'It was a great season overall': Wachusett field hockey's playoff run ends in Division 1 state semifinals
MARLBOROUGH — The Wachusett Regional field hockey team zipped through the first three rounds of the Division 1 state tournament.
The third-seeded Mountaineers handily defeated No. 30 Attleboro and No. 14 Barnstable before staging a thrilling comeback against No. 6 Central Catholic to advance to the Final Four for the second straight season.
But the string of success ended with a 3-0 loss in the state semifinals to two-time defending state champion and No. 2 Andover on Wednesday night before a supportive and passionate crowd at Assabet Valley’s Aztec Stadium.
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“Oh my god, it was a great year,” coach Kerry Berry said at the conclusion of her 13th season on the Wachusett bench. “These girls, I have seven seniors and they all started. Some of them have been starters for two or three years and having made it to the Final Four last year and the quarterfinals the year before, they wanted to be here again.
“So, absolutely that was the plan at the beginning of the season and they definitely (accomplished that). We had some great games over the course of the season, we had a great postseason run. Our league (Mid-Wach A) was tough this year, so we had some great league games. It was a great season overall.”
The Mountaineers finished 16-3-4, while the Golden Warriors improved to 19-2 and advanced to meet top-seeded Walpole (21-1) in the state final, which will be played Saturday at WPI, for the third straight season.
Shots on goals were scarce in this one for both teams. The Mountaineers finished with four, all of them quality scoring opportunities.
Two were in the opening three minutes and the last came midway through the final frame, a potential game-tying blast from up top by junior Emmy Johnson off a penalty corner that was kicked aside by senior goalie Maddie DiGiorgio.
“They were keeping us out of their circle for sure,” Berry said. “It was a lot of midfield play. I would say a lot of the play in the game happened between the 25 and the 25.
“We didn’t take a lot of shots, which was unfortunate because, obviously, you have to shoot to win.”
The Golden Warriors, who posted their 16th shutout of the season and have yet to allow a goal in four tournament games, were limited to six shots despite having a massive, 9-2 edge in penalty corners.
Sophomore Bella DiFiore, who had two goals and an assist in a 3-0 quarterfinal win over Algonquin Regional, scored with 1:59 left in the third and 4:04 left to play, both strikes coming on penalty corners she started.
The Golden Warriors capitalized on a defensive breakdown with 3:19 remaining to account for the final score.
“I think after that first goal we kept our composure,” senior captain and center back Ella Perry said, “but at the end, we started to break down a little bit.
“All in all, I thought that we held ourselves together as best we could, and we just played our hearts out and left it all out there.”
Perry, who will continue her field hockey career and major in nursing at Endicott College, is part of a graduating class that includes goalie Julia Kirton, defender Lizzie Sawyer, UMass-Lowell-bound midfielders Kaleigh and Lindsey McGurl, and forwards Lily Chaisson and Jordan Jarvi.
They’ll all be moving on, but relishing the memories of their successful, multiyear run together.
“There’s not really anything like a high school sport,” Perry said. “Everything about it, the atmosphere and growing with your team is nothing you’re ever going to forget.”
—Contact Rich Garven at rgarven@telegram.com. Follow him on X, formerly known as Twitter, @RichGarvenTG.
This article originally appeared on Telegram & Gazette: Wachusett field hockey's gallant postseason run ends in D1 state semifinals
