Wildcats Nearly Pull off Upset in Girls Soccer

Only mere inches separated the Milton High girls soccer team from delivering one of the Bay State Conferences' surprising upsets of the season.

Danielle Salans' game winning goal with 16:16 remaining in the second proved to be the difference as Needham handed the Wildcats a tough 2-1 defeat in Tuesday night's conference clash at Brooks Field.

With the loss, the Wildcats are officially eliminated from tournament contention, and fell to 1-8-2. Even in defeat, coach Brian Borde was more than pleased with his team's effort.

To commemorate the fight against breast cancer, the Wildcats donned pink jerseys and pink socks for their uniform attire.

"It was one of our best games of the season, and we did everything we were supposed to do except win the game,'' said Borde. "We played well on defense, in the midfield and on offense. (Needham) is having a great season and they're a tournament bound team. We had their backs to the wall, and we made them earn it."

Throughout the first half, the Wildcats controlled the flow of the game. In the opening minutes, senior captain Erin Feeney whisked through a pair of defenders and fired a shot from close range, but the shot sailed high over the cross bar.

Midway through the first half, the Wildcats nearly struck again for the early lead. Off a pass from the middle of the field by Feeney, Amy Maher sliced through a pair of Rocket defenders and unloaded a shot on net from just inside the box, but goalkeeper Victoria Tarabelli smothered the ball in the crease.

"I was very concerned about this game,'' said Rockets coach Carl Tarabelli, whose team improves to 6-2-2 overall. "Milton only has (one) win so far, but they played right with us and they never let their guard down. They have one of the best players in the conference in Erin Feeney. They kept fighting and fighting and they certainly put a scare in us."

In the closing minutes of the half, the Rockets engineered several quality chances on corner kicks.

Off a pass on the right side, Kathryn Rayner fired a shot directly in front of the goal crease, as Juliann Cosetta dove across the line and swatted the ball out of bounds.

"(Juliann) played a tremendous game for us,'' said Borde. "She's a freshman and for her to play at such a high level is very impressive. We put forth our best effort, and it definitely gives us a lot of hope and optimism moving forward."

Deadlocked at 0-0, the Wildcats continued to apply pressure in the offensive zone to open the second half. Off a pass from Jessica Sweeney, Feeney dodged through a pair of defenders and fired a shot that clanked off the far post. On the rebound, Feeney regained composure and unloaded a shot that pinballed off a defender and out of the zone.

After several quality scoring chances, the Wildcats grabbed a 1-0 lead with 22:00 remaining in the second half. Feeney, driving down the middle of the field, unloaded a shot from 25-yards out that sailed high over the outstretched arms of Tarabelli, top corner.

"It was a beautiful goal, and I was hoping we were able to continue to build the momentum,'' said Borde. "We had the lead, and we were looking to add to it, but unfortunately, it just didn't go our way."

Only 1:45 later, the lead would vanish as the Rockets quickly tied the contest. Off a corner kick, Kathryn Rayner spotted the loose ball in front of the crease, and tucked in a shot past a screened Cosetta, short side, with 20:15 remaining.

Only 3:59 later, the Rockets struck again for the 2-1 lead on a questionable goal. On another corner kick opportunity, Salans' fired a shot that Cosetta appeared to have stopped at the goal crease, but an official close to the play ruled that the ball had crossed the line for a goal.

"I didn't think it (ball) went in, but the (official) was there and he had a better view from it than I did,'' said Borde. "It was tough to see, but the girls gave it a great effort, and we just came up a little bit short."

In the closing minutes, the Wildcats created several chances as Feeney drove through a pair of defenders and unloaded a shot that sailed over the cross bar. With seconds remaining, Maher broke free and fired a shot that Tarabelli punched aside.

The Wildcats will regroup when they'll travel to face Natick on Thursday.