Magnificat ends season for Hudson field hockey in district semifinal

Tournament field hockey is like post season baseball as it can be tough to score at times. No stranger to post season battles, Hudson had this happen in a tough regional semifinal test that proved to be the final contest for a small, but decorated Explorer senior class.

Third-seeded Hudson traveled to Rocky River Oct. 24 and lost 4-0 in a hard-fought battle to host Magnificat, the second seed in a regional semifinal clash.

Magnificat, ranked fifth in Ohio’s latest state poll, fell 4-0 in the regional championship game to Shaker Heights, but the regional win was big for the Blue Streaks.

It marked only the second time in school history that Magnificat (15-5-1) played for a spot in the OHSAA state semifinal.

Hudson (12-7-1) was ranked 10th in Ohio and this may be the first time that Magnificat has beaten Hudson.

Last fall, Magnificat lost to Hudson 5-4 in a regional quarterfinal battle. Earlier in the regular season, Hudson won an exciting 1-0 road victory in overtime against Magnificat.

“We had a strong first quarter with opportunities in the circle, but could not find the net,” said Hudson head coach Louise Knox. “The defense was tightly marking our forwards and attack center mid, which challenged our passing game.”

“The girls played hard, but struggled to connect and transition out of the backfield,” added Knox. “Magnificat’s defense was disciplined with their fundamental skills and consistently cleared their circle.”

Hudson trailed 1-0 after the first half in a defensive tussle.

Scoring for the experienced Blue Streaks were Lauren Shaver, who netted two goals, Reagan Zwissler and Kristina Fedorova, who also had an assist along with Alice Stein.

Standout junior goalkeeper Tea Jerro recorded her 16th shutout in goal for the Blue Streaks this season.

Knox will sorely miss her senior class which includes goalkeeper Lizzie Karnofel, midfielder Sofia Boyle, defender Kristine Roegner, defender/forward Reese Harvey, and forward/midfielder Molly Beegle.

“We will miss our seniors - they were dedicated in their love of the game, developing their skills throughout their career and leading the team with grit and determination to play to the best of their abilities,” said Knox.

Boyle has committed to playing at Frostburg State University and Karnofel at Denison University.

On the season, Boyle had seven goals and seven assists.

A stingy defense helped Karnofel to take part in 10 shutouts. Karnofel had 124 saves on 149 shots.

“Our defensive unit was strong and dynamic,” said Knox. “We scored 64 goals and opponents scored 25.”

Among the defensive leaders were gifted junior defenders Lexie St. Pierre (42 defensive circle interceptions) and Gabi Censoprano (21 defensive circle interceptions).

Knox saw her offense and midfield spread the wealth! In all, 17 players contributed on scoring (on a goal or assist) and 14 players scored goals.

Talented sophomore forward/midfielder Elora Beh registered nine goals and one assist.

Veteran junior attacker/forward Mackie Stickler contributed eight goals and two feeds.

Forward/midfielder Maddie Mormino, a sophomore, netted eight goals and one helper, plus junior forwards Sara Killeen (six goals, six assists) and forward Ava Kuss (eight goals) were also extremely active.

“It was our toughest regular season schedule with six non-league games against the top ranked teams in Columbus and a top ranked team from New York,” said Knox.

This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: Hudson field hockey shut out in district semifinal