St. Paul girls soccer puts up fight, falls in Class S semifinal to top-seeded Old Lyme

Briana Senese (38) had a goal and Addison Davis (33) an assist in St. Paul’s
4-2 Class S semifinal loss to Old Lyme. (Copyright, Sports on CT-69, 2017 file)

Fourth-seeded St. Paul faced its biggest challenge on Tuesday when it played top-seeded Old Lyme in the Class S state semifinal at Meriden’s Falcon Field.
The Falcons fell behind quickly, trailing 2-0 with barely five minutes gone by. The deficit became 3-0 before Briana Senese got St. Paul on the board. A little less than four minutes later, Kendall Davis found the net off her sister Addison’s assist and the Falcons trailed 3-2. There was a little less than 14 minutes to play, St. Paul was down just a single goal to the two-time defending Class S champions.

Kendall Davis.

The Falcons got no closer, and a final goal by the Wildcats put the match away. Old Lyme won 4-2 and plays second-seeded Holy Cross, a 2-1 winner over No. 11 East Hampton, on Saturday at a time and place to be determined.
St. Paul ends its best-ever season at 15-4-3. The Falcons had never seen a semifinal until this group put them there. It was the final game for seniors Kendall Davis, Mariana Cervantes, Irene Rotondo and Briana Senese. Davis and Senese were captains.