Howland, Hubbard girls play to a draw

Howland girls outshoot Hubbard, but are unable to produce winning goal

By Dan Hiner

sports @vindy.com

HUBBARD

The crowd at the Howland-Hubbard girls soccer match erupted in boos and yelling after referees made a judgment call late in the game on Wednesday night.

With 2:36 remaining in a 1-1 tie, a Howland direct kick looked as if the ball bounced off the top of the goal, but it was unclear if the ball crossed the line. The referees ruled that the ball didn’t cross the line, and instead went out of play — resulting in a Hubbard possession.

The game ended in a tie and Howland’s players and coaches were disappointed that a potential win came down to the referees’ ruling. Howland head coach Joe Megyesi was adamant that the shot should have been counted as a goal.

Hubbard (4-3-1) jumped out to an early 1-0 lead in the first half. Junior Marissa Grande scored the go-ahead goal and Taylor Chuey was credited with the assist, giving Hubbard the lead approximately 10 minutes into the game.

“We started with a lot of enthusiasm and excitement. I got the goal — I came out and got it early,” Grande said. “I think it gave us a lot of encouragement to keep us in the game throughout the second half to keep the lead.”

Hubbard went into halftime with the 1-0 lead, but Howland’s aggressive offense was able to take advantage in the second half.

With 19:00 minutes remaining in the game, Howland’s Morgan Scott lined up for a free kick. Scott’s shot floated just over the fingertips of Hubbard goalie Alexis Cobbin and landed in the top right corner of the net. Tying the game at 1.

Dispite the close call, Hubbard head coach Scott MacMillan said he was proud of the way his team played. He went on to say the tie marked the first time the Eagles tied Howland in more than 20 years.

“They brought their ‘A game’ because they knew they had to,” MacMillan said. “When you play Howland you have to play your ‘A game,’ and it came down to the team that made more mistakes.”

Howland (3-3-2) controlled the ball throughout the game. The Tigers outshot the Eagles 23-3. The Eagles allowed the Tigers to attempt shots, but MacMillian said he told his team he wanted Howland to take difficult attempts.

“I told my defenders to stay on their shots and give them bad shots,” he said. “The keeper could clean up a bad shot and not worry about making a phenominal save that nobody can make. Going into practice I said, ‘You need to mark hard, you need to mark tight and they’re going to take shots, but make them take bad shots.’ ”

Hubbard goalkeepers Cobbin and Leah Munndell finished with 15 saves, while Howland’s Kamryn Buckley recorded two.

Megyesi mostly didn’t want to talk after the game, but said he wanted to give credit to Hubbard and MacMillian for a well-played game.

MacMillian said he believes the Hubbard program is starting to move in the right direction.

“They’re starting to believe and today I think they final bought in that they could play to the best of their ability, and could compete with anyone,” he said. “To hold the lead for as long as we held it against them, and they’re powerful.

“They have two of the best finishers around. Morgan Scott’s got the best shot of any girl in our tri-county area, and she’s an all-district player — a first-teamer— so to shut her down was an amazing feat. I think today’s going to be our turning point.”