Tag: Craig Churchill

Oliver Ames Wins D2 State Championship In Stunning Fashion

Oliver Ames boys soccer
Oliver Ames boys soccer poses for a team picture after capturing the Division 2 state championship. (Ryan Lanigan/HockomockSports.com)
ByRyanLanigan_2016FollowRyanLanigan_2016
 
 
 WALPOLE, Mass. — It was a scenario that Oliver Ames hadn’t been in this season, and one they didn’t want to be in either.

But yet, the Tigers were still prepared, and even more important, not panicked.

Trailing 2-1 with just minutes left in the game, Oliver Ames scored a pair of goals to earn a stunning 3-2 victory and clinched the Division 2 state championship.

Click here for a photo gallery from this game.

Head coach John Barata called a timeout with about five minutes to play and OA’s chances of a state title dwindling. Barata made the decision to move senior center back Hector Bucio into an attacking role. The change paid off almost immediately as Bucio got on the end of a service from sophomore Craig Churchill and headed it off a defender and into the back of the net for a 77th minute equalizer.

“We’ve trained it all year, if we ever go down we’re going to put Hector up,” Barata said. “And then we wanted to keep pressing, pressing, pressing. Because once the momentum shifts, they’ll be nervous. We found a great ball over the top, Casey flips it over the goalie, and the rest is history.”

With just seconds to play, it looked like Bucio’s goal was enough to send the Tigers and the Hillers into overtime. But OA kept its foot on the gas and pushed forward again.

This time it was senior center back Jake Williams on the service as he lifted a ball over the defense and into a pocket of space occupied by sophomore Casey Milliken. Milliken used a class touch to lift it over the keeper and just under the bar to make it 3-2 in the 79th minute.

“There were so many emotions,” Milliken said. “I was scared, happy, thrilled, disappointed, confused…every word you could imagine. We really just fought through it and I think we deserve it. I can’t process it all right now, but I’m just proud of the boys because we deserve it.”

A scoreless half tilted in OA’s favor in terms of possession and chances as Hopkinton only threatened with a couple of long throw-ins. So it was a little bit of a shock when the Tigers — who had only allowed two goals in its first four playoff games, and only 12 goals through its first 22 contests — surrendered the first goal.

Just under two minutes into the second half, Sean Golembiewski was able to sneak into space behind the defense, and latched onto a ball over the top, taking a touch before depositing a low shot in for a 1-0 lead.

Oliver Ames battled back into the contest, finally getting on the board in the 62nd minute. After a handful of good chances throughout the first hour of play, the Tigers pulled level. It started with another strong defensive challenge from sophomore Luke Churchill, and transitioned into offense.

Junior Ryan Linhares took possession and played a ball wide for Joey Carney, who was able to shield off a defender and carry to the end line before firing in a low cross. Milliken found space in the defense and one-timed a shot into the back of the net to make it 1-1.

It looked like the Tigers were on track to take the lead when Hopkinton created one of their few attacking chances. This time, Golembiewski kept the ball in along the end line and his low service was smashed home in front by Peter DeMichele, giving keeper Drew HAll no chance at a save.

“There’s always that little bit of doubt because I thought we should have scored many chances before then,” Barata said. “We were worried on the sidelines, is this not our luck? In the tournament, you need a lot of things to go your way. But the guys weren’t really worried, even with four minutes left.

“For this group with the sophomores and juniors, and our two seniors that start, to be mature enough to come back was amazing. In the last five minutes, we just said give it your all. We worked so hard all season to get to this point. They wanted this. We couldn’t give it away, try to the end so you know you gave it your all.”

OA’s chances started early, just five minutes in Carney laced a volley that looked good but was blocked by a defender. Sophomore Andrew Martins had a good look in the eighth minute on a feed from classmate Jackson Mercieri but his low shot at the near post was saved.

Linhares found Carney in the 24th minute, and after cutting back across the middle, Carney’s blast forced a diving stop. four minutes later, Milliken set up Churchill for a blast that skipped just wide.

