Smith nets game winner in sudden death lifts Case field hockey to dramatic, playoff victory
SWANSEA — Things were not looking good for the sixth seed Joseph Case field hockey team.
The Cardinals trailed 11th seed St. Mary's in Wednesday's Division IV Round of 16 match with just 15 minutes left in their season.
Frustrated for much of the game, junior star Megan Smith stepped up when it mattered most.
"We weren't ready to give up at this point," Smith said. "We couldn't let our season end there. Every girl on the team was hungry to win, so that's what we did. We went out onto the field and did our thing, Case style."
Smith netted the game winner with 7:05 left in overtime on a pass from Brooke Orton to lift the Cardinals to a dramatic, come from behind, 2-1, win over the visiting Spartans before a large gathering at Joseph Case High School.
With the victory, the Cardinals (19-1) advance to the Elite 8 for the first time under Case head coach Kacie Martel and will face third seed Cohasset at Scituate High School on Friday at noon.
"I don't know what to say," Martel smiled. "We are a really good 7x7 team. I felt very confident once we got back on the board and going into overtime. Megan [Smith] just keeps going. She never stops."
One of the biggest heroes on the game was senior forward Jenna Benfeito. Benfeito kept the Cardinals' season alive by scoring the equalizer on a back hander with 5:29 remaining in the fourth quarter. Smith collected the assist.
"Honestly, the ball bounced off the goalie pads and I saw that opportunity and took it," Benfeito smiled. "Just seeing it hit the back of the goalie net was so exhilarating. All of our hard work earned for this. It was such a great feeling."
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Prior to the start of the 7x7 sudden death, Cardinal's senior captain Lexi Yost said she searched for higher powers to get her team through.
"I don't know what came over me in that moment," said Yost, who also picked up assist on the game winner. "I felt the need I should pray. I've always been a spiritual person but never did that before. God was telling me I needed to pray right now.
"The whole day everyone was talking about how nervous they were. But I just knew this was not going to be it. I did not want it to be [over]. I was going to do everything I could that it wasn't."
It was the end of a great season for the Spartans (13-5-2), who finished with their best record in program's history and gave Case all they could handle for 60 plus minutes.
"Our senior girls this season has built this program to what it is this year," said St. Mary's head coach Victoria Ault, who team was trying to punch its first-ever Elite 8 berth. "I could not have asked for more effort than our girls out there. They battled the whole way. Obviously, disappointing ending to our season but I'm proud of all them."
How it happened
Both teams were feeling each other out on defense as the first quarter ended without a goal scored.
In the second quarter, the Spartans started pressuring the Cardinals defense by putting together several scoring chances. It paid dividends for St. Mary's with 4:57 remaining in the second quarter.
Junior Kacey Litwin, who was a thorn in the side of Smith and the Cardinals all game, tapped home a loose ball past Case netminder Anna Michaud to give the Spartans a 1-0 lead.
But Michaud blanked St. Mary's the rest of the way, making huge stops in the crease to keep it a one-goal game. She finished with seven saves.
Both teams went scoreless in the third quarter before Benfeito netted the tying goal at 5:29 of the fourth quarter. The game remained the same until Smith's heroics in overtime.
"When Brooke [Orton] sent me the soon-to-be winning assist, I could feel that I was going to score," Smith said. "Sometimes you can sense it and I just did. Overall, the team as a whole played excellently, but especially our defense.
Stars of the game
Case defense — Kaelyn LeComte, Rylie MacDonald, Brooke Perron and Addie Carreiro — came up big throughout the game, neutralizing the Spartans' attack.
Freshman Ava Korisianos and Abbie Poole rose to the occasion for St. Mary's. Gianna Korisianos and Abby Lowe also played well.
Smith talks about her team's performance
"Today, [the team] exemplified our ability to consistently play with grit and determination, regardless of the challenges that we face, such as a quick team like St. Mary's and difficult field conditions. For 60 minutes, every girl on the field hustled and never gave up. We were down 1-0 for the majority of the game, but during the fourth quarter, the team collectively decided that it was time to get things done. Our coach switched around some positions, including mine, to make things work more efficiently and we came out hot, scoring quickly in the last quarter by capitalizing on a corner."
Herald News and Taunton Daily Gazette sports editor Steven Sanchez can be reached at ssanchez@heraldnews.com. You can follow him on Twitter at @Chezsports. Support local journalism by purchasing a digital or print subscription to The Herald News today.
This article originally appeared on The Herald News: Scores: Smith's game winner propels Joseph Case into the Elite 8
