Shalia Seghal goal separates Algonquin from Shrewsbury for Central Mass Class A title

MARLBOROUGH – Hope alone won't win a Central Massachusetts championship.

Thankfully Algonquin had both Hope Candela and Shalia Seghal. Candela looped a pass into the box during the 71st minute of Wednesday's CMADA Class A final against Shrewsbury at Assabet Valley.

The Titans tried similar maneuvers for most of the second half, all finding a white Colonials shirt or ending up wide of the frame.

Seghal attacked the open space primed for a header, like her coaches want her to do more. Unfortunately the ball wasn't high enough for a header. But it was too low for a volley. So Seghal jumped and flicked the ball high into the air off the side of her right foot.

"I thought I'd just give it a shot. It's definitely something I haven't done before," Seghal said. "You have a shot, sometimes it works out for you."

It floated through the almost freezing night just inside the right post and below the cross bar, dancing in the side netting.

The Algonquin players on the field surged around Seghal, a mixture of excitement and relief.

"To feel that sense of relief off my shoulders, to know that I was able to be there for my team felt so good," Seghal said. "It's amazing to be part of this team. I got so lucky to grow up in this town and be a part of this team."

The goal stood, and Algonquin captured its first Central Massachusetts championship since 2019, 1-0. It ended a streak of finals disappointment after losing to Grafton in last year's CMADA final and then the Division 1 state final.

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"I've never felt greater. We've been on the team since freshman year. We've been waiting for something like this," Algonquin senior captain Kylie Tomasetti said. "We came so far, and now we're finally able to celebrate with the trophy."

Shrewsbury made them sweat, though. The Colonials earned a dangerous free kick with seven minutes remaining. Stonehill commit Meghan Dowd whipped a shot around the Algonquin wall, but Titans keeper Bella Roman shuffled into position and parried it away from an attempted header. The ball bounced in the box twice, and Algonquin defenders blocked a follow up shot before clearing the danger.

"Courage. Put your whole body on the line," Tomasetti said. "It doesn't matter, as long as the ball is not in the goal, it doesn't matter how it gets out."

The clock ticked slower for the team in maroon. The nine minutes after the Titans goal and the six after their save crawled.

"Way too long," Tomasetti said. "It felt like hours."

Worth the wait, though. Tomasetti took the trophy from Algonquin athletic director Mike Mocerino and started a mosh pit with the rest of her team. Then they ran across the field at a full sprint to celebrate with their fans and classmates.

"I think it was something the team couldn't accomplish last year," Seghal said. "We're so glad we did it."

They aren't done yet, either. The Titans are the No. 11 seed in the Division 1 tournament and will host No. 22 Lexington at 7 p.m. Saturday.

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"It's exciting to have a little bit of momentum, but it's two entirely different tournaments. We're going to be playing somebody that's probably very good that we haven't seen in the past," Algonquin coach John Frederick said. "The road is, listen, we got through it last year to the final. It's a hard road. The two teams that get to the final are gonna be really good and probably a little lucky. Hopefully that's us. We'll see."

Contact Kyle Grabowski at kgrabowski@gannett.com. Follow him on X, formerly known as Twitter, @kylegrbwsk. 

This article originally appeared on MetroWest Daily News: Alonquin girls soccer tops Shrewsbury for Class A Central Mass title