Canton’s Brooke Potter tries to control the ball during Tuesday’s Class S semifinal loss to Cromwell in New Britain.
NEW BRITAIN, Nov. 14, 2023 – The difference in Tuesday night’s Class S girls soccer semifinal at New Britain’s Veteran’s Memorial Stadium came down to taking advantage of an opportunity.
Cromwell senior Cameryn Hickey tapped in a crossing pass from teammate Katrina Barber with 3:55 remaining in the first half and that was enough for the Panthers to advance to the Class S championship game with a 1-0 win over Canton.
No. 10 Cromwell (12-5-6) is returning to this weekend’s Class S final for the first time since 2007. The Panthers will face No. 1 Thomaston this weekend at Trinity Health Stadium in Hartford.
Canton, playing in their first semifinal contest since 2007, had chances but the Panthers were quick enough to foil them all. Canton senior Brooke Porter was able to get off a shot with 1:08 remaining in regulation from about 10 yards away that just cleared the crossbar of the goal due in part to the Panther defender that gave her little time or space.
“They left a lot out there for sure,” second-year Canton coach Jim Potter said. “It was a tough game. They’re a physical team. It seemed something was against us today. We just couldn’t put it in (the net).”
The No. 6 seeded Warriors (14-5) had scored 15 goals in their last five games and had pitched three consecutive shutouts.
But Cromwell didn’t allow Canton much space to operate. In many cases, the Panthers were quicker to get to the ball.
“We were focused,” Cromwell’s Cameryn Hickey said. “We played for each other and overall that made the difference in the game.”
Canton’s Alyssa Koczak (3) leaps high into the air to control the ball during Tuesday’s Class S semifinal against Cromwell in New Britain.
Some extra effort made a difference on the game-winning goal. Barber took the ball down the near sideline and was stopped by a Canton defender. But the ball leaked behind the defender and Barner simply kept running, recovering control of the ball again.
Barber took a few steps and fired a pass that crossed in front of the goal to Hickey who was near the far post. Hickey deflected the goal into the net for a 1-0 lead.
“Me and Katie work really well together,” Hickey said. “It was one of the best feelings scoring a goal in the semifinal from one of my closest friends.”
Hickey was asked what she was thinking as the ball came across the crease towards her.
“I better finish it for her and the team,” Hickey said. “For her to work that hard to get that run up the field (and then the pass), I give her a lot of credit on that assist.”
Canton, which has scored a school record 64 goals this season, didn’t quit. They outshot the Panthers 6-2 in the second half and had a 5-0 advantage on corner kicks.
A shot from Canton’s Juliana Cavanaugh early in the second half dribbled off the fingers of Cromwell goalie Lauren McCarroll and resulted in a corner kick. Brooke Potter had another chance midway through the half with the ball in the penalty area, only to be stopped by defender April LeBlanc before Potter could get a shot off.
McCarroll caught an amazing shot off the foot of Canton’s Logan Leonard with 6:04 remaining. With her back to the net, Leonard kicked the ball backward over her head and to McCarroll in the center of the net who caught the ball for the save.
Canton’s freshman goalie McKenzie Yanke had a few nice saves, including a first-half stop on a dangerous crossing pass early in the game.
The Warriors, who set a new single season record for victories (14), faced Cromwell for just the second time in program history. The last meeting came in 2006 when the Panthers prevailed 2-1 in double OT in the Class S quarterfinals.
Cromwell has five losses and six ties this season but they were the only team to hand Shoreline Conference champion Morgan a loss this season. In fact, the Panthers were 1-0-1 against Morgan, who finished the regular season at 11-1-4.
GIRLS SOCCER
Cromwell 1, Canton 0
At New Britain
Canton (14-5) 0 0 — 0
Cromwell (12-5-6) 1 0 — 1
Goal: Cameryn Hickey (Cromwell); Assist: Katrina Barber (Cromwell); Saves: McKenzie Yanke (Canton), Lauren McCarroll (Cromwell)
