Natick Keeps Milton Girls Soccer Winless

The combination of Haley Reddish and Katy Biagi were simply too much for the Milton High girls soccer team to handle. Reddish led the way, recording two goals and Biagi added two assists as Natick handed the Wildcats a 4-1 defeat in Thursday's Bay State League girls soccer matchup at Brooks Field. With the loss, the Wildcats remained winless at 0-3-1 overall.

Prior to the loss to Natick, the Wildcats suffered a pair of defeats to Brookline (3-1) and Braintree (6-0) while registering a 2-2 tie with Norwood.

"We're a young team and we've been bitten by injuries,'' said coach Brian Brode. "This is pretty much a rebuilding year for us, but the girls have come out ready to play, and unfortunately, we haven't been able to get the results that we've wanted. (Natick) is a strong team. They have a very experienced team with a lot of seniors and they won the balls, and they play with a lot of organization."

From the opening whistle, the Red and Blue controlled the pace of the game. Led by Biagi and Mai Mitsuyama, several scoring chances were created in the offensive zone. With only 6:27 elapsed in the first half, the Red and Blue struck first as Reddish delivered with her first goal of the contest. Off a cross from Biagi, Reddish drove down the left side of the field, and knocked in a shot that escaped Wildcat freshman goalkeeper Juliann Cosetta for the 1-0 lead.

"We have a freshman goalie, and she's going through a learning curve,'' said Brode. "She's made some great saves for us, but it's quite a jump for a freshman to play at the varsity level. She's got great potential and she's really working hard for us."

As the Red and Blue continued to create scoring opportunities, the Wildcat defensive unit of Samantha Brennan and Nicole Cremmen weathered the storm, thwarting off multiple odd player rushes throughout the first half.

With a 1-0 lead in hand, the Red and Blue struck again at the 27:00 mark. Taylor Natarelli driving around a pair of Wildcat defenders, dished off a pass to a streaking Reddish. Reddish broke free and unloaded a shot past a diving Cosetta for the 2-0 lead.

Less than seven minutes later, the Red and Blue added a key insurance goal while grabbing a commanding 3-0 edge. Mitsayuma, dominating the middle of the field, sent a through ball to Biagi. Biagi outfoxed a pair of Wildcat defenders and tucked in a low shot past a stunned Cosetta with 6:12 remaining.

"They came out with a lot of explosiveness,'' said Brode. "They continued to attack and attack, and eventually they were able to capitalize. We looked a little disorganized at times, and we still have a lot of work to do."

Early in the second half, the Wildcats established a counterattack and managed to close the gap within 3-1. Awarded a direct kick, senior Erin Feeney launched a shot from the right side that eluded Red and Blue goalkeeper Holly Lanchantin far corner at the 46^th minute.

"We came out strong in the second half, and we were able to pressure the ball downfield and create some opportunities,'' said Brode. "It was a tough first half, but we were able to improve in the second half and in the last (40) minutes, it was a 1-1 game. It was a nice (goal) by (Feeney) and she's our leading scorer with three goals and an assist.)

Any hopes of momentum for the Wildcats would quickly fall by the wayside as the Red and Blue retaliated just six minutes later. Off a cross from Mitsuyama, Allie Berkman unloaded a shot that eluded Cosetta into the far corner of the net, increasing the lead to 4-1 at the 52^nd minute.

Throughout the second half, the Wildcats continued to pressure the offensive zone, creating three direct kick opportunities, but Feeney landed several shots from the 18-yard line high over the cross bar.

"We came out and played a lot better in the second half,'' said Brode. "Our defense looked better, and we fought hard until the end. The girls kept battling out there and they never gave up."

The Wildcats will enjoy some time off before returning to action on Wednesday night against Newton North.