Natick girls soccer shrugs off injuries, defeats Bishop Feehan for second title in 3 years
WALPOLE – Already down a captain and, five minutes in, minus their leading scorer, Natick didn’t flinch.
The Redhawks have been on this stage before.
On Saturday, the victim was Bishop Feehan, as the top-seeded Redhawks used early goals from juniors Kira Henderson and Cassidy Moriarty to earn a 2-0 victory and the Division 1 girls soccer state championship.
Senior captain Maya Schwab and sophomore 19-goal scorer Nicole Proia – who was carried on the back of her twin sister, Lydia – limped along with the celebration after the Redhawks completed a 21-1-1 season and became the only team this season to blank the Shamrocks (20-1-1) and score more than once against them.
The Redhawks defeated Hingham to win the program’s first state title two seasons ago.
“We’ve been working toward this the whole season,” said senior captain and All-American Kaitlyn LeBrun. “Ever since 2021, we’ve wanted to get back here, so we’re really proud.”
“It’s just the best feeling ever,” said fellow captain Schwab, out with an injury suffered before the playoffs. “All the hard work paid off.”
Just under five minutes into the match, Nicole Proia suffered a leg injury and did not return. She sat on the field in front of the Natick bench for most of the game, then was hoisted on the back of teammates for the post-game celebration.
“That’s a huge loss, yes, and we easily could have lost some momentum,” Natick coach Dave Wainright said, “but the kids rose to the occasion and realized what was on the line.”
Proia is one of the top playmakers in the state and entered with four playoff goals. But the play of the Redhawks overcame the loss of the young star.
“It was pretty scary, not only because she’s our top scorer, she’s our teammate,” LeBrun said. “She’s our teammate and they hurt our teammate and we wanted revenge.”
Fifteen minutes later, the Redhawks got what they wanted when Megan Mela’s cross was one-touched into the Feehan goal by Henderson for a 1-0 lead in the 21st minute. It was just her second goal of the season and only the sixth Feehan surrendered all year.
“Kira finished that one,” Wainright said. “She had maybe one or two goals in her Natick career, but that was the biggest one. She saved it for the biggest moment. It was a great finish with authority and confidence. It picked our team up to the next level.”
Natick upped its lead nine minutes later when Kendall Hacker’s corner kick was headed in by Cassidy Moriarty. The defense of Stella Boggis, keeper Katie McMahon, LeBrun, Hacker and Henderson handled things from there.
“It’s the best thing - it's everything we wished for," said LeBrun, who is one of just four graduating seniors (along with Ashlynn O'Donnell, Sahej Gulati and Schwab).
“It's definitely more special,” Schwab said, comparing the championships. “When we were sophomores, I don’t think we understood it fully. Now, it’s much more special.”
Tim Dumas is a multimedia journalist for the Daily News. He can be reached at tdumas@wickedlocal.com. Follow him on Twitter @TimDumas.
This article originally appeared on MetroWest Daily News: MIAA girls soccer: Natick shrugs off injuries, wins another state title
