MILTON — Hull claimed a 3-1 victory over Monson on Saturday afternoon to win the MIAA Division 5 girls soccer state championship.
Hull took a 1-0 lead into halftime, but a Monson goal in the second half evened the score. The Pirates responded with two more goals to seal the win and earn the program’s first state championship.
Junior Libby Harper spoke to the fact that some might’ve underestimated the team this year, and this was a win they deserved.
“I think a lot of people thought this was going to be a rebuild year for us. That since we had so many younger girls and we lost so many seniors, we weren’t going to make it this far,” said Harper. “We believed in ourselves and we worked for this, and we deserve it.”
Both teams made the most of the first half, moving quickly and keeping pressure on the ball. Eventually, Hull’s Brianna Ramos was able to break through and score her team’s first goal at around eight minutes remaining in the half, giving the Pirates a 1-0 lead. Monson still kept up the fight, but Hull held on tightly to its lead.
Monson made a few strong attempts to score around 29 minutes into the second half, but wasn’t able to break through Hull’s defense and goalkeeper. With 18 and a half minutes left, Monson was able to come through and score its first goal off the foot of Avery Beaudoin, tying up the game 1-1. Hull returned the favor shortly after, with Meghan Duran scoring the go-ahead-goal with 13 minutes remaining.
Monson kept up the hustle, but Hull further cemented its lead by scoring another goal with seven minutes thanks to a kick from Harper, giving Hull a 3-1 edge and putting Monson into a huge hole.
Harper was thrilled to score that final goal for the Pirates.
“It felt good, I was working really hard the whole game,” she said. “At the end to be able to score for them and to really lock down that win felt awesome.”
When asked how she felt about the win, Harper was able to put the feeling into words.
“Honestly, it’s unreal. We’ve been working so hard to get here. For this team to make it all the way, to win this year, it’s incredible,” she said.
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