few minutes later, Smith iced the game with 12 minutes, 21 seconds left with a breakaway goal that saw her run past Catholic defenders, giving Mercy a 3-1 lead.

After the game, Smith said she was hopeful for more opportunities to be the hero.

"It's only my sophomore year, so there's a lot more chances," she said.

Smith nearly had a had trick, with a late-game goal nearly happening when she made a run right at the goalkeeper.

"I tried my best, but the ball just got away," Smith said.

The home for Hartford Athletic pro soccer, the stadium formally known as Dillon Stadium Saturday evening served as championship central for Connecticut high school soccer.

Quickly, the underdog Lions showed no mercy on Mercy, causing some consternation for the favorite Tigers.

Scoring started with 28 minutes to go in first half as Northwest Catholic freshman Maeve Staunton calmly headed in a bouncing ball in front of Mercy's goal and past senior Mercy goalkeeper Melina Ford.

The opening salvo gave the West Hartford Catholic high school an early 1-0 lead.

A few minutes later, Mercy junior Kate Donlan fired a shot off the left post, past Casper and into the net, evening the game at 1-1.

That's the way it stayed until halftime, both sides evenly matched despite Catholic's underdog status.

The game settled into a back-and-forth stalemate, with each side probing into each others' defense, though the Lions spent a lot of time keeping Mercy's goalkeeper busy.

With about 22 minutes left in the second half, a long strike by Mercy hit the top of Catholic's crossbar and nearly bounced over the line, prompting some to wonder if it was, indeed, a goal.

It wasn't and play continued, Mercy eventually making up the disappointment with two goals shortly thereafter.

While Mercy won a year ago, NWC was the 2015 state champion.

From Nov. 17: 'CT Championship Previews: Soccer, Volleyball, Field Hockey, Swimming'