CHICOPEE – Heading the ball is one of the toughest skills to master in soccer, but Sutton freshman defender Molly Jenkins has made a routine of it in the Suzies’ defensive zone all season long.

  “Molly has won so many headers in the air on the back line I think we were all waiting for the goal on an attacking set piece to come,” Sutton head coach Jensen

Anna Joseph

Shipp said this week.

The goal not only came, but it happened for Jenkins at the biggest moment of the season. With four minutes left in a 2-2 tie with Palmer High School in the Division 5 state finals game, Sutton freshman Anna Joseph sailed a corner kick into the Palmer penalty box. Jenkins jockeyed for position in a sea of blue and white shirts as the ball entered the box. She connected for a perfect header into the back of the net for what proved to be the game-winning and title-clinching goal for the Suzies. 

“Incredible!” Shipp said about the goal after Sutton won their first state title since 2017 on Saturday. “To have the first one come in a state final, with four minutes left, just makes the moment that more special.”

As good as Jenkins has been with headers this season, Joseph has been just as good on set pieces. “Anna is able to be so successful on set pieces because of her understanding of the game and the ability to accurately hit a ball with both feet,” Shipp said. Joseph has had a knack for setting up scoring plays all season. She finished second in the Dual Valley Conference and fifth in Central Mass with twelve assists this season.

Heading into the game, the Suzies knew they had to contend with one of the state’s most prolific goal scorers in Palmer’s Maddy Theriault, who scored five goals against Carver in the semifinals.

Addy Jerome

“Our game plan was to limit Maddy as much as possible with a man mark and always provide one or two covering defenders to help with that,” Shipp said. “We saw how good of a player she was in the state semifinals and the plan was to make someone else beat us.”

Sutton did a good job limiting Palmer’s powerful forward as the Suzies got on the scoreboard first with an Addy “Big Goal” Jerome shot over the head of the Palmer goalkeeper. Shipp said the freshman striker found herself winning multiple one-on-one battles throughout the game to create scoring chances for herself. “The first goal is one of them,” he said. “She’s able to beat a defender and strike the ball beautifully from a difficult angle and distance.”

Theriault proved to be a difficult player to contain. About nine minutes after Sutton scored, she was able to block a Jenkins clearing attempt to move the ball deep into Sutton’s left corner. She then set up her sister, eighth-grader Charlotte Theriault, for the equalizer. Maddie booted a beautiful cross with her left foot to the right corner of the box and Charlotte finished with her right foot hitting the ball in midair into the net. “Other players did step up for them,” Shipp said. “You know in a state final, players are going to compete in every moment and that makes everything a bit more difficult.”

With the first half winding down, the tandem of Jerome and Joseph put the Suzies back on top. Jerome drove the ball into the teeth of the Panthers’ defense. She spotted Joseph about ten yards to the left of the Palmer goal. Jerome slid a pass between two defenders to Joseph who ripped a short-side shot past the goalkeeper.

Jerome and Joseph have teamed up on goals in the last three tournament games. Shipp said the ability from both players to create space in one-on-one situations have made the two freshmen a lethal dual threat. “Anna’s second goal comes off of Addy playing one-v-one again and then finding Anna in the middle,” he said. “Anna is strong one-v-one and is able to create space and put her foot through the ball with great power. We knew going into the year both of them would contribute to creating goal scoring chances when we had the ball. For them to step up even more as the games increased in difficulty and pressure, shows their maturity as players.

Charlotte Theriault tied the score again midway through the second half when she buried a rebound past Sutton goalkeeper Katie Wright before Jenkins’ scored

Leah Joseph, Katie Wright, ans Lindsay Kassatly

her game-winner at the end.

When the referee blew his whistle to signal the end of the game and a 3-2 Sutton victory, the Suzies rushed onto the field to celebrate their state title.

“It is hard to describe in words,” Shipp said. “It’s a great feeling obviously. The best moment of it all was to watch the players celebrate as a team after the final whistle. They worked so hard over the past three months to reach that point.”

Anytime a high school season ends, even after a championship, it can be bittersweet, because this was the last game for seniors Leah Joseph, Lindsay Kassatly, and Wright. 

“We have three seniors who we are going to miss,” Shipp said. “Leah’s leadership was so valuable to us throughout the whole season. She has a great understanding of the game and is a fantastic teammate. Lindsay was one of our most consistent players and played multiple positions for us and succeeded in all of them. She was a glue player for us and kept us together. Katie’s a role model to so many of our players and her leadership and ability as a player was vital to our success. She will be remembered as one of the Sutton girls’ soccer greats.” 

Caroline Howe

Shipp said it took every player on the roster to make this a championship season for the Suzies. “Every single player contributed to this,” he said. “Over our three-month season, we had highs and lows. We had injuries and difficult moments. We also had a team that positively supported each other through all of it. I’d also like to acknowledge our team of coaches, Jenna Fitzgerald, Angel Canales, and Colleen Lombardi. They support me, the players and the program as a whole. They made a difference in our season.”

Despite losing some valuable seniors for next season, Shipp said there will be no void in leadership on the team. He expects

Macy Hutchinson

juniors Taylor Bohanan, Natalie Smith, Macy Hutchinson, Caroline Howe, and Ruby Adamowicz to fill that role. 

“We have a group of juniors who will be back and ready to lead this team next year as seniors,” he said. “Talyor and Natalie will continue to lead the back line and the team. Macy and Caroline will return in the midfield and Ruby, as a forward, are great teammates and leaders. We also have the high impact freshmen, Molly, Addy, and Anna, who are naturally growing as leaders as well.” 

Ruby Adamowicz

Sutton had a season filled with injuries and, at times, a roster in flux, but as Shipp reflects on the tremendous success of his team, finishing with a record of 18-4-1, including ending the season on a twelve-game unbeaten streak and a state title, he is most proud of the resilience of his group. 

“The difficult games and moments built such a high level of resilience within this group,” he said. “We talk about soccer but we also talk about life. We had talked about how we respond to difficult situations is what defines us as people. This team responded the right way over and over again to the challenges presented in front of them.”