Girls win Districts, fall to Madison

The Atoms were down by three in the second half, with the Patriot District championship on the line.  They had played and narrowly beaten the Spartans before, but with the clock ticking away and no possession of the ball, it seemed as if all hope was lost.  The team, however lacked no confidence or support from the crowd and with the fight song playing, mounted the exhilarating comeback.

“The second half seemed to go very quickly,” said Hook.  “We re-grouped at halftime and re-focused on playing our game instead of letting West Springfield dictate the pace.”

The Atoms brought the game within one goal at 8-9 with just over 15 minutes remaining and the fight song playing loudly, but the Spartans continued to run a leisurely slow-paced offense with the lead.  Fueled by seniors Caroline Merz and Tiffanie Le’s pressure defense, the Atoms managed to force a turnover and got the ball downfield.  After a well-orchestrated possession the Atoms knotted the game at nine off a goal by junior Linda Rayasse.  West Springfield responded with a goal of it’s own with 11 minutes left to play but it would prove to be their last.  The Spartans couldn’t get a shot past freshman goalkeeper Emma Barker as she put on an amazing performance stopping countless point blank shots.

“The defense really stepped up after Emma Barker made several crucial saves,” said head coach Cindy Hook, “and that got our transition game going.”

Junior midfielder Annie Weiser along with excellent ball movement and fast pace transitions by the whole team made sure Barker’s stops didn’t go to waste.  Weiser scored the tying goal as well as go-ahead and game winning goal with 43 seconds left in play.

“It was amazing,” said Weiser.  “I was really excited our team was able to come back and lead.  We were all so exhausted but so rewarded.”

With the Patriot district championship win the Atoms earned the district’s top seed in the Northern Region tournament and faced the Madison Warhawks at home.  The Warhawks were the number four seed from the Liberty district but the Atoms knew they would come ready to play.

“We got ready for Madison the same way we got ready all season, by focusing on our game and how to best work it against Madison,” said Hook.

The game was neck and neck with each team taking turns at the lead, but the Warhawks expanded their lead late in the second half and held on for the 11-10 win.

“We let Madison set the pace of the game and let them pack it in on defense,” said Hook.  “When our transition game got going, we scored several goals.  We just couldn’t push it up field as effectively as usual and then needed to spread it out more in settled attacks.”

Despite the early exit in the Northern Region tournament the Atoms have a huge deal to be proud of from their 2008 season.

“This season was really about ‘teamwork done right’ and everyone focused on building our teamwork from day one,” said Hook.  

“The 2008 Atoms completed the 1st ever undefeated regular season, the #1 seed in the tournament, and then won the 1st Patriot District Championship complete with patches and a banner in the gym.  What an awesome example of TEAMwork done right!”

This great season is merely a glimpse of the future success the Atoms should have, with 16 of the 19 varsity players returning.  Another sign of future success is the number of underclassman that earned district and regional honors.  Sophomores Madeleine Irwin and Maggie Bermingham, along with junior Meredith Rutherford received first team all district.  Juniors Annie Weiser and Amy Stevens, along with sophomore Kelly O’Brien got second team honors.  Juniors Linda Rayasse and Anita Obasi, sophomore Maggie Craig, and freshman Emma Barker received honorable mention.
Along with earning first team all district, Rutherford also received the distinct titles of Patriot District player of the year and Northern Region Attack Player of the Year.