Click here for a photo gallery from this game.

And just before halftime, outside back Diego Rivera sent a big switch to Mercieri, who found Carney on a through ball. His low shot clanked off the post and stayed out to send the teams into the break level.

“All of the seniors, both on and off the field, they all led us this year and we can’t thank them enough,” Milliken said. “This was the least we could do for them, they all deserve it.”

Oliver Ames boys soccer finishes the season at 20-1-2 and with its second Division 2 crown since 2015.

Oliver Ames Blanks Plymouth North To Reach State Final

Oliver Ames boys soccer Luke Churchill
Oliver Ames sophomore Luke Churchill (6) celebrates his goal in the 19th minute, which proved to be the game winner. (Ryan Lanigan/HockomockSports.com)
ByRyanLanigan_2016FollowRyanLanigan_2016
 
 
 MARSHFIELD, Mass. — Oliver Ames sophomore Luke Churchill almost always has a pass-first mentality.

But with Plymouth North defenders refusing to leave their marks, Churchill had nothing but space to work with.

His run started in his own half after working with twin brother Craig to dispossess an attacking member of the Eagles. And it ended with a left-footed shot from just inside the area that eluded the keeper in the 19th minute for what turned out to be the game-winning goal.

Click here for a photo gallery from this game.

Churchill’s strike, along with an insurance tally from Andrew Martins late in the second half and another strong defensive effort from OA’s back line led the top-seeded Tigers to a 2-0 decision over #12 Plymouth North and earned a spot in the Division 2 state championship on Saturday against Hopkinton.

“I was originally trying to pass to Jason [Zalis] out wide but his guy slid and I saw a bunch of space behind,” Luke Churchill said. “I decided to go for it, it was a lucky goal but I’ll take it. My first thought is usually to find someone, I’m not the best shooter so I feel like if I can find them, they can take a better shot.

“This has been a fun ride through the playoffs hopefully we can get the ‘chip.’”

Oliver Ames typically strings together multiple passes as they build up in the attack but a physical Plymouth North defense stunted the Tigers’ offense. Although they were whistled for fouls, the Eagles prevented the Tigers from finding a fluid offensive rhythm.

Reduced to mostly set pieces in the attack, OA couldn’t quite connect. Chances from distances saw services go without an answer on the other end while shots from free kicks couldn’t find the frame to test the keeper.

Just before the midway point of the first half, Luke and Craig Churchill combined on a tackle to take over possession. Luke carried into the attacking half, getting past a sliding attempt from a defender. With space in the middle, Churchill carried into the heart of the pitch, and just a step into the area, he unleashed a left-footed shot into the back of the net.

It marked Churchill’s second goal of the season, and first since a brilliant first half strike against Stoughton in the first week of play in early September, another left-footed goal for the right-footed player.

“They were so worried about the other attackers so he had the space to go in, if they give you that space, we want him to go,” said Oliver Ames head coach John Barata. “They were worried about the other guys and stuck with them which gave him space. And he’s only a sophomore, first year with us so he’s done phenomenal for us.”

While OA carried the play, the Eagles’ main source of offense came with long balls over the top. Senior captains Jake Williams and Hector Bucio continued to anchor the back line and were quick to handle anything in the air. Outside backs Diego Rivera and Jackson Mercieri also played well in thwarting any chances going forward from Plymouth North.

The Tigers continued to use restarts to try and ignite the offense, and nearly double their advantage five minutes after Churchill’s opener. Sophomore Casey Milliken drew a foul — about one of the dozen he was able to draw — and had a free kick from a step outside the area, but his right-footed blast dipped a little late and went just over the bar.

“Today wasn’t the most crisp for us, it wasn’t our best game but we’ll take it,” Barata said. “Their disruption of play, they were stopping us from getting into a rhythm, that was their strategy. We were able to adjust and I’m proud of the guys for that. Hey, it’s the playoffs and you have to find a way to win — that’s it.

