FOXBORO, Mass. – In playoff soccer, sometimes you just need one opportunity, one bounce, one shot to find that winning goal. Other times, it may require dozens of chances before the ball finally finds its way into the back of the net.
For Foxboro, Sunday afternoon’s Div. 3 opening round playoff game at Sam Berns Community Field was definitely the latter.
Despite dominating play throughout the first half and forcing Cardinal Spellman goalie Jessica Pulsifer into at least a dozen saves, the game remained scoreless with just seconds remaining. Kailee McCabe made one more driving run at the Spellman penalty area and went down under a challenge. Much to the annoyance of the visitors, the official called a foul about 30 yards from goal.
McCabe, who had this weekend just been named the Hockomock League MVP for the second straight season and was also named an All-American, delivered the clutch moment, firing her free kick into the bottom corner, past the dive of Pulsifer. It would be the only goal, as the No. 2 seed Foxboro saw off No. 31 Spellman 1-0 to reach the Sweet Sixteen.
“She placed it perfectly,” Foxboro coach Katie Stacup said of McCabe’s goal. “It was a beautiful shot. She’s going to come through. She had an amazing game tonight. She had so many shots that just weren’t going in for her. She keeps coming back and she keeps fighting.”
It was a moment that had been coming. The hosts were rampant in the opening half, keeping the Cardinals pinned in their defensive third and cleaning up the rare breaks.
It started with the back line of Meghan Burke, Sophia Auclair, Kylie O’Keefe, and sweeper Lindsey Resnick, who never allowed Spellman to get the ball into its dangerous forwards. Then the ball was played forward where McCabe and fellow senior Jordan Carman could combine and cause havoc in the visiting defense.
Only took four minutes in and the Warriors had the first good chance, McCabe settled a throw, turned her marker and set up Erin Foley for a shot from 16 yards that was saved. This would set a familiar pattern, Foxboro attacking and the ball ending in Pulsifer’s hands.
In the 18th minute, Burke battled to win the ball back and that teed up Carman for a chance from the edge of the box that went wide. Two minutes later, Auclair’s ball out of defense found Neve Taylor free on the left wing. She played it into McCabe for another effort just wide. Three minutes after that it was Brooke Barreira on the right side of the box latching onto a loose ball only for Alyssa Belmont to clear off the line.
McCabe crossed to Carman for a chance in the six-yard box, but she wasn’t able to hit it cleanly and it was saved. A mishit clearance then gave McCabe a chance on her left foot, but Pulsifer pulled out maybe her best save of the half, diving low to her left. Just a minute later, Carman’s corner picked out Foley for a half-volley that was parried and then McCabe had another shot from outside the box that was palmed over the bar.
Finally, with the ref counting down the final 10 seconds of the half, McCabe found the breakthrough and put the Warriors in front.
“I told them we’re dominating the game, we’re winning balls in the middle, we’re playing beautiful through balls on the outside, getting these beautiful crosses but we’re just not finishing,” Stalcup said. “She’s a good goalie, she had an amazing game, but we need to start finding the corners a little more.”
It looked like the same pattern of play would continue in the second half. Lauren Miley had an interception and forced yet another save inside the first 10 minutes after the break.
But then the play switched and it was the visitors that were pushing forward in search of an equalizer and the Warriors ended up on their heels. In the 51st minute, Spellman had its best chance of the match. A foul on the right wing gave the Cardinals a free kick and Emma Pero curled it towards the top corner. Foxboro keeper Alexis Sougaris, who had barely touched the ball to that point, scrambled across her goal and made a fingertip save to prevent the ball nestling in the top corner.
“We felt that push in the final 10-15 minutes and I think we handled it pretty well,” said Stalcup. “I don’t think it got too frantic down there. I think we stayed organized enough and Ali did an amazing job on the free kicks and the corners.”
Even with Spellman pressing and the Warriors struggling at times to get out, Sougaris was rarely troubled, as the defense continued to hold firm. McCabe had the best chances of the final 20 minutes when she showed off her touch and her footwork to create shooting space on the edge of the box and draw two good saves out of Pulsifer.
When asked if a first round challenge like this could be good for her team heading into the next round, Stalcup replied, “I think it’s good for us going forward, but playing in the Hock we have those high-pressure games all the time. Those have gotten us ready for this game and this game has gotten us ready for the upcoming games, so it’s all kind of building.”
Foxboro (14-1-4) advances to the Sweet Sixteen and will host No. 31 seed Newburyport on Wednesday night.
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