Defensive masterpiece leads Hingham High girls soccer to Division 1 state title
WALPOLE – Hingham High sophomore girls soccer player Grace Maroney has seen a lot state championships.
She was in the stands watching her cousin, Kira Maguire (a collegiate player at Virginia and now Brown) help lead the Harborwomen to two of their three consecutive state titles from 2014 to 2016. Maroney was in the program herself for last year’s state final loss to Natick.
But on Saturday, she finally got her hands on a state-title trophy as Hingham defeated Algonquin, 1-0, at Walpole High to lay claim to the Division 1 state crown. Senior Sophie Reale’s first-half goal was the difference.
“I thought it was incredible,” said Maroney, recalling her days in the bleachers. “(Winning a state title) means so much. I couldn’t have asked for anything better. This is just amazing.”
More:Hingham High girls soccer is one win from the state title following penalty-kick win
The role Maroney played on Saturday was a relatively new one. She began the season as a forward and attacking midfielder, but a rocky preseason for the team and a pair of ties to open the year prompted some lineup changes. She was moved to the backline, a spot she had never played before.
She was one part of a defensive masterpiece Saturday. Despite the Titans dominating possession, Hingham didn’t allow Algonquin to place a single shot on goal.
“She completely changed how our backline plays,” said Hingham coach Mary-Frances Monroe of Maroney. “She stepped into that role with a big smile and said, ‘I just want to play, coach. I’ll do anything that you need.”’
More:Find all MIAA high school state championship scores here
Maroney was joined on the backline by senior captain Maddie Aughe, senior captain Caroline Schiffmann and Reese Pompeo.
“Schifty, Maddie, Reese, they’re always there,” said Maroney. “If I get beat, Schifty is right behind me supporting me.”
Goalkeeper Ella Stadtlander made a season-saving save and stood tall in a 2-1 penalty-kick shootout win over Bishop Feehan in the semifinals. Despite not having to make a save Saturday, there were tense moments for her. Algonquin had four second-half corner kicks, including three consecutively with just over 10 minutes remaining.
More:Find all MIAA high school football state semifinal scores here
Hingham’s defense stood tall for over 60 minutes after Reale, a UCLA commit, staked the Harborwomen to a 1-0 lead in the 16th minute. Junior Claire Murray perfectly played the ball to Reale at the top of the box. Reale quickly fired a shot that deflected off the hands of Algonquin goalkeeper Keely Scott and into the back of the net.
“She gets an inch and she can turn and she can have a shot,” said Monroe. “In my head, I’m going, ‘Shoot it one-time, shoot it one-time,’ and she turned, the ball was perfectly placed and she just one-timed, shot it and, I mean, she drove it so hard, scored a goal.”
Reale nearly put an exclamation point on the victory when she had a breakaway in the closing seconds of the match, but Scott came out to challenge the shot to make the save. Moments later the final whistle blew, kick-starting Hingham’s first state-title celebration in six years.
Hingham had a lot of changes to the team this season. Monroe was a first-year head coach after taking over for her wife, Sarah Dacey, who took the head-coaching job of the women’s soccer team at Curry College. The Harborwomen had seven new starters to break in. After some early bumps, Hingham finished 19-0-4 on the season.
This article originally appeared on The Patriot Ledger: Defense leads Hingham High girls soccer to Division 1 state title
