Sharon
By the time Sharon’s dynamic duo successfully connected after four near-misses, it was the 77th minute, and the Phoenix suffered their first loss of the season, 5-2, at home to the VPA Division III foe.
Sharon, still one of the top teams in D-IV at 10-1, surrendered a combined seven goals in its first 10 games. Playing outside its comfort zone on Tuesday, the Phoenix allowed five goals.
“Peoples is a really talented team, we knew that coming in,” Frost said after the game. “We knew they’d be a tough team, but I think it’s really good for our team to play a team of this caliber. In D-IV, you don’t see a lot of possession-type play like that where it’s so high quality. … It’s really good practice for our team.
“I’m really proud of how our team did,” she added. “I think we held our own.”
Peoples held Sharon to nine recorded shots, six of which went wide. The Phoenix played without talented midfielders Maya Johnstone, who broke her wrist on Saturday, and Nora Rice, who has dealt with a stress fracture all season, forcing Sharon head coach Blake Fabrikant to resort to a more one-dimensional offensive strategy than his team was normally used to, keeping his team’s chances to a bare minimum.
“(Johnstone’s) absence was actually huge,” Fabrikant said. “You could see it.”
Much of the game was played deep in Sharon’s half of the field, as Peoples’ possession through the midfield set up several opportunities on Sharon goalkeeper Abby Levy. Through the first 60 minutes the Phoenix defense held, allowing only one goal. Lloyd tied the game four minutes later on a breakaway set up by Sharon’s long-ball mentality.
If not for the missed shot by Frost just before the half, the Phoenix, despite the lopsided time of possession, would have held a lead, allowing Fabrikant to pull in his attackers. Instead, Peoples opened the flood gates.
“I saw them play Saturday against Randolph,” Fabrikant said of Peoples. “I knew what they were capable of. … My goal was to sit back, put as many people on defense as possible and counter-attack with Mallory and Eleanor.
“In my humble opinion, we should have been up 2-1 at halftime,” he added. “Eleanor had a really nice chance. She usually slots that home.”
The Wolves scored four goals in a nine-minute span in the second half, starting with a 54th-minute goal by Peoples’ Evelyn Leikert from just outside the box. Frost got one back in the 77th minute, taking a feed from Lloyd before placing the ball just inside the far left post for her 14th goal of the season. But it wasn’t enough.
“I think our defense just got worn out,” Fabrikant said. “I was trying to make the game as ugly as possible. I think I succeeded in doing that, it just wasn’t the desired result I was hoping for.”
Fabrikant and his team have their eyes on a D-IV championship, which would be the first state title in school history. With an All-State talent such as Lloyd, it’s hard not to imagine the possibilities. And while this year’s squad lacks the depth of previous years, Fabrikant admitted, the offensive production from his top scoring options, as well as an experienced group that includes eight seniors, should be enough to get the Phoenix over the hump.
“Last year, we had a really deep team. This year we’re kind of struggling,” Fabrikant said. “We have a really short bench. … We’re banged up. We weren’t, we had been doing really well all year. I think coaches sometimes use that as an excuse a lot. Honestly, we were doing great. … We’re really banged up. I think full strength, it would have been a different game.”
Standing in the Phoenix’ way again is undefeated West Rutland, which knocked Sharon out of the playoffs in the semifinal round a year ago. With one loss now on Sharon’s resume, and the knowledge that Peoples is the best team it will face this season, Frost said she feels a little bit more comfortable before the postseason.
“Now, especially going into the postseason not undefeated, I think will alleviate a lot of that pressure,” Frost said. “It’s a lot of pressure going into the playoffs winning all of our games.
“I’m just really proud of our team. I think there’s no shame, there’s no pressure.”
Josh Weinreb can be reached at jweinreb@vnews.com or 603-727-3306.