AMESBURY — Down 2-0 early in the first half to Hamilton-Wenham, Amesbury looked like it might miss a golden opportunity to beat a rebuilding, yet dangerous Generals team, one the Indians had not beaten in over five years.
Then goal-scorer phenom Rebecca Crochiere began her onslaught. The senior forward, who tallied her third hat trick of the season against Hamilton-Wenham, got one back before half and nearly levelled the score on the last play of the first half volleying a corner just over the top of the crossbar.
Struggling to maintain quality possession in the first half, the Indians looked like a different team in the second half finding feet through their central midfielders and working the ball up to Crochiere and Alianna Ortu at forward. On the defensive end of the field, Jackie Webber, Nicole Richardson, and Brianna Dandurant did an excellent job shutting down the skillful Generals forwards.
The work-rate and overall hustle of the two bustling forwards paid off 10 minutes into the second half. After tracking back to receive the ball in her own defensive half of the field, Crochiere made a lead pass to Ortu. With two defenders in front of her, Ortu held the ball just long enough to make a perfect returning through ball to Crochiere, who made no mistake on the break away slotting the ball easily into the lower left netting to tie the score, 2-2.
A minute later, Hamilton-Wenham made goal-keeper Jessica Marx come to life as Generals goal-scorer Bianca Veccarello hit a left-footed rocket from 23 yards out. Marx, in great position, was up to the task and made the save with no rebound.
As play began to get increasingly chippie, both sides would have good chances to take the lead. With under 10 minutes to go, Crochiere sent Ortu flying down the right side on a break away from a tough angle, but Ortu could not find the mark flying the shot wide and right over the bar.
The Generals countered with a corner and then a cross along the left-hand side of the Indian penalty box that whizzed over the keepers out-stretched hands, bounced, hit off a defender and then the post before just narrowly being knocked to safety.
With four minutes to go, Crochiere provided the knock-out blow. This time Katara Harding did much of the dirty work, tap-dancing along the sideline, while battling a defender, the junior outside-winger was able to barely keep the ball in before sending a brilliant pass to Crochiere. Still with work to do and a defender practically attached to her hip, Crochiere was able to beat her defender and again place the ball into the lower left netting for the game-winner.
"I'm very proud of my girls, they've come a long way as far as team passing, and passing was key for us today," said Amesbury coach Cathy Berry. "We were hanging back too much at the beginning of the game, but our first goal brought us back.
"At half we talked about winning the 50/50 balls, being the first one to the ball, and controlling the middle of the field," Berry further stated, "and I think that's what we did. In the second half they only had two shots on net."
A proverbial thorn in the side in recent years, the Indians still had to battle the Generals for 80 minutes to come out with a well-deserved win.
"Today was about determination, and we had to prove that we are actually a team that is up and coming," Berry said. "We beat the teams that we usually beat earlier, but today we had to beat someone that we don't regularly beat, so I think that this will be a boost for their confidence."
As for the hat trick hero Crochiere, she credited her forward battery mate with great service throughout the game.
"Me and Ali (Ortu) did some nice give-and-goes, and that made it a lot easier for me to get my shot off," said Crochiere, who now has an astonishing 11 goals through 7 games. "I tried to get my confidence up this year, and I've gotten really good passes from Jackie (Webber) and Nicole (Richardson) from midfield all season. Our setup this year has made it really easy to get some goals."
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