It was more of the same in the second half and OA came close in the opening moments to getting their second. A free kick from junior Ryan Linhares from the left flank bounced in the area before Bucio latched on but his blast was knocked down by the Plymouth North keeper.

A minute later, another service from Linhares was flicked on Milliken, but it skipped just wide at the far post.

“We knew that’s how they’d play, we expected them to slow everything down with fouls,” Barata said. “We were prepared for it, so we knew we’d have to be creative on our opportunities to score. Kudos to coach John [Tocci], they were prepared. To be fair, we weren’t threatened much, just the corner kicks and one shot on goal, however, it’s the danger of the one-goal game and how that changes the dynamics.

“They had a great game plan, and they were prepared but at this point, we were also prepared so we were able to survive.”

The Eagles had their best push into the attack in the 67th minute, drawing a foul just outside the box. Ben Young’s blast was knocked down by the wall, and his rebound bid was also blocked by a defender. Two minutes later, Malachi Val used a nice flick to get the ball in behind but sophomore goalie Drew Hall was alert off his line and handled it before Young could get there.

Oliver Ames finally grabbed a second with less than 10 minutes to go. Linhares was able to poke a ball free and Martins was able to get a quick touch forward past the defender, who lounged at it and clipped the sophomore just outside the box. Martins took it himself and ripped a blast over the wall and under the bar to make it 2-0 in the 72nd minute.

It marked Martins’ fourth goal in the last three playoff games.

“Andrew’s really been a go-to guy,” Barata said. “There was a lot of talk in the season about being a one-man show but we have a plethora of players that can play and we can move the ball around. They were working hard on their strategy, that’s a good team so we’re happy to get this one.”

Click here for a photo gallery from this game.

Oliver Ames now turns its attention to Saturday for their fourth Division 2 final since 2014. The Tigers also made it in 2014 and 2017 and won in 2015. Hopkinton, who is the #2 seed, has had a dramatic run to the finals. They picked up overtime wins over Fitchburg and Sharon, won in penalties over Wayland, and knocked off Bedford, 4-3, in the state semis.

“It’s a nice feeling to dictate our play, our season ends on Saturday no matter what, I’ve been blessed to get to this point four times in my 14 seasons,” Barara said. “We’re going to enjoy this moment and this opportunity and then prepare for a very, very good Hopkinton team.”

Oliver Ames boys soccer (19-1-2) will play in the second game of a doubleheader at Walpole High School with the OA girls team, who are playing Silver Lake in the Division 2 championship game at 3:15. The boys are scheduled to start against Hopkinton at 5:30.

Oliver Ames Outlasts Longmeadow For Spot In Semis

Oliver Ames boys soccerByRyanLanigan_2016FollowRyanLanigan_2016
 
 
 
 NORTH EASTON, Mass. — Throughout a dominant regular season, the Oliver Ames boys soccer team didn’t have to play from behind very often.

So it was a bit of an unfamiliar scenario when visiting Longmeadow took the lead less than five minutes into the Division 2 state quarterfinal matchup at Muscato Stadium on Sunday night.

But there was no panic in the young Tigers, who equalized less than five minutes late, took the lead before halftime, added a key insurance goal early in the second half, and then held off a last-ditch push from the Lancers for a 3-2 win.

Click here for a photo gallery from this game.

The win moves top-seeded Oliver Ames into the D2 state semifinals against #12 Plymouth North.

“We were prepared, we don’t talk about it a lot but we talked about if we go down early to just bounce back and keep playing,” said Oliver Ames head coach John Barata. “The bounce back was superb. We could have had one or two more in the first half and the game would have been over but this is the playoffs, and nothing is going to be easy.

“I think playing the games against Concord-Carlisle and Needham, we went down and had to come back in those. It’s hard to judge the value of those games but I feel those games helped us in this situation against a dynamite team. I give [Longmeadow] credit, they were a fantastic team.”

Barata and the Tigers were wary of the Lancers’ long throws and for good reason. Longmeadow cashed in in the fourth minute of action, using a long throw into the area. It was initially headed down, and the follow-up bid was blocked but it went to the foot of Ronald Lin and his low shot found its way through traffic and in to make it 1-0 early.

