Lauren Spota saw a stark difference in her Archbishop Molloy girls soccer team after a one-goal loss to powerhouse Sacred Heart on Oct 14. Since that setback, the Stanners have played their best soccer of the season, going unbeaten in their final four regular-season games and playing with an added aggressiveness.

“It‘s just amazing to see the girls play this good,” Spota said “They are like a whole different team from the beginning of the year to the end. They were throwing their bodies in front of everyone and not letting anything get past them.”

The Stanners also didn’t let a chance to repeat as CHSAA Nassau/Suffolk Class A champions elude them. Michelle Sabogal scored the winner a little over a minute into the first overtime and the No. 2 Stanners held on for a 2-1 win over No. 1 Our Lady of Mercy in Syosset Friday afternoon.

“We just had the extra want and desire out there today,” Spota said.

Molloy (7-6-4) took the early lead when Kathryn Edwards sent a pass to an open Victoria Antonino. Instead of shooting, she passed it back to Laura Prendergast, who scored to the top right corner in the first half. Molloy lost starting sweeper Tara Dillon to a deep cut on her lip after she collided with a Mercy defender 20 minutes into the game and had to be taken to the hospital, according to Spota.

Our Lady of Mercy, which had a shot hit the post in the first half, scored in the 50th minute off the rebound of a shot that Molloy goalkeeper Chelsea Wynne made a diving save on. The Stanners had a chance to prevails in regulation. Lianna Cocchi tipped a shot just wide with less than five minutes remaining.

“It was a little scary for a while after that,” Spota said of the time right after Mercy tied the score, “but then we settled down and played our game.”

The Stanners competed with the same aggressiveness and heart that got them to this point, a quality that grew as the season wore on.

“If we just played like that all season,” Spota said, “who knows what it would have been like.”