LEOMINSTER — Buoyed by its stellar senior class, the Longmeadow girls soccer team reached heights the program had never seen before this season.
The Lancers reached the MIAA Division II state championship game for the first time in program history, ultimately falling to top-seeded Duxbury, 3-1, in Saturday’s title game at Doyle Field.
It was the end to a historic season for a school cholk-full of athletic successes. Longmeadow has won state titles in boys soccer, field hockey, golf, and cross country. They’ve won Super Bowls in football. But prior to Saturday, the girls soccer team had never made it to a state final, and had only reached the state semis on one other occasion.
But this year’s team was special, and the Lancers won 17 games in total while capturing a Western Mass. Class A title along the way. They beat Eastern Mass. foes Silver Lake, North Quincy, Marblehead and King Philip in the state tourney, booking a ticket to Doyle Field.
The senior class of Ava Nuzzo, Rhaya Manning, Emersynn Cage, Gracie DiStefano, Cameron Greenman, Camryn Grodsky and Harper Ringbloom keyed the historic run, and head coach Gina Pantuosco lauded their efforts in raising the program to state finalist caliber.
“They set a tone and a level of standard for Longmeadow soccer that has never existed in the past,” said Pantuosco of her senior class. “So now all the grades coming up know that it’s attainable and they are the trailblazers and should be so proud of what they’ve done for this program. I mean, no one in Longmeadow history has done this. It speaks volumes for these guys.”
Longmeadow’s seniors said after Saturday’s loss that while winning is nice, they were largely inspired during the month of November with the goal of getting to spend more time together.
“It wasn’t winning and wanting to win that kept us moving forward. It was wanting to get one more chance to play with each other and again,” offered Nuzzo, the team’s starting goalkeeper who made 15 saves against Duxbury.
Manning, who had to shift back to anchor the defense after a late-season injury to Kilee Trajkovski forced her to miss the rest of the season, said the feeling of playing for each other resonated with this year’s club.
“We just wanted to keep our season going, keep playing with each other,” Manning said. “And the underclassmen bought in, for sure. They wanted this just as bad. And I think that was a key thing because once it like trickles down to the rest of the players, everyone’s in and it showed at practice and I think it showed today, too.”
DiStefano, who scored Longmeadow’s goal in the state final on Saturday, agreed.
“I think really being one as a team kind of helped get us here, too,” she said. “We all had each other’s backs no matter what.”
Greenman assisted on DiStefano’s goal, and the senior was one of the most dangerous attackers in Longmeadow’s lineup thanks to her impressive corner kicks that led to important goals throughout the season, and particularly in the state tournament run.
“I think it really showed that Western Mass. shouldn’t be so looked down upon,” Greenman said of the team’s march to the Div. II final. “I think it just proves that we can get here and that we’re good. I think we just got rid of a lot of stereotypes [about Western Mass. teams].”
The Lancers have plenty of talent that will step into larger roles next season, but this year’s senior class certainly left an indelible mark on what Longmeadow soccer is, and can be, moving forward.
If you purchase a product or register for an account through a link on our site, we may receive compensation. By using this site, you consent to our User Agreement and agree that your clicks, interactions, and personal information may be collected, recorded, and/or stored by us and social media and other third-party partners in accordance with our Privacy Policy.
