Boston tops Toronto 3-2
WALTHAM, MA -- The Renegades sneaked a victory in a hotly contested game at Bowditch Stadium on Saturday evening. The Renegades got the 3-2 victory but kept their hometown crowd on their feet the entire game with their performance.
The Renegades opened the scoring in the second minute, when the lively Meghan Welcome latched onto a ball and left the visiting keeper helpless.
The second Renegades goal came in the seventh minute when the Renegades were awarded a thrown in. Welcome flicked the ball on with her head, and Stacey Stocco timed her run to perfection to expertly knock the ball into the back of the net.
The Renegades had many other scoring opportunities during the rest of the first half. In the 10th minute, the midfielders sent the ball throw to Caitlin Munoz who then shot the ball just a few inches wide.
In the 13th minute the Renegades were awarded a free kick, which was placed into Toronto's half, Maggie Tomecka then volleyed the ball towards the net, but the ball went wide again.
The Inferno struggled offensively through the first half but scored on one of their few opportunities. The Inferno charged down into the Renegades area, and crossed the ball in front of the net. There was a scramble on the goal line and it seemed that the Inferno striker put the ball across the line with her hand, but the referee awarded the goal.
The Inferno struck again in the 46th minute, when Katerina Bazos brought the ball down the wing and crossed the ball into the middle to Heather MacDougall.
Coach Risley then made some substitutions to mix up the Renegades line up. Bekah Splaine and Kara Frederick came into the game for Welcome and Munoz.
The Renegades had offensive opportunities but did not capitalize on them. In the 78th minute, the Renegades were awarded a free kick. Tomecka took the shot but the Toronto keeper tipped the ball off of the crossbar, which resulted in a Renegades corner kick.
The Renegades earned themselves the win in the 86th minute when Bekah Splaine crossed the ball to a wide-open Kara Frederick who then rifled the ball into the back of the net to the elation of the crowd and Rocky the Renegades mascot.
Coach Risley commented about the up coming playoffs after the game. "We did not perform our best tonight, but we got the result we wanted and needed. Now, we can go into the playoffs with confidence." The Renegades finished their season with a 10-4-0 and will look to Tuesday's game against Western Mass Pioneers to edge closer to the final four.
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