Wachusett does it again
Winning back-to-back state title, especially in Division 1, is a tough task. Wachusett answered the call and then some as it used penalty kicks to win its second straight title last night. Nichole Vernon netted home a shootout tally in the eighth round to lift Wachusett, 1-0 (6-5), over Natick at Manning Field.
GIRLS SOCCER
“I was so nervous at first,” said Vernon about making her penalty kick. “But then as I was walking up there, I thought about practice and all the times I’ve made it. That’s all I thought about and I cleared my head and got it in, luckily.” Said coach David Gentleman: “For any Division 1 team to win back-to-back is unprecedented. These guys are really special.”
Division 3
Norwell capped off a dominant postseason run with some history. Rachel Gould and Lexi Rothmann scored secondhalf goals while goalkeeper Casey Ward had five saves as Norwell defeated previously unbeaten South Hadley, 2-0, to win the Div. 3 State crown yesterday afternoon at Woburn High School. The state championship is the first in program history for the Clippers and puts the finishing touches on a run that saw Norwell (22-2-1) outscore its opponents 20-3 in the playoffs. “It was a true team effort,” said Norwell coach Kara Connerty. “Our defense did just a tremendous job. Casey Ward’s athleticism was shining.” Gould broke a scoreless tie in the 60th minute. South Hadley goalkeeper Bridget Sears failed to clear a crosser off the leg of Ellie Boyd. The ball was loose in the box for nearly 10 seconds before Gould cleaned up the scrum and put it home to give Norwell a 1-0 lead. Moments later, in the 67th minute, Rothmann provided some insurance by launching a free kick from just over 20 yards out that landed in the back left corner of the net to give the Clippers a 2-0 lead. “We’ve been believing the whole tournament. We didn’t just believe in each other, but we went into every game believing we were going to win,” said Rothmann. South Hadley kept the pressure on Ward throughout the first 40 minutes, consistently generating scoring chances. In the 32nd minute, Tigers’ midfielder Madelyn Doolittle got behind the defense and past an aggressive Ward. Norwell’s Kirstin Vierra made a sliding block to keep the game scoreless. Moments later, South Hadley had a pair of chances but Ward once again came through swatting away a corner kick before making a shin save off the rebound to keep the game scoreless at the half.
Division4
Having earned their first state title in eight years last season, Millis girls soccer came into the 2018 campaign with one goal in mind: defend the throne. The sixth-ranked south sectional champion Mohawks did so with a convincing 2-0 victory over topseeded west sectional champion Granby in the Div. 4 state title bout at St. John’s Prep in Danvers. “Everyone has bought into our program, the players, the system that we run, the expectations are high,” said head coach Steve Bailen. “The chemistry was important once again and that’s just a part of the culture that we’ve built.” Millis (18-3-4) opened the scoring in the 37th minute when a throw-in from the left sideline in Granby (166-1) territory found it’s way to Abigail Miller, who fed it across the top of the box to Jordyn Farrentino who spun with the right foot and drilled a liner back against the grain to beat the keeper. The Mohawks didn’t wait to add insurance, when a broken play in the Rams’ box led to a loose ball in a dangerous spot, and Grace Jewett made no mistake to make it 2-0 in the 40th minute. “We were knocking on their doorstep and we just needed to finish,” Bailen said. “We just had to keep on pounding, keep our composure and just keep control of the game.”