The Coventry Oakers girls soccer team headed into the playoffs on Friday afternoon at Cranston Stadium not playing their best soccer. They had only scored two goals in their last five games, and matched up against Cranston West, who ended the season with two straight victories. The Falcons dominated possession throughout the game and won it 1-0. They move on to face LaSalle on Monday afternoon in the second round of the playoffs.
In the 15th minute of the game, West came inches away from netting the first goal. Junior Leanna Ly gave senior Ariana Stanton a perfect through ball and Stanton's sliding shot just missed the far post.
The Oakers were able to create a few scoring opportunities in the first half, but were unable to capitalize on them. Cranston West possessed the ball for longer periods of time and had more chances to take the lead. However, heading into halftime, the score remained deadlocked at 0.
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In the second half, the Falcons goalkeeper, senior Danielle St. Pierre, did not have much to do. West controlled the action and the pace of the game by maintaining a huge ball possession edge for the entire second half.
With 27 minutes left in the game, the Falcons finally converted on a scoring opportunity. Stanton took the corner kick and Ly's header found the back of the net.
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A pair of freshmen strikers each had a forward's dream and came close to upping West's lead. Sisters Eleni and Nicole Grammas each had a breakaway, a one on one opportunity with only the goalie to beat.
Eleni's opportunity came with 14 minutes left and the Oakers senior keeper, Gianna Palermo, made a brilliant save to keep her team in the game. Nicole's breakaway came with about eight minutes left and she placed it perfectly, to the far post, but it just missed.
The two sisters have both improved throughout the season and are key contributors on the Falcons team.
"They went from Under 14, to Under 18 in a day, and they are more physical now and have improved throughout the season," Charles Pearson, West's coach, said.
The Falcons held on for the 1-0 victory and have now won three consecutive games. They face off against unbeaten LaSalle on Monday afternoon in the second round of the playoffs. The Rams have only allowed 16 goals in their 18 games this season.
"Even though we missed a bunch of opportunities, it is good that my girls did not get frustrated," Pearson added.
"I am very pleased with the result and I am looking forward to playing LaSalle," he said.
Coventry's coach, Chris Daigneault, was pleased with his team's performance and talked about the senior class. "I am proud of these girls, especially the seniors because they put the program in the right direction," he said.
