Week 4: Two firsts for Centaurs in win over Bacon Academy

Woodstock Academy senior Lennon Favreau admitted to getting a little misty-eyed.

With 19 minutes, 23 seconds left in the match with Bacon Academy on Friday, she found herself with the ball in the box and a net in front of her.

Teammate Grace Gelhaus sent the ball into the box which a Bobcat defender attempted to clear.

Instead, it found the foot of Favreau.

The career defensive player, who has moved up to center-midfield this season, wasn’t about to let the opportunity pass her by.

"I was there on the clear, cut it to my left and I shot it to the far post," Favreau said.

It found the back of the net for her first career goal.

"It felt amazing. I teared up a little on the field which is a little embarassing but I was really happy," Favreau said.

It was the third and final goal of the match for the Centaurs who blanked Bacon Academy, 3-0, at the Bentley Athletic Complex.

But Favreau wasn't the only senior in the match who found the back of the net for a first time in her career.

Just a little under seven minutes before, Maya Orbegozo was coming in from the left side. Teammate Isabella Selmecki, coming down the middle, put a shot on net.

Bacon Academy keeper Elizabeth Glover made the stop.

But she could not reel in the rebound and it bounced out to Orbegozo.

The senior cashed in.

“It felt really good. I can not believe it. I was in shock. It was just the best moment,” she said.

One match.

Two career first goals for a pair of seniors.

And, for both, it was mission accomplished.

“I just started at the center-mid position for a first time this year and I was really working hard to get a goal. I had played center and outside back which doesn’t give you as many opportunities as center-mid does. I was really trying to get a goal from this position,” Favreau said.

Orbegozo was equally fulfilled.

“I’ve been waiting for this moment all four years and it finally happened,” Orbegozo said.

It also came during a win which was important to, not only both players, but the team as a whole as it evened the Centaurs record to 3-3-1 on the season.

“It was good for everybody,” Woodstock Academy coach Dennis Snelling said of the win. “Bacon had four straight shutouts coming into the game.”

It looked as if five shutouts in a row was a possibility early thanks to the play of Bobcat keeper Elizabeth Glover.

She adjusted and stopped a shot by Grace Gelhaus which was deflected off a defender. She then stopped a 1 v. 1 versus Woodstock Academy sophomore Leah Costa and even recovered from that save to stop the rebound shot from Costa.

“She’s really good. She’s really smart. She was really good at coming out when we took big touches,” Favreau said.

Costa finally broke the ice just under four minutes into the second half when she took a beautiful cross by Juliet Allard and hit the far post with it. But the ball bounced to the left and into the other side of the net to put the Centaurs ahead to stay.

“This was the kind of game, as they normally are when It’s tied 0-0 at the half, where the first goal is really emotional for the other team that gives it up. It felt really good to relax a little. I don’t know if we’ve led too often this year,” Snelling said. “To beat NFA and Bacon, two good Eastern Connecticut Conference teams, shows that we’ve come a long way from last year.”