SPORTS

Titans win DIII title

Toll Gate girls beat Westerly to win second championship in three years

By RYAN D. MURRAY
Posted 11/16/22

The Toll Gate Lady Titans hung on to defeat the Westerly Bulldogs 1-0 on Saturday evening and earned the Girls Division III Championship at Cranston Stadium. 

Toll Gate Freshman Shinyu Vega …

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SPORTS

Titans win DIII title

Toll Gate girls beat Westerly to win second championship in three years

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The Toll Gate Lady Titans hung on to defeat the Westerly Bulldogs 1-0 on Saturday evening and earned the Girls Division III Championship at Cranston Stadium. 

Toll Gate Freshman Shinyu Vega scored the game-winning goal with just 5:35 remaining after an assist from Isabelle Lafontaine, a junior midfielder.

It was the second game-winner in a row for Vega, who took home the Most Valuable Player Award. Vega also broke a 3-3 tie against the Classical Purple during the semifinal round.

“It feels amazing,” Vega said, after winning the title.

Vega was nervous before she booted in the goal from 30 yards out, from the right side of the field, into the top left corner of the goal.

“I’ve coached Shinyu since she was 11 years-old,” Toll Gate head coach Robert Enright said. “And I had a conversation with Shinyu before the game started. And she doesn’t normally start, and I said to her, ‘listen, it’s your time now. You’re going to start this game. Show everybody what I know you can do.’ And she did it. She did it.”

Toll Gate and Westerly each came into the championship game as top seeds. The Lady Titans were first- place in D-III-A, while the Bulldogs were first-place in D-III-B.

Toll Gate sophomore goalkeeper Alanna Pereira stopped an early shot from Samantha Sacco right out the gate, and then back-to-back shots from Danica Jarrett and Gia Keegan, who were charging into the box. Pereira finished the match with 12 saves.

Pereira was Toll Gate’s fourth goalkeeper last year, and this year, she was the starter.

“We had three seniors last year and they were all goalies,” Pereira said. “So, I had to step up this year. It was definitely big shoes to fill, I’m not going to lie.”

Pereira was unbeatable in goal during the championship game with the help of her teammates.

“The biggest thing was just come in here and do your job,” Pereira said. “Westerly beat us 5-2 in our last meeting, so we knew we had to step it up. And I think our team played absolutely phenomenal today. I couldn’t ask for a better group of girls to play with. These girls, they’re my family. They’re my best friends.”

The victory gives the Lady Titans two of the last three D-III titles.

Believe it or not, Toll Gate was not at full strength all year. Before the season started, the Lady Titans lost three of their best players to ACL injuries. Later on in the year, it lost one of its top defenders to a back injury. 

“So, we’re down four starters and they already beat us 5-2,” Enright said. “They are fast. They are a great team and we knew that we could play with them. And we knew if we kept it a close game that we would be able to squeak it out.”

The freshman may have been the highlight of both the championship and the semifinal games, but it was a total team effort.

“Shinyu she lit it up the last two playoff games,” Enright added. “So, she deserves everything she gets, but this senior team, most of them are starters. At least 13 of them were getting minutes and they earned it. We just came for the ride. I’d like to say we had anything to do with it, but it was all them. All them.”

Toll Gate, Titans, soccer

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