Even though the Tigers only start two seniors, and had just one more come off the bench, the hosts stayed composed and came right back at the Lancers.

Three minutes later, a service from outside back junior Diego Rivera was partially cleared by Longmeadow but only as far as junior Ryan Linhares, who quickly put a shot/cross back into the area. The ball deflected off a defender at the back post and right to sophomore Andrew Martins. Martins latched onto the bounce with the outside of his right foot and his low shot found the back of the net to make it 1-1.

“We reacted really well after they scored, we just kept pushing,” Martins said. We knew [the long throw] was coming but we just had to bounce back…the underclassmen, we’ve all been playing together for a long time so we have a lot of chemistry.”

OA had a good chance at taking the lead in the 28th minute when Mirray Dasilva earned a penalty kick after being taken down by a defender. A long ball from Luke Churchill was tapped on by Linhares, and Dasilva used his speed to get to the ball first, getting a touch before the goalie’s slide.

A yellow forced the keeper to the sideline but OA’s penalty kick bid was denied by Joseph Tranghese as the Lancers seized the momentum.

But it didn’t last long. The Tigers kept the pressure on and took their first lead three minutes later. A header from center back Hector Bucio found Linhares, who carried up the left flank. He left it for sophomore Casey Milliken and he dropped a perfectly weighted ball over the top of the defense. Martin sprinted onto it and hit a shot on the slide that clanked off the crossbar. He quickly got back to his feet and headed in the rebound into the open net to make it 2-1 in the 31st minute.

“He’s been great for us all year but everyone focuses on Casey, and Casey is great but Andrew was our second-leading scorer and one of the top scorers in the league,” Barata said. “Casey’s movement opens a lot of opportunity for others but Martins is a baller, a great finisher.”

Oliver Ames had a bright start to the second half to extend their lead. Rivera looped a ball forward down the right flank that was tracked down by junior Joey Carney. Carney used a nice touch to cut past the defender and set himself up on his left, and his low blast skipped past the keeper and just inside the far post for a 3-1 lead in the 44th minute.

Sophomore Drew Hall made a key save just minutes later. Longmeadow had a dangerous free kick just outside the box from Frederic Koran but it was knocked down by Craig Churchill in the wall. The rebound fell to Lin but his bouncing shot was parried away by a diving stop by Hall.

The Lancers didn’t have too many ventures into the attacking third but cashed in on one of their few corner kick chances. Christopher Koran curled in a corner that Braden Costas rose up and nodded in to cut the deficit to 3-2.

Hall came up with a big save in the 74th minute on a shot from Chris Koran, and then OA survived a long throw in chance in the 77th minute after a big clearance from Rivera.

In the final seconds, Christopher Koran flicked in a ball behind the defense with Frederic Koran racing onto it but Hall came off his line and scooped it up and OA held on for the win.

Click here for a photo gallery from this game.

“It took a lot [defensively],” Barata said. “The challenge of getting the wind in the second half was a disaster in this game against a team of that quality to send the ball like they can. What a save by Drew at the end, coming out to hold his ground.

“This is a young group so this is great to get to this point in the tournament.”

Oliver Ames (18-1-2) will square off with #12 Plymouth North (15-3-3) on Wednesday at 6:00 at Marshfield High School.

Oliver Ames Rolls Past Walpole To Reach Quarterfinals

Oliver Ames boys soccer Braeden Blass
Oliver Ames junior Braeden Blass takes a shot in the second half against Walpole. (Ryan Lanigan/HockomockSports.com)
ByRyanLanigan_2016FollowRyanLanigan_2016
 
 
 NORTH EASTON, Mass. — No MVP, no problem.

With sophomore sensation and league MVP Casey Milliken restricted to just a handful of first half minutes, the Oliver Ames boys soccer team didn’t miss a beat in a dominant win over Walpole.

