LYNN — The Hanover girls’ soccer team faced a pair of heart-stopping moments in closing out its first state title since 2000.
The first came with three minutes left when Dedham’s free kick sailed into the box and a header clanged off the crossbar. The second came with one minute left when Dedham was awarded a penalty kick, but the attempt missed wide right.
In the end, fourth-seeded Hanover survived the late push and erupted into celebration following a nail-biting 1-0 win over No. 10 seed Dedham in the D3 state final at Manning Field. The state title was Hanover’s third in program history.
“Those last moments were Dedham’s last push and if it was meant to be their win,” said Hanover coach Mary Cullity. “Fortunately we were able to hold them off and it showed it was meant to be our year. I’m so happy for the girls.”
After a scoreless first half, Cullity emphasized playing in space to her team at halftime. Her leading scorer and Patriot League MVP Sophia Foley followed.
In the 47th minute, Eva Kelliher dribbled up the right side and sent a long pass to a streaking Foley in space. The ball hit her in stride, and the junior forward sent a shot to the bottom right corner of the net for a 1-0 lead.
“I talked to Eva and told her we had to press up,” said Foley. “Eva followed through and I was just there to tap it in. She really did all the work. She’s my right-hand man on the wing and we really connect well.”
Hanover (18-4-1) limited Dedham’s scoring chances all game until the final flurry where the Marauders, who also lost in last year’s state final, nearly forced overtime. But, as Cullity put it, it was simply meant to be for Hanover.
“We’ve had this goal since the beginning of the season and we were a very determined group,” said Foley. “I’m so proud of this whole team.”