MUTINY DEFEAT SOCCERPLUS 3-2

Story by Mike Bogen of The Republican

If by some stroke of good fortune, some cosmic reward for hard work and faith, the New England Mutiny make the Women’s Premier Soccer League playoffs, they’ll be able to point to one tick of a clock Saturday night at Agawam High School as the moment that made it possible.

In that tick, the final tick before the official blew his whistle to end regulation - and almost certainly New England’s playoff hopes - Megan Cunningham put in the rebound of a shot by Karen Gurnon to give the Mutiny a 3-2 victory over the SoccerPlus Connecticut Reds.

It was a victory that ended an almost season-long four-game losing streak and kept the Mutiny’s slim chance of making the playoffs alive.

Still, as stirring as this comeback victory was with New England trailing 2-1 with three minutes left, it did not change the tremendous task that lies ahead for the Mutiny, who must win their last four games to make the postseason.

“Our team understood what we wanted to do and we had our chances,” New England coach Tony Horta said.

“We made some subs, pushed Gurnon up from defense to midfield and you could see on their faces the pressure was on the Connecticut players,” he said.

Although the Mutiny thoroughly outplayed their foes, for the first 86 minutes all they got for their efforts was a 2-1 deficit.

But, in the 87th minute, East Longmeadow’s Jenny Maurer kicked a high, curving shot from 25 yards out that SoccerPlus keeper Caity Casey tipped as it hooked into the top left corner of the goal to tie it.

The Mutiny continued to apply pressure in the next three minutes, as lightning - which might have prevented this one from going into overtime - first threatened to appear and then lit the sky in the final minute.

Gurnon started the game-winning sequence with a shot from 20 yards out that Casey tipped up to the crossbar. The ball fell at Cunningham’s feet and Gurnon’s University of Connecticut teammate kicked it in.

Becky Gundling snapped the Mutiny’s 406 minute stretch without goal with a rocket from 25 yards out that touched under the crossbar and into goal.
The Mutiny’s effort was even more impressive in the face of very aggressive play by the Reds, particularly Leah Blayney and Jen Montgomery. The former decked several New England players from behind, while the latter basically littered the field with Mutiny bodies.

“I thought they were physical - that’s how Connecticut always plays - but it’s the refs job to control it and they did a bad job,” Horta said.