During a physically challenging Class L playoff match, the Central girls soccer team proved mentally tough.

The Little Green rattled rival Londonderry with a first-half goal and battled the Lancers throughout a bruising second half, eventually earning a trip to the semifinal round with a 4-0 victory on Saturday, Nov. 1.

Central, the No. 2 seed, was scheduled to face No. 3 Exeter on Wednesday, Nov. 5. The winner plays for the Class L state title at Bill Ball Stadium in Nashua on Saturday, Nov. 8, at 1 p.m.

It was a remarkably different outcome than last year’s quarterfinal- round play, when the Little Green’s sole loss of 2007, to Pinkerton, meant a too-early exit from the postseason.

Central’s first goal against Londonderry had the obvious benefit of relaxing the locals, who played a near-perfect team game according to their head coach, Peter Lally.

The 25-year CHS mentor substitutes freely, and one firsthalf move paid immediate dividends. Meghan Tobin, moments after coming off the bench, set up striker Cassandra Muse just shy of 14 minutes into the match for a 1-0 edge.

“There are no individuals. It’s ‘team’ at practice and ‘team’ at the games,” said Lally. “I’m very honest with them, and they are with me, too. That creates mutual respect and trust.”

The Little Green controlled the aggressive play throughout the match. Players from both sides were consistently launching themselves – or foes – through the air to gain possession of the ball. Still, Lally said his charges had no mental lapses and maintained their composure against the Lancers, 2-1 losers to Central on Sept. 23.

Londonderry’s lone scoring chance came roughly eight minutes into the second half. Though it was the only shot to elude Central keeper Lindzy Hamel, it struck the post, and a subsequent attempt sailed far wide.

From there, Keily Funk took over. She assisted on two goals, one by Melissa Thibault and another on a header by Liz Belanger, who shares team captaincy with Funk, Cassandra Muse and Jordan Muse.

By the time Funk headed in a Belanger assist, the contest was long since decided.

Though CHS cleared what had been a tough hurdle in recent years – the quarterfinal round of the playoffs – Lally noted the task of winning a state crown remains daunting, especially for his banged up, fired up group.

“As long as it says ‘Central’ on the uniform,” he said, “teams are going to come after you.”

Notes
Central improved to 17-1-0 on the season. The team’s black eye was a 2-1 loss to Pinkerton on Sept. 19. The Little Green’s next contest, that 2-1 road win vs. Londonderry, was the start of a 10-game winning streak to close the regular season. CHS outscored its foes during that stretch by a 40-6 margin.

Add the 6-0 first-round playoff win against No. 15 Timberlane earlier in the week, and the gap grows to 50-6 in the last 12 contests.