Junior Joey Carney scored a pair of goals while sophomore Andrew Martins and senior Mirray Dasilva each found the back of the net once as the top-seeded Tigers advanced to the state quarterfinals with a win over the 17th-seeded Timberwolves, the sixth postseason meeting between the two sides since 2012.

Click here for a photo gallery from this game.

“I think the guys were eager to show we aren’t a one-man team,” said Oliver Ames head coach John Barata. “The good thing is, they appreciate all of [Casey’s] accolades and they all look at it like a team achievement. We had other guys step up and do things well. We’ve created a family culture and I think that was really prominent today.”

Milliken set a single-season program record with 23 goals and 21 assists to earn All-American honors but missed the final half hour of OA’s playoff opener after suffering an injury.

It didn’t take very long for the Davenport division champions to answer the question of how they’d perform down a starter.

Carney found the back of the net in the 10th minute and Martins doubled the hosts’ advantage with a super strike just two minutes later. Dasilva tacked on a key insurance tally just past the midway point of the second half and Carney capped the scoring with 10 minutes to go.

Meanwhile, the Tigers’ back line of Diego Rivera, Jake Williams, Hector Bucio, and Jackson Mercieri, plus center midfielders Luke Churchill and Craig Churchill, made it an easy night for sophomore goalie Drew Hall, who had to deal with one corner and mostly came off his line to keep possession for the Tigers. He did not record a save, the lone shot from the Timberwolves coming in the final minutes with OA’s second unit in.

“That was a great effort overall,” Barata said. “The team defense was outstanding and that’s what we have to continue to do because the challenge in the playoffs is being able to defend. I thought the guys really came out to play today. We moved the ball, we created chances, and we conceded zero shots until the last couple of minutes with the second unit in.

“Playing Walpole is always tough. Lee [Delaney] has them well-prepared and disciplined, they are hungry, and they just want to go through you. We knew that’d be their game so we had to try and counter that.”

Junior Ryan Linhares whipped in a corner that was cleared but only as far as Rivera, who put in a low service that was one-timed in front by Bucio. The keeper made a quick reaction save but the rebound fell to Carney and he looped a volley into the back of the net for a 1-0 lead.

OA quickly doubled its lead just two minutes later. Martins put in a low service on a free kick from 35 yards out but it was quickly cleared by the Walpole defense. The ball came right back to Martins, who settled and took a touch with his right foot to set up a blast from 30 yards out that hit the crossbar and went in to make it 2-0.

“That was a collegiate-level goal,” Barata said. “He’s a Hockomock League All Star for a reason, he can play. He took that on a dime and buried it. We’ll take those, we didn’t get those against Reading. And hopefully, we have a couple more because our next opponent [Longmeadow] is a beast.”

OA kept the pressure up throughout the opening half. Milliken did make a brief appearance following Martins’ strike, and nearly found the back of the net in the 19th minute but his first shot was blocked on a slide tackle from the defender, and his rebound bid was parried away by the keeper.

Dasilva had another chance in the 31st minute but his shot from in close went high and just before halftime, Craig Churchill linked up with Mike MacAdam for a shot from 25 yards out that was gobbled up.

After a bit of back-and-forth long balls for the opening 15 minutes of the second half, the visitors thought they had cut the deficit in half on a header off a free kick but it was ruled offside.

OA regained control of the game and the Tigers were able to play their style again. In the 62nd minute, Craig Churchill intercepted a clearance attempt from the Timberwolves and it fell right to junior Braeden Blass, and his blast forced a one-handed save from the keeper that resulted in a corner.

On the ensuing corner, Linhares whipped in a cross that was headed down by Bucio, and after hitting off a Walpole player, Dasilva was first to pounce on it and buried his chance to make it 3-0 in the 63rd minute.

Click here for a photo gallery from this game.

Carney put a cherry on top with just over 10 minutes to go. He latched onto a loose ball just over midfield and carried possession all the way to the box. He split a pair of defenders, touched to his left, and slotted a low shot between a third defender’s legs to the far post to make it 4-0.

