HOLDEN — Hearts were broken all across Hal Lane Field Nov. 3 when the Wachusett Regional High girls varsity soccer team dropped a nail-biter, 1-0, in a contest that was decided after 80 minutes of regulation, 20 minutes of overtime and finally a shootout.
The MIAA opening round loss to Haverhill High ended the 2023 season for the Mountaineer girls, who finished with a record of 7-9-3.
“It’s a hard way to lose, but that’s the way it is,” said a poised senior co-captain Alyssa Senecal postgame. “It’s kind of like the luck of the draw. I love this team. I’ve been on it for three years, and it feels like every girl is a sister. Each game we improved. We worked hard and we fed off each other.”
“We got beat in PKs (penalty kicks), and we practice those all the time,” said second-year head coach Emma Mailman. “For some of these kickers, it’s their first time taking a penalty kick in a game. It’s tough. You learn about yourself and your teammates. Unfortunately, we didn’t come out on top. Kudos to Haverhill. They played fantastic, but I think my girls played phenomenally.”
Wachusett got on the board with just under 5 minutes elapsed in the opening half. Sophomore Gabby Geloso reeled in a perfect centering pass from junior Meredith Cordial and nailed the shot to make it 1-0 Mountaineers. That score would hold firm until Haverhill evened things with a second half goal and it was on from there to break the deadlock.
Both squads battled it out, with players and coaches knowing that the next goal might be the game-decider, but each side fought hard through regulation and 2 OTs, setting the stage for the shootout. Geloso, Jesse Ayres and Esmee Frohock all connected, but it wasn’t enough to clinch the matchup.
“This team has made so much progress. Coming into next season, I feel like we’ll be extra strong,” voiced Mailman. “But these girls this year came a long way. There’s nothing we can do but be proud of them.
“We’re only losing one starter so we have a young team (next year). I think it’s up to us to build confidence and try to consistently pull each other up. That’s been our game plan this year. We didn’t focus too much about the competition. Instead, we focused on our controllables, our strengths and our weaknesses.”
Mailman, a 2016 WRHS alumna, was back for her second year at the helm to restore a winning culture to the program, a culture that has been absent since back-to-back state championships in 2017 and 2018. Players and team supporters say she has won the confidence of her team this season with team unity front and center.
Members of the Wachusett Regional High 2023 girls varsity soccer team are seniors Gracie Hehir, Alyssa Senecal, Isabella Grady, Ava Warner, Sydney Nunn, Bridgette Tessier; juniors Esmee Frohock, Kaitlyn Johnson, Charlotte Brisbois, Brenna Patenaude, Helena Holmquist, Meredith Cordial, Madison Harmon, Aila Head, Heather LaRange, Jesse Ayers, Rahma Giwa, Hannah Grenier, Abigail Lei, Kate Larose; sophomores Gabby Geloso, Katlyn Perna, Keegan Gregorczyk; and freshman Rylee Gamache. Team captains are Alyssa Senecal, Jesse Ayres and Kate Larose. The team is coached by Emma Mailman.
