WEST SPRINGFIELD — The No. 1 Northampton Lady Blue Devils (18-2) raced past the No. 3 Mt. Greylock Mounties (6-12) with a 16-9 win to capture the Western Mass. Class B title on Tuesday.
In addition, history was made as Sophomore Makayla Fydenkevez recorded her 100th high school goal, while contributing five goals and three assists. The rest was history, as the confirmation and reality of being champions settled in for the Lady Blue Devils, as a banner will now hang forever at the school as a reminder of a dream completed.
“It feels fantastic, our girls work hard and I’m extremely proud of them,” Blue Devils coach Ousmane Power-Greene said. “It’s a true achievement to get here, and it always show in the game, from the grit and effort displayed.”
Coach Power-Greene also reflected on the historic moment and how his team came together for Fydenkevez, while expressing respect for his opponent in Mt. Greylock.
“It shows the work that (Fydenkevez) puts in, and her reaching this achievement this year isn’t really surprising, and for all those who have seen her come up in the youth league,” Power-Greene noted. “(Mt. Greylock) are a good team, and they didn’t give up and I’m glad we had the poise and ability to fight through adversity to bring things all together back at the end. ”
Northampton stormed out of the gate with intensity and ambition, quickly jumping out to a 5-0 lead built upon creating an offensive rhythm through a combination of speed, a wide-open midfield, and taking advantage of the Mt. Greylock defense, which couldn’t keep pace. The Blue Devils swarmed the opposition causing immense pressure to create ample mistakes and lead to prime scoring opportunities.
The Blue Devils found ample success as they continued to find the back of the net due to the rotation of Fydenkevez and Imanni Power-Greene, who finished with three goals and three assists contributing to the team’s immense lead, while offering a point of leadership out on the field.
After 12 minutes of play, signaling the first quarter drew to a close, the Blue Devils controlled all aspects of the match as they led 6-1 over the Mounties. Heading into halftime, Northampton led big, up 11-3.
Despite the uphill battle, Mt. Greylock continued to hang tough as netminder Liv Eakin made some strong saves while Reese Raymond contributed two goals to keep her team’s confidence afloat.
As the third quarter drew to a close, history was officially made, and the moment was captured as Fydenkevez blitzed by a defender, before sticking with the pressure to zip a right-side missile into the back of the net, extending the Blue Devils’ lead 12-5 at 9:24 left in the third.
“I’m just really happy my team made it here, and going into tonight we just wanted to get this win really badly,” Fydenkevez said. “We were all really unselfish tonight, and if honest going into this game I didn’t even think about my 100th goal. I just wanted the championship.”
Fydenkevez reflected on the path she built along with bestowing an ode of gratitude to her family and coaches.
“I’m super grateful to everyone who got me into the sport, and especially the Power-Greene family, and I’m super grateful to my team, we haven’t gotten a championship in a while,” Fydenkevez said.
Near the closing portion of the fourth quarter it was clear the Moutnies were running low and fatigue was setting in, as every player left everything out on the field, and fought to the end.
One shining spot was Reese Raymond who had four goals and most notably two in the final minute of regulation. However, in the end it wasn’t enough as the Lady Blue Devils raced off the sideline to embrace their sisters and take in the joy of the crown now forever in their grasp.
Now the Blue Devils mindset turns to preparing for the MIAA state tournament where Coach Power-Greene said he’s excited to be back among the best of the best.
“For us were just getting ready for the tournament,” Power-Greene said. “And we were fortunate to get an opportunity to play one of the best in the state, actually top 10 in the nation, and were just looking forward to seeing how far we can go in the tournament.”
