Mercy Soccer Champs—A Season to Remember

A Season to Remember, Capped by a Thrilling Finish of Unyielding Tenacity and Unwavering Excellence

The Mercy High School soccer team advanced to the Class M State Championship, as the number four seed. Expectations were high, but the ultimate outcome uncertain, even amidst a stand-out season.

With the Class M State Championship on the line, every glance at the scoreboard yielded the same result. No goals for either team through regulation, through an overtime period, and then another. Since Connecticut Interscholastic Athletic Conference (CIAC) championship games do not utilize penalty kicks, the scoreless tie was how it ended. And thus Mercy, the number four seed, and Sacred Heart Academy, the number three seed, shared the Class M State Championship at the conclusion of the double-overtime match played at Dillon Stadium in Hartford on November 20, 2021.

There was no mistaking the exceptional effort put in by players of both schools, and although each would have preferred to win the game and the championship outright, recognizing the excellence on display throughout, Mercy goalkeeper Melina Ford ’23 observed afterwards, “It’s a good tie” and a Sacred Heart competitor concluded “it is an honor that we tied them.”

The precursors to the Championship were memorable as well. Mercy’s varsity soccer team won its first league title with a 19-2-3 record and then defeated Amity in the final of the Southern Connecticut Conference Tournament, on penalty kicks, 3-2, after overcoming a two-goal deficit in regulation and winning on penalty kicks after two scoreless 10-minute overtime periods. It was Mercy’s first SCC title in nearly two decades, since sharing the 2003 SCC tournament crown with Cheshire.

The honors for Mercy student-athletes at season’s end were abundant. Laney Smith ’25 was SCC Championship Game Most Outstanding Player; Lauren Kohs ’23 was an All SCC 2nd Team selection and Megan Menard ’24 was All SCC 1st Team; Kate Donlan ’24 was All SCC 1st Team, GameTime-CT All Area, GameTime-CT Honorable Mention All-State, and CHSCA Class M All State; Melina Ford was selected as All SCC 1st Team, GameTime-CT All Area, GameTime-CT All-State, CHSCA Class M All State, CHSCA All New England, and United Soccer Coaches All America Team.

For every member of the team, and coaches Marcus Harley P ’24, Paul Duncan, Meghan Hickey, and Jason LeBlanc, it was a remarkable season filled with extraordinary moments and unyielding excellence, made that much more memorable by enthusiasm and camaraderie that was emblematic of the entire season and academic year. To finish the year as one of the State Champions was more than icing on the cake, it was the well-earned result of hard work, teamwork, commitment and dedication. It was, and is, a title to be worn proudly.

EPILOGUE

The tie game result in Class M and another of CIAC’s conferences led to renewed discussion among coaches and leaders across the CIAC as to whether penalty kicks should be used to potentially decide the outcome of championship games. Ultimately, the decision was overwhelmingly made to do so, after the pros and cons— particularly at the high school level— were weighed and debated. The rule change is effective with the upcoming season.