Photo Courtesy Annapolis Blues FC
After yet another 90 minutes of dominance, the Annapolis Blues hoisted the USL W Chesapeake Division trophy in the air and will now have its sights set on conference playoffs.
The blistering heat would not slow down the Blues, showing just as much determination as they have all year despite losing Baylee DeSmitt, who signed a professional contract with Sporting Jax of the USL Super League this week.
Kicking off the regular season finale with a bang, Riley DeMartino recorded what just may be the goal of the year Looking to play out of the back, Ivy goalkeeper Lauren Hargrove attempted to find her left back, however, the pass was swiftly intercepted by DeMartino. The left winger took on Rebekah Doolittle, easily beating her with a body faint, before firing off her shot 20 yards out from goal. Scoring her fourth goal of the season, the University of Notre Dame sophomore curled the shot with her left foot into the top left corner, a perfect display of the coveted upper 90 goal.
Just before the break Sarah Martin doubled the lead. Kelsey Smith received a pass with her back to goal in the middle of the pitch. Beating two defenders, Smith’s loose touch turned to a pass and fell at the feet of Martin who, from a nearly identical spot as DeMartino, unleashed a low, driven shot that beat Hargrove and found the bottom right corner.
Both Martin and DeMartino had decent chances to add to their tallies in the second half, one from a free kick and the other from a one-one-one opportunity down the wing. Hargrove, however, was equal to the task on both occasions.
Blues goalkeeper Caroline Duffy was rarely tested throughout the match. Her most significant save came in the 88th minute as Molly Flammia found herself on the end of a through ball on the right wing, just inside the box. Flammia took her chance with a first-time strike that was saved with a simple, mid-height dive to the left from Duffy, easily holding onto the shot.
The Blues scored a league sixth-best 31 goals through its nine matches, conceding only five goals, a fifth-best mark in the league, ending the season with four consecutive clean sheets.
Finishing the regular season with an undefeated record of 9-0-1, Annapolis became the first expansion club to secure postseason play this season. In doing so, Naptown will host the USL W League Eastern Conference Playoffs, with semi-finals taking place on July 3, followed by the final on Sunday, July 6.
