[VIDEO] Mariners Stay Perfect, Batter Bolts 9-2

MIDDLETOWN – On Sept. 20, Narragansett girls’ soccer clung to a precarious second half lead to beat Cranston East 2-1, in the fourth Division III game for the Mariners and the fifth for the Thunderbolts.

Suffice to say, Friday night’s Division III semifinals at Gaudet Middle School played out a bit differently.

Narragansett scored twice in the first eight minutes, four times in the first 19 minutes, and led 8-1 at the half. Playing reserves and junior varsity players for much of the final 40, the Mariners won 9-2.

Mariners’ head coach Kathryn Mahoney said she didn’t have many comments for her team at the half.

“I truly think that first half was the best half of soccer I’ve seen since I’ve been coaching, so I couldn’t be happier,” she said. “They played exceptionally well. For whatever reason, everything was clicking.”

Two plays stood out. On the Mariners’ first goal, freshman Chelsea Sahagian threaded a perfect pass through two defenders to junior Carla Porras, who put the shot in the net easily. (See video for this and several other goals.)

“When we all work together and play like we know we can play, it’s a pretty style of soccer,” Mahoney said.

Porras added another goal about 16 seconds later, on a breakaway. However, her third and final goal was the cap of the day.

At 33:15, senior Jackie Iannucci got the ball to Porras in front of the net. Porras dribbled through a defender, and while stumbling to beat another, beat the goal for her third goal.

“That was one of the prettiest moves I’ve seen in women’s soccer,” Mahoney said, adding that while Porras did have incredible foot skills, there was something beyond that in her game.

“She just has a knack for being in the right place at the right time and anticipating the play, and that’s something you can’t coach. You either have it or you don’t, and she most definitely has it.”

Cranston East never got in sync, and the final score was deceptive to starting goalkeeper Olivia Tagliaferri. She was one of the few Thunderbolts to play well, with several sprawling saves, but she was abandoned by a defense that couldn’t keep up with speedy Narragansett forwards.

Thunderbolts’ head coach Lauren Tomasso said she couldn’t explain her team’s performance.

“I think they came out flat-footed,” she said, adding that she didn’t know why. “I really don’t know. Honestly, I was thinking about it all game.”

While she said it didn’t excuse their performance, she noted that the rain delay and the move from Cranston Stadium to Gaudet probably didn’t help.

“We couldn’t practice [Thursday] because the gym was being used,” she said. “I think they were nervous … I kept trying to tell them to stay composed and to play their game.”

With the win, the Mariners will play Middletown in the Division III championship 4 p.m. Sunday at Rhode Island College. It is a rematch of last year’s final, which .

However, Mahoney said it wouldn’t effect how her or her team prepared.

“All season long, we’ve had to take care of what we have to take care of, and not worry about the opponent,” she said.

If the Mariners win, they will finish the Division III season a perfect 19-0. Mahoney said the game is something her team has been determined to win since the start of the season.

“All season, this is truly what they’ve been working toward,” she said. “I think they know they’re getting closer and closer to that goal we’ve set. It’s great to have a team as self-motivated as this group.”

For a rundown of Middletown’s Friday game against West Warwick, click .