BY RYAN O'CONNOR
Up six goals in the final minutes of a quarterfinal match-up with Londonderry High School, Salem’s offense looked as if it was in the closing seconds of sudden-death overtime.
And coach Carol Merchant couldn’t imagine her team taking a different approach.
“They’re fierce competitors and, you know, they’re never satisfied,” said Merchant, following the 6-0 victory on Saturday, Oct. 19. “Even though the score might be a lot to a little, we’re still working on things.
“They just want to leave the field feeling good about the way they played,” she continued. “If they let down, they’d have to walk away knowing they let down.”
It is that very attitude that may have led the Blue Devils to four of the last five Class L titles.
But more importantly, said Merchant, her undefeated squad is playing as good as it has all season.
“We tightened up all the things we wanted to tighten up this past week and the attack is obviously generating a lot of opportunities,” she said of playoff preparations and the subsequent result. “And the defense was stifling today.”
Though Merchant said the shutout didn’t reflect the level of competition on the opposite side of the field, she admitted the Blue Devils will be difficult to stop if they continue playing to their potential.
Junior striker Kyleigh Keating opened the scoring and senior forward Katie Bettencourt followed to give Salem an early 2-0 lead.
Captain Carolyn Malloy, a senior striker, then planted a long shot on a Keating assist as the Blue Devils headed into halftime with a three-goal advantage.
It was more of the same in the second half.
Malloy punched in a Bettencourt assist at the Londonderry keeper’s feet and then earned a hat trick by maneuvering through three defenders and sneaking the ball into the back of the net.
“They had their best defender on her man-to-man the whole game, but she just has a great mentality for goal scoring,” said Merchant of Malloy.
Senior Michaela Galvin capped the scoring by notching a goal off another Keating assist.
Salem was scheduled to play rival Pinkerton Academy of Derry on Wednesday, Oct. 24, at Bedford High School, host of the Class L tournament.
Should Salem advance, a potential rematch with Timberlane looms.
The two powerhouses played to a 2-2 draw on Oct. 6, the only blemish on each team’s record.