d Aztecs Burned by Inferno

Aztecs Burned by Inferno

Lancaster Knocks Previously Undefeated Boston out of WPSL Playoffs

By Mark Goodman

July 19, 2009

AMESBURY, Mass. -- The best season in the Boston Aztecs women�s team history came to an abrupt end Saturday night with a 3-1 loss to the Lancaster Inferno in the WPSL East quarterfinals.

Rebekah Splaine

Rebekah Splaine and the Aztecs finish the season with a 9-1-1 record. (Photo courtesy of WPSL)

The Aztecs (9-1-1) certainly had the majority of possession and quality chances on goal, but the visiting Inferno (8-1-2) took better advantage of theirs and got some great saves from keeper Joy Shaiebly to come away with the win.

�I have to hand it to Lancaster - they came to play - but this wasn�t a 3-1 game,� said Aztec player/coach Meotis Erikson. �I felt like, for a lot of the game, we dominated and we had lots of great opportunities. To [Lancaster�s] credit, they put theirs away.�

Erikson scored in the 73rd minute to cut Lancaster�s lead to 2-1 after the Inferno got goals from Erin Hench (49th minute) and Emily Peters (72nd minute). The Aztecs threw everything forward in the closing minutes, and nearly equalized in the 88th minute.

Midfielder Carol Tognetti sent a free kick into the six-yard box, where Rebekah Splaine eventually got a head on it. Shaiebly made the save, and then recovered in time to stop Erikson on the rebound from point-blank range.

In the first minute of injury time, Marisha Schumacher-Hodge had a volley off a corner kick cleared off the line by an Inferno defender.

Just seconds before the final whistle, Lancaster scored with Boston keeper Ashley Phillips scrambling back after trying to assist in attack.

The Aztecs controlled the first half, forcing Shaiebly into six saves, none more impressive than a leaping stop to tip the ball over the bar on a 20-yard corker from Boston�s Courtney Sobrero 20 minutes in.

The bulk of Lancaster�s attack in the first 45 minutes came in the form of long balls over the top, but central defenders Alena Thom and Brooke O�Hanley handled them well. Right back Kristen Habenicht also had a strong game, making a couple good tackles near the Aztecs� area.

�I think we dominated the first half; their keeper came up with some big-time saves and we just didn�t put our chances away,� Erikson said. �That happens. I would love to see the shot ratio; it seems like they had maybe four or five shots and they put three of them away.�

With the Aztecs� affiliation with the Boston Breakers, the team has had multiple players from the WPS side available for each game during the regular season. That didn�t happen Saturday night, as the Breakers called up everybody to make the trip to California to take on FC Gold Pride due to seven players being away on national team duty. Phillips was the only Breaker to suit up for the Aztecs.

Erikson said after the game that the relationship between the two teams has worked both ways this season.

�I think what a lot of people don�t know is two of our Aztec roster players, Sophia Mundy and [Mary-Frances Monroe signed with the Breakers],� Erikson said. �If you have an MF and a Sophia Mundy, those are two game-changing players�Yeah, it was tough to play without those players, but I still think that we deserved to move on from this even without those players. I think that we�re a very good team.�

The Aztecs were also hit with an injury bug, as regulars Becca Brook, Jessica Cox and Jenna Giardina were out of action, leaving the team with just two substitutes on the bench.

�We had a lot of things working against us today, and I couldn�t be more proud of the girls,� Erikson said. �We could�ve easily rolled over and died after they scored those two goals. I�m really proud of them, and I think that while we�re ending on a very sour note, I think overall it�s been a fantastic season.�

Mark Goodman can be reached at newsdesk@soccernewengland.com.