The Pomperaug girls soccer team punched its ticket to the next round of the CIAC Class L tournament in dramatic fashion on Tuesday, outlasting their opponents on penalty kicks, 7-5.
In a battle of the Panthers, the second-round matchup put the fourth-seeded Pomperaug team against the 20th-seeded E.O. Smith High School, with no winner after 80 minutes of regulation and 20 minutes of overtime.
With its season on the line, Pomperaug delivered under pressure, burying seven shots from the spot to advance to the Class L Quarterfinals.
Goalkeeper Madelyn Martino made a pair of impressive saves in the penalty kick shootout, continuing her superb season in net and being described as “the rock” of the team by her teammates.
“There’s a lot of pressure on the goalie going into it, and mentally, you just need to be there,” said Martino.
Speaking to her team before the two overtime periods, she relayed a message of composure amid the high emotions on the field.
“We were getting upset because we had a lot of shots on goal and couldn’t finish,” she continued. “Our composure is really important.”
Pomperaug head coach Tony Viscuso spoke to the team’s resilience in the playoff matchup, noting a few injuries the team sustained during Tuesday’s match.
“I think it was a dominating performance from us,” said Viscuso.
Speaking to the team’s goalkeeper, Viscuso said “[Madelyn] is one of the top goal keepers in the state.”
In the shootout, Pomperaug players who converted from the spot included Avery Macumber, Eloise Hogrefe, Eliana Dani, Clare Fellin, Madelyn DiDonato, Catalina Sotolongo, and Caitlyn Bellesheim.
Up next for the Panthers is a quarterfinal matchup with fifth-seeded North Haven, a match to be played at Pomperaug on Friday at 5:30 p.m.
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