MANSFIELD — It didn’t take Duxbury senior Megan Carney long to leave her imprint Tuesday night.
Less than two minutes into the Division 2 girls’ soccer semifinal, Carney corralled a loose ball, made a quick move to elude the Westborough keeper, and swiftly fired one into the net with her left foot.
“She’s a leader, and she’s a fighter, and she never stops,” Duxbury coach Rob Jones said.
The creative finish was a microcosm of the night. Her hat trick fueled second-seeded Duxbury to a 5-2 triumph at Mansfield High. The No. 2 Dragons (20-1-1), who will play top seeded Masconomet in Saturday’s final (10 a..m.) at Worcester State, built a 3-1 halftime lead and pulled away from the No. 3 Rangers (15-4-1).
Anna Manganello scored on a rebound midway through the first half. Regan Sullivan trimmed the Westborough deficit to 2-1 on a header, then Carney delivered again just before the break.
Lauren Sutliffe finished in traffic, off a through-ball from Carney, early in the half to make it 4-1. Lauren Klein responded for the Rangers, then Carney skillfully provided the finishing touches with 13:55 remaining.
“It’s great to see all our hard work pay off,” Carney said. “In these past couple games, we just keep going up a level.”
Every time Westborough chipped away, the Dragons responded with a convincing answer. Duxbury’s team speed, ball control, and relentless mentality paid dividends against a formidable foe.
Kendall Quinn, Phoebe Roberts, Regan Donovan, Lilah MacQuarrie, and goalie Grey Metzler anchored a strong defensive effort for the Dragons. Duxbury has now outscored its opponents 21-5 in a dominant postseason run.
“It honestly doesn’t feel real,” Roberts said. “It’s just crazy. But I’m so happy.”
Complete soccer semifinals coverage:
- Yes, Newton North, the 31st seed, is dancing to the Division 1 boys’ soccer final
- St. John’s (Shrewsbury) peaking at the right time, reaching Division 1 boys’ soccer final for first time in 17 years
- Peyton Keyes unlocks a dramatic overtime win for Wellesley girls’ soccer in Division 1 semifinals
- Megan Carney’s hat trick propels Duxbury girls’ soccer to the Division 2 championship
- Alessandro Neyra refuses to let Hingham boys’ soccer season end in Division 2 semifinals
- A blast from Nick Babanikas launches Oliver Ames boys’ soccer past Mansfield and into Division 2 final
- A deficit? Masconomet girls’ soccer settled in, and followed Maggie Blosser’s lead to Division 2 semifinal win
- Looking to win a shootout? Nolan Mckenna answers the call, backstopping Norwell boys’ soccer to D3 final vs. Dover-Sherborn
- Nipmuc hands Norwell its first loss in 15 months, will meet Medfield in Division 3 girls’ soccer championship match
- Backs against the wall, Cohasset boys’ soccer rallies to reach Division 4 final in double overtime thriller
- How a four-minute stretch kept Sutton’s four-peat hopes alive and returned them to the Division 4 girls’ soccer final
- A defensive adjustment and Sasha Makogonov’s shutout send Hamilton-Wenham girls’ soccer to the D4 title game
- Elly Thomas breaks through in Division 5 semifinals, sending Hull girls’ soccer to its first state final
- A loss in the Boston City League final fueled Dearborn STEM’s run to the Division 5 boys’ soccer final
- Douglas girls’ soccer continues impressive run, shuts out Georgetown in Division 5 semifinals
Trevor Hass can be reached at trevor.hass@globe.com.
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