Hingham Battles Plymouth South to a 1-1 Tie

Honors were shared at Hingham High School Friday as the girls varsity soccer team battled to a 1-1 draw against the visitors from Plymouth South.

It was Hingham’s second game of the season and after victory in their first match, the girls would have been hoping to secure another win against a new-look Plymouth South side that had graduated eight of their regular starters last year.

In the first half, both teams were competitive but Hingham had the upper edge keeping Plymouth South's goalkeeper Kathryn Hoar as the busier of the two keepers. But in the second, the away team took the lead in the 62 minute. A disputed free-kick for a handball on the edge of the Hingham penalty area was taken by Plymouth's Amanda Cormier-Shean and it sailed over the hands of Hingham goalkeeper Katelyn Salerno, sparking wild celebrations on the Plymouth bench.

The lead was short-lived, as three minutes later a hopeful punt upfield from Hingham's Abby Phelan evaded the Plymouth defense, including the keeper, and dropped just under the crossbar to level the match. 

Hingham's Julia Leahy continued to push forward for the win but she was denied by the Plymouth defender. A succession of corners by Plymouth in the last 90 seconds saw the ball flash across the penalty area but there was nobody there to steer the ball in for what would have been an unlikely victory.  

Although Hingham had the majority of chances and possession, the tie was a fair result and both coaches seemed satisfied with the final score.

Ryan Puntiri, Hingham Head Coach, felt that his team did a lot of things right but too often he seemed a frustrated figure on the sidelines.

“We got a lot of chances which means that you are doing something good,” he said. “But we’ve got to work on finishing.”

Despite being only the second game of the season for Hingham, Puntiri knows that there is room for improvement.

“We need to get better but I think we will get better,"  he said. “I was pleased, it wasn’t the result I would have taken but it’s better than a loss.”

David Costa, Head Coach of Plymouth South, acknowledged that his inexperienced team had been in a physical game at times but he was happy to leave Hingham with a point.

“Hingham was probably the better team today,” he said. “But we held on, got some good plays, some luck with the posts, but we’ll take it.”