Mystic Valley Girl’s Soccer Team Bests Malden Catholic, 3-4

By Emily Brennan

The Mystic Valley Girls’ Soccer Team defeated Malden Catholic, 3-4, on Thursday afternoon under cloudy skies and constant rain.

Junior midfielder Lucia Antonucci once again got the Eagles on the board first after burying a low, hard shot into the net. Just a few minutes later, Mystic Valley struck again when Antonucci intercepted a Malden Catholic clearing attempt and took the opportunity to curl a shot into the top corner of the net. The Lancers answered with relentless offensive pressure and numerous scoring chances but could not convert, giving the Eagles a cushioned 2-0 lead at the break.

At the start of the second half, the momentum shifted. Katie Guo and Antonucci both had opportunities to score in the opening minutes, but then Malden Catholic mounted its first serious attack on the Eagles’ defense. The fruits of their labor paid off as the Lancers stepped up and found the back of the net for their first goal of the match.

Malden Catholic doubled their advantage minutes later with a low shot past goalkeeper Emily DeLeire, courtesy of the same duo that built their first goal. At this point, the Lancers were in complete control – dominating possession and logging shot after shot. Mystic Valley fought hard to recover but found themselves trailing further when the Lancers added a third goal.

Desperately needing to cut into the deficit, the Eagles’ defense looked incredibly uncomfortable, and the offense struggled to attack. MV turned up the pressure as the game went on, finally breaking through when Antonucci corralled a throw-in by Abby Ssewankambo that led to an unstoppable goal.

With total momentum now, the Eagles launched attacks wave after wave, but Malden Catholic’s defense stayed composed. However, a foul in the box resulted in a penalty kick for the Eagles. Antonucci stepped up to take the penalty, executing a precise shot that found the bottom corner of the net to lift the Mystic Valley girls’ soccer team past the Malden Catholic Lancers, 4-3. The win gives the Eagles an overall record of 6-1-1.

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