The Somers High School girls' soccer season came to an end on Monday in Danbury, but not without a battle. Somers took on four-time defending Class S champion Immaculate on the turf and gave the Mustangs all they could handle, eventually falling 2-0.
Despite an early goal by Immaculate, Somers continued to frustrate the Mustangs throughout the first half, playing with five backs and three midfielders and bottling up the middle of the field. Junior Tori Laires and sophomore Sammy Percoski shut down Immaculate’s offense with senior co-captain Kylen O’Hearn chasing down any opponent who broke through. The half ended with the score 1-0 Immaculate.
Immaculate got a boost in the second half with the wind picking up and knocking down many of Somers’ clearing volleys. Spartan goalie Hailee Stetson made several sparkling saves and was clearly the best player on the field.
With about 25 minutes to go, Immaculate was awarded a direct kick from just outside the box and fired a shot on goal that Stetson appeared to pin against the post. However, the referee on the goal line said it crossed the line and gave Immaculate a huge second goal.
The Spartans continued to contest every ball and never let down. Led by O’Hearn and seniors Kathryn O’Connor and Kelsey Charette, Somers continuously thwarted Immaculate’s attempts to penetrate the 18. As the game clock wound down, Somers was still exhibiting solid defense with junior Julie Folger’s hard tackle on the sideline.
The Spartans ended the season with a disappointing 7-8-3 record according to Coach Mike Pantuosco but he said the record does not indicate the strides the Spartans made in becoming a better team.
With eight of the starting 11 returning and only four seniors leaving, Somers should be in position to improve on their record and compete in the NCCC next season.
