Pope Francis girls soccer falls to Medfield in Div. III state semifinal

LEOMINSTER — The Cardinals’ state tournament run came to an end on Monday, but in reaching the Final Four for the first time, they’ve set a new standard of play at Pope Francis.

No. 4 Pope Francis girls soccer saw its longest postseason run in program history cut short by No. 1 Medfield, 5-1 in the MIAA Division III state tournament semifinal at Doyle Field.

The Cardinals under pressure early on, with the Warriors forcing a corner shortly after the kickoff. Morganne Kilmer lined up the corner from the right side and whipped in a wicked left-footed effort that swung high into the box and curled towards the back post. Kilmer’s shot dipped just in time to sneak into the left-side netting for a stunning Olimpico goal.

Trailing less than two minutes into the match, the Cardinals’ concerns quickly worsened as pressure rapidly mounted on their backline. The Warriors pressed for a second goal, but Eden Kornacki did well to keep Medfield at bay with some key stops, including a reflex save with her left-foot in the 16th minute.

But the respite did not last for long as Medfield got their second less barely 30 seconds later from Kilmer, doubling up on the back post with a well-placed finish.

Pope Francis struggled mightily to get forward in the opening half. Between Medfield’s airtight defense and having to play into heavy winds the entire first half, the Cardinals could not find their rhythm on offense. With occasional gusts exceeding 30 miles per hour, long passes were falling well short of their targets and the Warriors were quick to cut out the slightest loose pass or touch.

Kornacki made save after save to keep her side afloat, finishing the match with 12 saves. But the Cardinals unraveled just before halftime when the Warriors struck with back-to-back goals, doubling their advantage in less than a minute. Sidney Heavey registered Medfield’s third in the 37th minute, while Devon Weafer added the Warriors’ fourth in the 38th.

The Warriors tacked on another early in the second half by Elizabeth George from a shot inside the box in the 50th minute.

But all-in-all, the Cardinals responded well in the second half and their improved play soon beared fruit. After Chelsea Brennan’s initial shot from distance hit the crossbar and the right-side post, Ali Soja knocked the ball in to put the Cardinals on the board in the 55th minute.

With the wind in their favor, the Cardinals were markedly better at getting the ball up the field, but the Warriors’ prowess was simply too much to overcome. Pope Francis did well to create a few chances late in the match, but the Warriors missed out on a handful of chances of their own down the stretch and deservedly took home the victory.

Pope Francis ends its season with a 12-4-7 record in the Cardinals’ first season in the Coombs conference. The Cardinals lost their Western Mass. Class A crown to Longmeadow in the finals after a dramatic penalty shootout.

But as Pope Francis girls soccer coach Brent Dillard reiterated to his team after Monday’s match, reaching this semifinal match is an accomplishment in itself and a major step forward for the program.

“We’ve made history this year,” Dillard said. “Very proud of that. When you look back at August, we saw players that were leaving the program and the players coming in worked really hard. I think the one thing that we really took out of this is that they listened, they learned and they grew throughout the season.

“The team that we had in August-September is totally different than what we had now because the relationship that all the players built with each other made them grow like a family to get us to this point.”

The Cardinals will graduate three seniors this spring in Ella Braccialarghe, Kornacki and Maeve Turmel.

“I’m proud of us, our seniors have worked really hard for this,” Turmel said. “We’ve got to the Elite 8 the last two years, finally break into the Final Four. It was our first time here, it’s a learning experience. We’re young and I hope the young kids learned from this and build momentum for the following years.

“You got to love it. It’s all about the passion. We show up everyday for practice and that’s not easy. We go from seven hours at school to practice and stay focused, but enjoy it. These are your best friends you’re going to make, you go to school with them and then you have fun with them.”

Medfield (21-1) advances to the Div. III state final, where the Warriors are set for a rematch with No. 2 Nipmuc Reg.

Medfield girls soccer coach Melinda Lohan emphasized how “proud” she was of her team in fighting to get back to this stage, with last year’s finals appearance being the program’s first since winning the state title in 2012.

“I think the ones who were there last year, many of them have been a part of varsity state championship teams before for other sports, in basketball and lacrosse,” Lohan said. “So many of them know what it takes, but for soccer specifically, for them to have had a loss (like we did) against Bishop Feehan, to be that close against such a top-ranked, Division I team, to know that this team is capable of, has definitely driven us.”

Lohan emphasized the marked difference she saw in her team’s approach to games and practices following the Warriors’ 2-1 loss to Bishop Feehan on Sept. 13 in their fifth game of the season.

“I think that they just didn’t want to ever feel that again,” Lohan said. “That was a really challenging games for us (and) to have been with Bishop Feehan in that game, where in previous years, they’ve kind of crushed us.

“To be hanging with them, to be able to play with them and (ultimately) have that feeling of a loss, it was something they decided they didn’t want to feel again.”