SCITUATE – You get one shot, one alternative, and senior Joshua Kue captured it.
No. 3 Norwell (20-2-2) captured their second Div. 3 state championship in three years in a 2-1 shootout (5-4) victory over No. 4 Pembroke (18-3-1) as Kue completed off the right set of penalty kicks for the Clippers; Kue had not scored since his sophomore yr till the game-winning penalty kick.
“There is always pressure but once I saw my goalie save (the fifth shot), there was almost like a high moment where I said, ‘I can win this’,” mentioned Kue, a defender. “We work on that every day in practice, knowing that we work on it, there’s a lot of confidence in my shot and when I can finish.”
Junior goaltender Nolan McKenna was merely excellent all through the whole contest and the whole playoff run. The Titans truly outshot Norwell in regulation and the 2 overtimes at a 10-2 clip however McKenna registered 9 saves and stopped the all-important penalty kick.
McKenna leaned left however dove to his proper in good place to cease the ball off the foot of exhausting luck shooter Thomas Halloran to arrange Kue for the dramatic win.
“I don’t second guess myself, I pick my side, and I commit. I was in shock to be honest, but I knew it wasn’t over as I knew we had that one more PK in us. And we just put it away,” mentioned McKenna. “I was trying to make the energy go up as at times the energy was a little down, so I had to raise that up with some intensity to motivate.”
There was nothing McKenna might do on the lone objective from the Titans as a foul was known as contained in the field on a defender’s hit from behind on Quinn Reilly. The left-footed Reilly toe-dragged McKenna and tucked the objective contained in the left put up for the 1-0 Pembroke lead within the thirty sixth minute of play.
It took Norwell all the way in which to the sixty fourth minute of play to register their first shot on objective nevertheless it was a magnificence. Kue hit a free kick from simply over 40 yards away and reserve midfielder Gavin Blake nestled the ball out entrance, and the equalizer gave the Clippers the entire momentum again.
Two overtimes produced nothing quite a lot of scoring alternatives from every staff however none extra vital than a McKenna cease on a throw into the far put up from McKenna.
Long ball grew to become a scrum out in entrance, however Zach Bello was capable of clear the ball with McKenna making the preliminary cease to protect the 1-1 tie with just below 4 minutes left within the second time beyond regulation.
McKenna gave up a complete of eight targets within the common season, and two postseason targets in 5 wins, so head coach Michael O’Dea is aware of he would possibly actually have a shot once more subsequent season.
“I can’t say enough about this group of guys and what they’ve accomplished. Everything they have gotten they earned and did it with hard work. Aug. 20 is the first time we are allowed to be together and from there they’ve had a mindset, a mentality, and knew what they wanted to get to, and they didn’t want anything to get in the way,” mentioned O’Dea, who took over the helm after the 2021 state championship run. “Nolan has had a brilliant year as a first-year starter, we knew he was typical for the big moment. The back four does a great job in front of him but when they break through, we know Nolan is there and we are in great hands with him.”
Source: www.bostonherald.com