Heartbreaking State Semifinal Overtime Loss to Peabody Ends OA Girls' Soccer Season

This time, the Oliver Ames girls’ soccer team wasn’t as fortunate in its 2-1 overtime loss to north sectional champion Peabody in the Division 1 MIAA semifinals Tuesday night at Weymouth High School.

Just 2:48 into the extra session, Peabody’s 1-2 punch of Haley Dowd and Victoria Digiacomo combined for the Tanners’ overtime winner.

Dowd, who scored the game-tying goal early in the second half, fed her counterpart, Digiacomo, who slipped by the OA defense and slid her shot past senior goaltender Alexis Duffy-Protentis to send unbeaten Peabody (20-0-2 overall) to the MIAA state title game this weekend.

“We were very fortunate to put that one away at the end,” Peabody coach Dennis Desroches said. “Victoria and Haley have been coming through for us all year long. They’ve worked so well together and that combination up front is awesome. We were very fortunate to put that one away.”

In its overtime win over previously unbeaten Bishop Feehan in the south sectional semis last Friday, the top ranked Shamrocks seemed to have taken the momentum over in the second half, but the Tigers dug deep and earned the victory.

Although they were unlucky this time around, OA coach Britt Sellmayer was pleased with his team’s effort.

“I’m very pleased,” Sellmayer said. “I’m very pleased that they hung in there with one of the best teams in the state and with how well they ran tonight.”

OA certainly had its chances throughout and generated momentum with Kristina Simonson’s first half goal at the 27th minute. The Lady Tigers were winning the first and second efforts and kept the momentum going shortly after.

Looking for an answer against the tough OA defense, Peabody got it quickly with Dowd’s seventh goal of the tournament just 4:04 into the second half.

Dowd’s goal came as a result of key halftime adjustments made by Desroches and his coaching staff.

“The most important thing [I told our team] was to keep the ball on the ground against this team,” said Desroches. “They have some big, tall girls over there who are strong and physical. Everything up in the air, they were winning.

“It was very important that we kept the ball on the ground and not allow them to win those 50-50’s. And we were able to do that.”

Both teams had opportunities to take the lead late in the second half. OA had several chances on corner kicks, while Peabody earned some chances on free kicks.

But solid defensive efforts from both sides, particularly from OA’s Clarissa Romero (playing her third straight game with a fractured nose), kept the game tied through the end of regulation.

“She was outstanding,” Sellmayer said about Romero. “She was playing with a fractured nose and to go toe-to-toe with one of the best players in Massachusetts [Dowd]…she did a great job. She did a great job for us all year.”

OA, the winners of this year’s south sectionals, ends its season with a record of 17-3-3.

“It was a great year for us,” said Sellmayer. “South sectional champs and taking Peabody to overtime…it was a great season. I’m very pleased.”

Peabody will face either Nashoba (winners of the central sectionals) or East Longmeadow (west sectional champions) in the Division 1 state championship this weekend.

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