Ties (this one vs. East Bridgewater) piling up for defending champ Norwell girls soccer

NORWELL – Life as a defending state champion is sweet.

Except for that giant bull's-eye on your back.

"I feel like there's a little more pressure," Norwell High girls soccer coach Kara Connerty acknowledged. "I tell the kids that everybody who plays a state championship team plays a little harder, I feel like. We need to play that much harder because teams are a little more motivated (to beat us). When we play teams that are defending champs, that's always our motivation. You're coming in as an underdog."

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That was the story on Monday as underdog East Bridgewater forced the Clippers to rally twice just to salvage a 2-2 draw in their South Shore League opener.

Norwell won the Division 3 state crown a year ago – an achievement that was not lost on the Vikings.

"Any time you want to be the best you have to try to beat the best, right?" first-year EB coach Michael Patti said. "I say to the girls that it's a new year every year; it doesn't matter if (the opponent) was 0-20 last year or 20-0 and state champions, you gotta come with the same effort. But, sure, (Norwell's) been the cream of the crop in the league, so I'm sure the girls got a little jazzed up (about playing them)."

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Norwell actually is unbeaten in its last 25 games. The Clippers lost last year's opener to Hanover and then went 20-0-2 the rest of the way. This year's been a bit of a grind with three draws in as many games, although the opponents have been high-caliber. Hanover (2-2 draw in the opener) made the Division 3 Round of 16 as a No. 4 seed last year; top-seeded Hingham (1-1 tie last Friday) was the Division 1 runner-up; and EB made it to the Round of 16 in Division 3.

"It's good competition," senior back Mia Pearce said. "It always is."

Asked if she felt everyone was bringing their 'A' game so far against the Clippers, Pearce said, "They should be. That's what makes it fun. Everyone is coming for us. So it's up to us to keep our composure and just play soccer."

In general, Norwell didn't seem pleased with this latest tie. Pearce noted that coming from behind twice "shows our determination," but the Clippers felt they were ready to break into the win column and yet came out rather disjointed right from the start.

Not having senior midfielder Chloe Kirchner, out with an injury, didn't help the cause --  Connerty called it "a tremendous loss" -- but the Clippers feel like one missing part shouldn't cause a short-circuit.

Said Connerty: "I think we played panicked today. Eighty minutes of play is what we're striving for, and we are far from that right now."

"We were confused on the field; we weren't communicating," senior forward Maeve Ross agreed. "We couldn't string together more than five passes at a time and that's what our downfall was. We let them control the game and that's why it feels like a loss."

It probably felt like a win for EB, which was 11-8-2 last season and beat Abington, 5-1, in last week's opener.

"The girls fought hard. That's what I learned about my team – they're fighters," Patti said. "They're going to grind the whole game, no matter what. I liked what I saw. ... To come in here against a really good team on their field, which is massive compared to ours, it's an overall good result. I'm proud of the team and their effort today."

EB defender Sophie Bradbury opened the scoring by converting from the penalty spot in the sixth minute. Junior goalkeeper Belle Pettit, one of the stars of last year's playoff run for Norwell, parried away Bradbury's initial shot, but the Vikings senior calmly slotted home the rebound.

"Sophie's one of those players that when the pressure's on, her heart is beating the same as when it's not," Patti said. "I liked her in that spot. The goalkeeper made a heck of a save, but Sophie recovered on it, stayed focused and didn't get down and found the rebound for a score."

After Emily Mullahy tied it up for Norwell late in the first half, EB went ahead again with 28 minutes left as freshman Ella Sheehan beat Pettit to a loose ball at the top of the box, rounded the keeper and slipped the ball home for a 2-1 lead.

Sheehan is one of four freshman starters for the Vikings – along with midfielder Ella Lang and backs Lily Pavidis and Brooke Murphy.

"This freshman class in general is super talented," Patti said. "What they lack in experience, they make up for in hard work and good technical skills."

Norwell's Holly Panttila eventually forged another tie by converting off a scramble in the box following a corner kick with 13 minutes remaining. The Clippers had a great chance to go ahead with about five minutes left when another corner kick rattled around the 6-yard box, but no one could cash in.

A slow start, if you can call three games without a loss slow, isn't all that surprising, considering that Norwell is without its three leading scorers from last year – All-New England midfielder Giulianna Gianino (now at Boston University), plus Allison Jenkins (who scored the winning goal in the state final) and Bridget Shaw. Also not back – three-fourths of a back line that helped the Clippers author 10 shutouts a year ago and allow just one goal over five playoff games.

Connerty, who called her 2021 defense "really stellar," has been pleased with the new-look lineup that features juniors Smilla Spasic (returning starter) and Audrey Loring and sophomores Reagan Dowd and Eden Wheeler – with Pearce the first sub off the bench.

"Honestly, we had some pretty big spots to fill, but I think we've done a good job," Pearce said. "They're definitely a strong lineup. They work pretty well together and communicate well."

As for goals, Norwell is hoping the midfield trio of Kirchner, a tri-captain, and sophomores Paige Flanders and Olga Spasic can link up with senior wingers Ross and Caroline Hayes and center forward Anya Johnson, a freshman. So far, the Clippers have been diverse, with their five goals coming from five different players, including subs Ella Johnston (vs. Hingham), Mullahy and Panttila.

Getting Kirchner back, hopefully next week, should help.

"We really wanted to come out with a win today," Kirchner said, "but we're still growing as a team. We're not trying to look back on the past. It's a whole new team, a whole new year. We're just hoping that we can go as far as we can."

This article originally appeared on The Patriot Ledger: Defending champ Norwell girls soccer logs third straight tie vs. EB