CHSAA girls soccer: Hills quest to rule the city denied during heart-breaking loss to Xaverian – SILive.com

St. Joseph Hill was able to overcome the first Riley Mullen-Kyra Siekiewicz connection.

But, unfortunately for the Hilltoppers, they never got the opportunity to overcome a second one.

Mullen scored a golden goal off a pretty Siekiewicz feed just 3:28 into the first overtime to lift the Clippers to a 2-1 victory over the Hilltoppers in the CHSAA city girls soccer championship Wednesday at Owl Hollow.

Despite losing, however, Hills season is not over. By defeating St. Joseph by-the-Sea in the Archdiocesan championship last week, the 10-3-2 Hilltoppers automatically advanced to the four-team Catholic state playoffs.

Hence, head coach Rob Libertellis troops will meet St. Anthonys of South Huntington, L.I. at Aviator Field in Brooklyn beginning at 4:30 p.m. Monday. The Friars are the states top-ranked AAA team.

Xaverian, which improved to 11-1 after capturing its third consecutive city crown, will trek to Nardin Academy in Buffalo in the other state semifinal contest. The Clippers will take on the Nichols School beginning at 11 a.m. on Saturday.

It was as well-played game against a tough opponent in Xaverian. I thought we both dominated play at different times,' said Hill coach Rob Libertelli, who received strong defensive play from Victoria Terranova, Alyssa Costa, Gabrielle Pascual and Ava Tafuri. We had our opportunities (to win it), but it just didnt happen this time.

I cant complain. We gave it our best.'

West Brighton resident Riley Mullen, seen playing a ball for Xaverian while St. Joseph Hill defender Victoria Terranova closes in, tallied twice for the Clippers during Wednesday's CHSAA city championship game at Owl Hollow. (Staten Island Advance/Annie De Biase)

Mullen, a junior and West Brighton resident, opened the scoring at the 21-minute mark when Lighthouse Hill Siekiewicz put a through ball at her feet straight on inside Hills territory. Mullen got around a defender before veering left and, with Hill goalie Juliana Castellano (four saves) aggressively leaving her net, Mullen dribbled around her as well before rolling a shot into the wide-open net for a 1-0 lead.

The Hilltoppers, however, showed signs of life during stoppage time in the first half. Senior outside midfielder Christina Lambraia, lined up for a free kick approximately 40 yards out and to the left before sending a rocket to the back of the net to tie the score at 1-1.

Another big play by Christina, despite battling a sore groin,' Libertelli said. We felt pretty good tying the score just before the half.'

The Hilltoppers, who owned a 12-11 advantage in shots, exchanged golden scoring opportunities with the Brooklyn school late in the second half. Ashley Siekiewicz nearly tallied on a breakaway for the Clippers, but the ball sailed over the crossbar at the 72-minute mark.

St. Joseph Hill's Diana Cavalieri prepares to unleash a booming kick despite the presence of Xaverian's Riley Mullen on Wednesday, Nov. 3, 2021. (Staten Island Advance/Annie De Biase)

Five minutes later, Hills Isabella Idone got off a shot from the left side of the box, but the ball hit the right post before Xaverians Alexa Barnett cleared it from harms way to keep the score tied 1-1.

The game went into overtime and the teams were to play two, 10-minute overtime sessions until somebody scored a golden goal. After that, penalty kicks would be the last resort.

However, PKs werent needed as Mullen and Kyra Siekiewicz once again connected. This time, shortly after the Clippers lined up for a free kick, Siekiewicz sent a through ball to Mullen inside the left portion of the box. Castellano again left the goal-line to challenge, but Muller managed to deke her way around before rolling a shot toward the wide-open goalmouth.

Despite a valiant effort by Costa, who dove in an effort to keep it out, the ball crossed the line, thus giving the Clippers the title.

Going into overtime was actually good for us because it gave us a chance to reset,' said Xaverian coach Erin Meagher, who, as Erin Kennedy, used to coach St. Joseph by-the-Seas girls varsity soccer team a few years back. Riley is just on another level. Shes just so smart, she has great soccer IQ and she found a way to get us some big goals.'

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CHSAA girls soccer: Hills quest to rule the city denied during heart-breaking loss to Xaverian - SILive.com