Late goal gives Milford girls soccer win over Hollis Brookline

MILFORD – Peter Clarke knew his Hollis Brookline High School girls soccer team would be facing a strong goalkeeper Tuesday against Milford.

What Clarke didn’t expect was that the Cavaliers wouldn’t challenge Spartans’ goalie Casey Phelps a little more.

Phelps made 16 saves, stopping a couple of tough shots and a bunch the Cavs put right at her, and Morgan Grill scored the game-winning goal in the 78th minute to lead Milford to a 2-1 win over HB.

Anna Norford also scored for the Spartans (3-1) while Erin McGuire and Mikayla Rush each had an assist, but it was Phelps, and the Spartans defense, that kept Milford in the game.

“We didn’t play quick and smart (Tuesday) and the other team took advantage of a couple of opportunities,” Clarke said. “We also knew (they) had a very good keeper. We put an awful lot of shots to her or near her, and she’s better than that.”

After missing all of her junior season with an injury, Phelps has solidified the back end for the Spartans and allowed the rest of the Milford defense to play more relaxed, according to coach Russ Matthews.

“Having her is really important,” the coach said of Phelps. “She covers up a lot of mistakes and it’s huge to have her back. Mentally, I think our defenders know we can push up and play the way we want to play and she’ll be off the line to get anything that’s over the top. She’s got great hands and instinctively she’s really good. We know she’s good and it gives us that mental advantage.”

The Cavs learned that in the first half, when a shot by Holly Eisenberg hit the crossbar and landed in front of teammate Hannah Modelski just a few feet in front of the goal. But Modelski’s shot went right to Phelps, who quickly got her hands on the ball and held on for the save.

“Right in her hands, waist high,” Clarke said. “That’s what I mean. We just weren’t looking up and being accurate with our finishes. An opportunistic team will step up and grab it and they did. We found the keeper a lot.”

Modelski put the Cavs (2-2) on the board first in the 49th minute, as she got the ball on a breakaway and put a shot that Phelps couldn’t get to into the back of the net for a 1-0 lead. But Milford came right back, tying the game on Norford’s goal just six minutes later.

“It’s huge to come back after something like that,” Matthews said of the quick comeback.

After his team’s goal, Clarke reminded his players to stay focused in the aftermath.

“It’s a dangerous minute,” he said of the time after a team scores a goal. “Teams will let down and think ‘we finally made it.’ It wasn’t a minute, but it wasn’t far after that that we had that let down and let them right back in the game.”

Both teams had chances to take the lead in the game’s final 25 minutes, but Phelps and HB goalie Kenzie Day (five saves) were up to the task.

With time running out, McGuire got the ball outside of the box to the left of Day. Her cross into the box hit an HB player and went right to Grill, whose first shot was deflected.

But the ball went to Grill’s left foot and she buried the game-winner.

“We made a sub, Morgan Grill came in at the top and she was there, in the right place at the right time,” Matthew said. “This type of game, where you win late, it prepares us for down the road when everyone is getting better. If we can execute in these close games here and now, it helps us further down the line.”