MONROE, CT — In a battle of familiar SWC foes, host and No. 2 seed Masuk defeated No. 7 Brookfield 1-0 in Saturday’s Class L State Tournament quarterfinals. With the win, the Panthers will take on No. 6 Rocky Hill in the semis at Waterbury’s Municipal Complex Wednesday at 4:30 p.m.
In Saturday’s quarterfinal, a first-half goal by freshman Liv Fanning held up thanks to a solid defensive effort by the Panthers. Fanning inserted a corner kick to Ella McGee, who gave the ball back to Fanning for the finish.
It was all the Panthers needed to advance due to stellar goalkeeping, defense and some ball control by the midfielders and forwards sealing Masuk’s victory.
“I’m pumped. I love these girls and I’m really excited for them,” Masuk Coach Katy Kreiner said.
Masuk and Brookfield had been in two ultra-close contests already — a 1-1 tie in the regular season and a 2-1 Masuk win in penalty kicks in the conference quarterfinals. The state playoff matchup very well could have headed to OT as well with the visiting Bobcats knocking on the door at times in the second half.
“They gave everything they had,” Kreiner said. “They were pressing super-high. We just had to stay organized, which we did.”
Having seven seniors on the field went a long way as poise prevailed.
“That experience definitely comes through in big games like this,” Kreiner said.
Masuk’s back line of Emily Poole, Julia Hourigan, Abby Yeager and Semia Zylick made like a wall with timely clears. Goalkeeper Kara Leandres came up with some clutch saves, including sliding and diving stops to preserve the shutout.
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