Girls’ Soccer Holds On In Early Season Showdown, 2-1

CRANSTON – The Narragansett High School girls’ soccer team used two goals from freshman Chelsea Sahagian on passes by senior Jackie Iannucci to beat Cranston East 2-1 on Monday afternoon in an early season matchup of undefeated teams.

The Mariners (5-1, 4-0 Division III) got on the scoreboard first, as Sahagian finally finished against the Thunderbolts (5-2, 4-1 Division III) on a run with 8:32 remaining in the first half.

She would add another goal in the game’s second half, with 26:07 remaining, in similar fashion. Both goals came after clear sprints to the goal, thanks to passes from Iannucci.

Up until that point, Sahagian had had a frustrating afternoon. In the first half, she had a goal negated by an offside call, two shots on goal saved, and two open looks sail past the far post.

“It was just my teammates encouraging me to try harder,” Sahagian said of the change that finally allowed her to score. (Those same teammates took great delight in getting the freshman to laugh during her first-ever post-game interview.)

Sahagian attributed her early varsity career success to her teammates, especially the strong midfield and defense behind her.

“Everybody is just helping out,” she said, adding that there are still aspects she wanted to improve in her game.

“I want to make my left foot stronger. [I have to] give 110 percent in games,” she said.

Although the Mariners looked to have the game in hand after Sahagian’s first two goals, they had to hold on for the win after a foul in a frantic final 17 minutes.

During the game, neither team was enamored with the officiating, but it most directly had an effect on the Mariners when it came to the scoreboard. In addition to the goal disallowed because of an offside call, Narragansett was also whistled for a foul in the box with 17:26 remaining.

Cranston East forward and senior Kelsy Evje capitalized on the ensuing penalty shot, burying it easily above the reach of Narragansett goalie Liz Castro.

The penalty shot seemed to snap the Thunderbolts out of their funk, as they began to aggressively go after balls and get shots on Castro, who finished with eight saves.

However, Cranston East never got that equalizer. Freshman Samantha Canales, a second half substitute at forward, had several chances at it, but saw her shots either deflected by Narragansett defenders or saved by Castro.

Cranston East head coach Lauren Tomasso said the intensity her team showed in the final 20 minutes was something they needed the entire game.

“It was nice to see a sense of urgency with them,” she said.

Mariner senior Emily Wright said her defensive unit knew that they would need to work hard to maintain the lead.

“It all changed when that goal happened, and we knew two goals wasn’t a safe lead against Cranston,” she said.

The captain said she tried to clam the team down, reminding them to make passes out of their end.

“Sometimes when we get frazzled, we just hit it,” she said.

Narragansett head coach Kathryn Mahoney said her team did its beat to not let the result of the penalty shot faze them.

“It was a change in momentum,” she said. “We have to absorb that change and play our game.”

Both Tomasso and Mahoney said that with the wildly differing talent levels in Division III, it can be tough to get ready for games.

“You can warn them all you want,” Tomasso said. “Even with my experienced players, it can matter. It isn’t easy.”

Mahoney said this is the first Division III game that her starters played the entire game. Normally, she works players in and out liberally, thanks to large first half cushions.

Coming into Monday’s game, the Mariners and Thunderbolts combined to outscore their Division III opponents 40-4 in six games.

Mahoney said she was glad to see her team get tested early in the season, especially the younger players without extensive experience.

“It was a close game, so I was happy we won,” she said. “We have a lot of new players in the midfield.”

Mahoney added that it seemed to take her team a bit of play to get used to the quicker pace on an artificial turf.

“The speed of play is so much different, especially on turf. It takes time to adjust,” she said. “We play a lot better when we play that way, with quick passes.”

With the undefeated showdown over, Narragansett has another soft patch to their schedule. The Mariners host Johnston (2-2-1, 2-2 Division III) at 4 p.m. Wednesday., the first of a string of seven games where the opposing team is, at best, .500 in Division III play.

In contrast, the Thunderbolts play at Middletown 6 p.m. Wednesday. The Islanders, last year’s Division III runner-up, have another strong squad this year – They are currently 4-0 in Division III play and scoring seven goals per game.