Mulholland Nets Two as MacArthur Moves on to Class AA Finals

Massapequa's girls soccer program has experienced a great deal of success over the previous few seasons. This year, though, they couldn't best MacArthur.

On Friday, for the third time this season, the No. 2 Lady Generals (14-2-0) topped the No. 3 Lady Chiefs (8-4-5). This 3-0 win was the biggest of all; it came in the semi-finals of the Class AA Championships. 

“Their effort is always great. They always play together, always play as a unit and always play hard,” said MacArthur head coach Lauren Gotta. “Our defense was stellar and they have kept us in games. That is going to anchor us to keep going.”

Right from the opening whistle, MacArthur hassled Massapequa's attack in their own end while simultaneously coming up with opportunities of their own. 14 minutes in, senior Jill Mulholland collected a loose ball off of a cross and chipped in her first goal for a 1-0 lead.

After another close call just before halftime, MacArthur held on to the steady one-goal advantage. Junior Christina Cottone doubled the lead when she took a through ball pass in the 47^th minute and shot past Massapequa keeper Emmalee Meyer.

Down by a 2-0 score, the Lady Chiefs nearly scored their first, but a key save by junior Jenna Cozza (3 saves) preserved the shutout. Immediately after the stop, Mulholland collected the ball after a series of passes and put in a breakaway goal, her second, for a decisive 3-0 lead.

The defensive unit, led by senior Amanda Cantos and junior Jenny Scro, limited Massapequa to just a handful of potential scoring chances on the day.

“We played tough and passed the ball around to feet and played like a team," said Mulholland. “Our defense did very well, caught them off sides and everyone just worked well overall.”

For Massapequa, the 2010 New York State champions, it was the third time the team fell to MacArthur this season, all by way of a shutout.

“I think we came across a team that was better than us,” said Massapequa head coach Bruce Stegner. “I thought it was a learning lesson and their quickness and tenacity were a challenge for us. At the end of the day, the were just the better team.”

The Lady Generals will have until Wednesday to prepare for the finals against No. 9 Calhoun, which defeated No. 4 Mepham by a 2-1 score in overtime on Friday night. The Lady Colts are currently an undefeated 16-0-2 on the season.

The game is set for Nov. 9 at 4 p.m. at the Denton Avenue Field in New Hyde Park.