QUARTERFINALS: MUTINY 4 LYNX 1

After a regular season of frustration for Springfield’s Brittany Barry that saw multiple near misses keep her off the score sheet, the 16-year old would notch two goals in the quarterfinals of the WPSL playoffs as the New England Mutiny defeated the Adirondack Lynx 4-1 at Fort Ann, NY.

The Mutiny, which finished the regular season 4-6, needed to win its last two regular season games and receive help from several teams just to make it into the 8-team playoff. The Mutiny must now defeat the very teams that gave them a life in this year’s postseason. One of those teams was the Lynx who finished the regular season 7-3 and produced a key victory against New York AC, the team the Mutiny finished tied on points, but moved on based on goal differential.

For whatever reason it takes at least 25 minutes of soccer for the New England Mutiny to find success in matches of the Women’s Premier Soccer League. The Mutiny have had a penchant for suffering early goals- none more quickly than its quarterfinal playoff match as Adirondack Lynx forward Heidi Reece scored just 30 seconds into this one.

Just seconds after the Mutiny made substitutions did the Mutiny answer with a goal from Danielle Dakin. In the 28th minute, the Wilbraham native took a loose ball from 25 yards out and blasted a left-footed shot over the head of Lynx goalkeeper Meghan Sleezer.

Barry scored her first ever WPSL goal just two minutes later, as Barry took a pass from Courtney Sands and got in behind the defense then blasted a shot by the Lynx netminder. The forward from Springfield,MA has not found the goal scoring as easy as her 59 goal effort two season’s ago with Sci-Tech High School, but she couldn’t pick a better moment to score number one.

The Mutiny led 2-1 at halftime.

Erin Clark made it 3-1 with a spectacular individual effort in the 63rd minute. Clark collected a pass just over midfield and dribbled by several Lynx defenders and fired a shot past Sleezer. Barry would score her second of the match in the 70th minute taking a feed from Jenny Maurer of East Longmeadow. The Lynx applied pressure throughout the second half but could not capitalize on several dangerous opportunities.

The Mutiny must once again watch the scoreboard, however this time it knows that it will still be playing another match.