Randolph's GU18/19 team finished their season 5-0-2, good enough for first place in Division 2 Section A. The first place finish
earned them a playoff spot against Arlington, the third place finisher in Division 1. Winner of the game would get a wild card
berth in the Massachusetts Tournament of Champions at UMass/Amherst, June 22-24.
The team was believed to be capable of qualifying for MTOC by RYSA, as it was originally placed in Division 1. In some last minute shuffling
by the Boston Area Youth Soccer league(BAYS), Randolph was bumped from Division 1 in order to place a second Newton team in the division.
Newton places 80 teams into various BAYS age groups every spring, whereas Randolph generally enters about 12 teams. The top two GU18/19 Division 1
teams automatically go to MTOC, which this season ended up being both Newton teams. This year BAYS received an extra spot, resulting in the
Randolph-Arlington wild card playoff game held in Medfield on Wednesday, June 13.
Randolph jumped out to an early 2-0 lead. A few minutes into the game, Catherine Morrill and Cara Doherty fought with Arlington defenders at the
top of the box for possession, eventually resulting in a shot by Cara for the first goal. A few minutes later, Kayla Whynot advanced the ball down
the left sideline before sending a pass to the front of the net, which Jenna Mumme deposited into the net after a short scramble for the ball. The
lead stood up until a few minutes before the half, when an Arlington attacker was able to place a high, hard shot just beyond the reach of goalie
Victoria Fernandes.
Randolph sets up to defend a corner kick early in the first half
Just before the half it appeared Randolph had extended their lead, as a shot by Kayla Whynot struck the bottom of the cross bar. It appeared to
Randolph players that the goalie fielded the ball inside the net, but no goal was awarded. It was the lone item of contention in a well reffed,
cleanly played game.
Early in the second half Randolph did manage to extend their lead, as a pass from Cara Doherty sent Allison Levesque in on a breakaway. Allie put a
hard, well placed shot into the far corner of the net, making it 3-1. Minutes later, Shannon Rhinehart sent a pass from her position at left mid to
the far post. Allie Levesque didn't give up on the ball, reaching it just as it was about to cross the end line. She quickly redirected it to the
front of the net, where Jenna Mumme quickly scored her second goal for a 4-1 lead.
Allie Levesque on the attack in the second half
At this point the team changed from a 3-4-3 formation to a 4-3-3, moving Lauren Mahoney from a center mid position to stopper on the back line of Bonnie
Shaw, Leanne Rizzitano, and Kayla Creech. In order to have an additional forward, the team has played with only 3 defenders all year. To their credit,
the defense has never given up more than 2 goals in a game. With Arlington picking up the intensity in an attempt to get back into the game, this defensive
foursome was able to hold off the attack until Arlington netted their final goal with about 7 minutes remaining.
Randolph boxes in an Arlington attacker
The game moved along quickly, with no substitutions as each team arrived at the game with only 11 players. The regular season ended on Sunday, June 10 and
the game was then scheduled for the following Wednesday. With such a short notice, each team found players unable to rearrange work schedules or postpone
prior commitments. Randolph was missing midfielder Shannon Hogan, midfielder Pamela Butz, fullback Maureen Gallant and forward/midfielder/defender/backup
goalie Casey Rhinehart. Randolph should be able to field a stronger team at the tournament with the return of these important team pieces.
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