Morse's second-half goal sends Braintree girls soccer past No. 2 Wellesley and into the Division 1 semifinals

BRAINTREE, Mass. High school girls soccer: MIAA Division 1 state tournament, quarterfinals

Braintree junior Avery Morse scored in the 60th minute Saturday night as seventh-seeded Braintree beat No. 2 Wellesley 2-1 at Wellesley, The Boston Globe reported, sending the Wamps into the Division 1 girls soccer semifinals, two wins from a state title.

Wellesley had beaten Braintree 1-0 on Oct. 22, the Globe reported, and the Wamps reversed it in the quarterfinal to improve to 11-4-6, according to the Globe's scoreboard. They have won all three of their tournament games while giving up a single goal.

How the Wamps won it

Braintree struck first about 10 minutes in, on a shot from well outside the box that beat the Wellesley keeper, the Globe reported. The Globe's own records differ on who scored it: the Globe's game story from Wellesley and its Sunday Schools Insider credit Braintree senior Meredith Jones, while the game capsule on the Globe's high school scoreboard credits Braintree sophomore Siena DiTocco. Both are midfielders on the school's varsity roster, and this story will be updated when Braintree High School confirms the scorer.

Wellesley sophomore Presley Kelly tied it in the 24th minute with a shot from the top of the box, the Globe reported.

The second half was tight until Morse took a pass inside the box and put a low shot into the bottom right corner for the lead. Braintree junior goalkeeper Olivia Whelan made several big saves to keep Wellesley from answering, according to the Globe's account.

"She's like having a fourth captain back there," Braintree coach Ryan Puntiri told the Globe about Whelan.

Wellesley, the No. 2 seed, finished 16-2-3, according to the Globe's scoreboard. The Raiders had beaten North Andover 7-0 and Hopkinton 3-0 in the tournament, according to the MIAA.

Two shutouts before Saturday

Whelan starred in both of Braintree's earlier tournament wins too. She kept a clean sheet in a 4-0 win over No. 26 Boston Latin School on Tuesday, Nov. 10, when Braintree freshman Savannah Sanon scored twice and added an assist and Michaela Ranieri and Siena Quintiliani also scored, the Globe reported.

Two days later, Braintree and No. 10 Lexington played to a scoreless draw at Braintree before the Wamps won the shootout, which the MIAA records as a 1-0 Braintree win. Whelan stopped three of Lexington's four penalty kicks, and Braintree juniors Ranieri and Quintiliani and sophomore Caitlin Kelly converted, according to the Globe.

The Wamps entered the tournament at 8-4-6, the MIAA's seeding list shows, and Braintree senior Payton Clougher told the Globe the team had "really come together" toward the end of the season.

What's next

Braintree plays the winner of Sunday's quarterfinal between No. 3 Bishop Feehan, which entered the tournament unbeaten at 14-0-4, and No. 22 Newton North, set for 5 p.m. at Bishop Feehan, according to the MIAA bracket.

The Globe reported that the semifinal date and time are to be announced, and its Schools Insider said the soccer semifinals will be played Tuesday and Wednesday.

Label: Reported by us.