Winchester wins double overtime thriller over Beverly

WINCHESTER With her group s season on the line Winchester s Ashley Mitchell knew she needed to step up The freshman located open space received a pass from teammate Sophie Shapiro and fired the ball into the back of the net to lift No Winchester to a - double overtime win over No Beverly in the first round of the MIAA Division girls soccer tournament I knew that we needed to amount and I saw Sophie get the ball Mitchell declared So I made the run stayed composed and took the shot The tally allowed the Red and Black - - to avoid the upset from a Panthers squad - - that played above its ranking Winchester had taken a - halftime lead but a goal midway through the second half cut the deficit to one and then a header from Panthers sophomore Mackenzie Pouliot in the final five minutes sent the challenge to extra time Winchester head coach Michelle Ross revealed that her crew evidenced resiliency after losing the lead It was a great battle and had everyone on the edge of their seat Ross revealed I m really proud of the girls They seemed to lose focus at one point but they were able to bounce back and play the soccer they are capable of playing Beverly gave us a really big scare The Red and Black dominated the first minutes limiting the Panthers to just four shot attempts while peppering Beverly goalkeeper Clara Kostro with shots The first goal for Winchester came in the th minute when Rhynn Fitzpatrick Cannfield sprinted to the front of the net corralled a loose ball off a corner kick and buried the ball into the goal Winchester's Josie Monk and Beverly's Genevieve Bilotti eye the ball during a girls soccer state tournament championship in Winchester Mark Stockwell Boston Herald Ten minutes later Sophie Shapiro connected with a crosser and this gave Winchester the - lead While this was a secure lead the Red and Black knew it was not one that put the challenge out of reach - is a very dangerous tally Winchester midfielder Juliet Sims commented We have to inevitably make sure we are trying our percent best Winchester nearly added an insurance marker early in the second half but an offsides negated the goal Moments later Olivia Anketell capitalized on a Winchester defensive lapse to cut the deficit to - This result would hold until the th minute when Pouliot s header evened the result at two and sent the challenge to extra time While the situation was officially amount or go home the Red and Black took a calm approach to the overtime Our mindset was to leave it all out there Winchester midfielder Lilly Ossen disclosed We have nothing to lose and if we work together as a unit and keep our composure we can win The first minutes came in went without either group scoring Kostro was a huge reason why as the junior made several diving stops on strong Winchester chances to keep the contest tied Deep into the second overtime period the dam in the end broke as Shapiro s crosser to Mitchell detected twine and sent the Red and Black to the second round Winchester will host either Concord-Carlisle or Plymouth North Ross noted her gang will keep this product in mind while they prepare Beverly's Olivia Anketell left and Winchester's Amanda Mitchell fight for the ball during a girls soccer event Wednesday Mark Stockwell Boston Herald There s a lot to be taken from this Ross announced The rankings and the numbers don t mean anything it s whoever wants to win more Everybody is prepared at this stage and the games are only going to get harder