Wellesley girls edge Brookline to make Div. 1 final

WEYMOUTH — Captain Peyton Keyes sniped the game-ending goal off a penalty kick in overtime as second-seeded Wellesley clinched a trip Div. 1 girls soccer championship with a thrilling 2-1 victory over No. 3 Brookline.

“It’s amazing,” said the senior midfielder. “I think this team has worked so hard this season. I strongly believe that we deserve to be in the finals, and I think everyone would agree with that.”

This is the first trip to a state final for Wellesley’s girls soccer program since 2004, and for most of the night, it appeared the Raiders might just coast there on their defensive prowess.

It only took moments for Wellesley (18-3-1) to strike, as junior Emily Burnham fired a rocket toward the net. The attempt skipped off a defender, then floated past a diving goalkeeper in the third minute as the Raiders grabbed a 1-0 lead.

From that point, the score would hold until the 80th minute. As Brookline (11-7-3) desperately searched for the equalizer, Warriors captain Anna Leschly lofted a free kick from midfield into the box. The ball skipped off the head of classmate Sydney Freese, and in a stunning turn of events, ricocheted off the left post and in for the tying goal.

In shocking fashion, the two Bay State Conference rivals were bound for overtime… again. It was deja vu for the Raiders.

“Last year, we lost to Brookline in the Round of Eight,” Burnham said. “We were up 1-0 the whole game, and then they scored with a couple of minutes left. Then, they beat us in overtime. So, I definitely think that we wanted to beat them this time.”

Minutes into the extra session, Annie Comella was tripped in the box, and a whistle sounded. After a few seconds of debate, the referees awarded Wellesley a penalty kick, and a chance to seal the deal.

“I missed a PK on this field earlier this season,” Keyes said. “So, I kind of owed it to this team to get redemption. I just had to block everything out. I figured out where I placed it before, and went in with the mindset that I was going to make it.”

She didn’t miss her opportunity, ripping a bullet into the twine.

In his first season with Wellesley’s girls team, coach Dave Wainwright’s team will look to finish the job.

“Peyton has won that opportunity,” said Wainwright. “During our practices, during our overall season, everyone is looking to her to be that iconic leader. I was looking to see if it was going to be Emily Burnham. But I was not surprised to see Peyton step up. They all went to her, and you could see them (say): ‘This is your moment.’ Obviously, she earned it.”