Mepham Girls Soccer Upset by Oceanside in Quarterfinals

The second-seeded Mepham Lady Pirates came close, but could not come back from a two-goal deficit and were defeated by the 10th-seeded Oceanside Sailors in Tuesday's Class AA quarterfinals game.

Oceanside senior captain Tina Pumo scored 11 minutes into the second half to give Oceanside a 1-0 lead and sophomore Kathryn Ryan scored 14 minutes later to double the lead.

Mepham sophomore Kelsey Simpson cut the lead in half with 12 minutes remaining after placing a tight shot past Oceanside goalie Jessica Kambic.

Simpson's goal created a ton of momentum for the Lady Pirates, but they could not capitalize and Oceanside walked away with the win.

Score: Oceanside 2, Mepham 1

Records: Oceanside 8-4-2; Mepham 14-2-0

Hero: Pumo was a constant threat up top for the Sailors and a few attempts, finally broke through in the second half. Oceanside midfielder Vanessa Corna placed a through ball into the box which Pumo chipped over the head of Mepham goalie Nicole Coveny.

"I knew [Pumo] was going to score, we knew that going in," Mepham head coach Jim McManus said after the loss. "She's very fast and she's their best player. "

Turning Point: While Pumo's goal put Oceanside ahead, it was Ryan's goal that took the Lady Pirates out of the game. After an Oceanside throw-in was deflected off of the Mepham crossbar, Ryan dove forward and headed the loose ball into an open net to give the Sailors a 2-0 lead with 15 minutes to play.

Quotable: "Soccer is a game, what's really important is that every one of these kids on my team are just really good individuals – the type of kids you would be proud to say, 'Hey, that's my daughter,' and that is what's really important," said McManus of the Lady Pirates. "They show a lot of class even when they lose. I'm just very, very proud of them."

Bottom Line: After going undefeated in Conference III and receiving a bye through the first round, Tuesday's game certainly did not work out how the Lady Pirates expected. Despite the loss, Mepham controlled most of the game, but just could not finish on their drives.

Mepham senior captains Jill Picinich, Cristina Olson and Safi and Sali Ayinde all had a solid game.

Picinich was called on time and time again to take the free kicks and placed several dangerous balls into the Oceanside box. She also nearly tied the game at 1-1 after her shot from 23 yards out ripped off of the crossbar with 22 minutes left.

"Eventually, you have to lose; that's the hardest thing in sports," McManus said. "…They did a good job all year round and what are you going to do? Sometimes you lose. It was 2-1, it was a close game, but that's what sports are all about – you can't win everything."

Key Stat: The Lady Pirates had not lost a game since Sept. 16.

Class AA Playoffs

Teams…………1……2 – F

Oceanside……0……2 – 2

Mepham….....0……1 – 1

Scoring

O - Pumo (Cornacchio)

O - Ryan (Margolis)

M - Simpson (Appel)