“Joey’s been fantastic,” Barata said. “He missed seven or eight games with an injury but he’s been playing like this towards the end of the season. When we had a lot of our big goal games, he wasn’t out there. The last two games, he’s really come to life and really stepped up tremendously for us.”

Oliver Ames boys soccer (17-1-2) is set to play #9 Longmeadow (10-5-5) on Sunday. Longmeadow, which beat Mansfield in the opening round, reached the state semifinals last year and won the Division 1 state championship in 2019.

Wednesday’s Schedule & Scoreboard – 09/21/22

Today’s games are listed below.

Boys Soccer
King Philip, 1 @ Foxboro, 0 – Final – Click here for a photo gallery of this game – King Philip junior Will Bowen scored the winner in the final minutes of the match to give the Warriors two points on the road over Foxboro. Moments after having his one-on-one bid with the keeper denied, Bowen ran onto a service over the top from senior Matt Crago and smashed a shot from in close that Foxboro keeper Ryan Cotter (12 saves) got a piece of but found its way under the bar and in. King Philip’s back line of Thomas Meader, Patrick Sullivan, Ethan Jack Hancock, and Tommy Lomuscio denied the hosts of creating many scoring chances, while Foxboro’s back four of Jack Sullivan, Marco Pacini, Andrew Linnehan, and Alex Penders, as well as defensive center mid John Hollis, all played well. Cotter was strong in net, including a key double save in the 21st minute — diving to his right to save a blast from Meader off a corner, and leaping the opposite way seconds later to deny Crago.

Attleboro, 0 @ Oliver Ames, 2 – Final – Oliver Ames scored a pair of second half goals to secure a key two points against Attleboro in a battle of the top two ranked teams in the Hockomock League. After a scoreless opening 40 minutes, a pair of sophomores linked up to open the scoring for the hosts. Casey Milliken notched his team-leading seventh assist with a through ball to classmate Andrew Martins to give OA a 1-0 lead less than three minutes into the second half. Senior Diego Rivera set up OA’s next goal with a long ball that was deflected in behind the defense with junior Ryan Linhares running onto it. Linhares smashed a terrific one-time shot from just inside the area to double the hosts’ lead. Sophomore Drew Hall recorded his second career shutout while OA head coach John Barata praised senior Hector Bucio and Jake Williams for anchoring the back line. Barata also noted the strong play of sophomores Jackson Mercieri, Luke Churchill, Craig Churchill, and senior Jason Zalis.

Franklin, 3 @ Sharon, 0 – Final – After staking a one-goal lead at halftime, Franklin put away two more in the second to earn an impressive 3-0 decision on the road at Sharon. Sophomore Garrett Scagliarini put the visitors ahead with a goal in the opening half, finishing off an assist from Hansy Jacques. Jacques then got one of his own in the second half to double the Panthers’ advantage, linking up with Andrew O’Neill to make it 2-0. Will Kryzak then recorded an assist for the third straight game, setting up Wyatt Herndon for his first career goal.

Taunton, 3 @ Mansfield, 2 – Final – After earning points in back-to-back games with a pair of draws, Taunton broke into the win column with a 3-2 decision on the road at Mansfield. Junior Javonte Fernandes had a hand in all three goals for the Tigers, assisting on the opening goal and the game-winner, sandwiched around a goal of his own. Senior Az-Anael St. Marc opened Taunton’s scoring off an assist from Fernandes, who then scored himself off an assist from Conal Scully for the Tigers’ second goal. Fernandes returned the favor, hooking up with Scully for the game-winner. Riley Rebello, Ian Robicheau, Quincy Jones-Sylvia, Xavier Mercardo, and Aidden Fitting all had solid play the entire game for the Tigers while goalie Sebastian Darosa had some key saves throughout the match.

North Attleboro, 2 @ Stoughton, 1 – Final – North Attleboro scored a pair of second half goals and held off a late push from the hosts to grab two points with a 2-1 win against the Black Knights. Carson Dameron orchestrated the attack with two assists on the day, first setting up Kaden Burns for the opener. Burns took a pass from Dameron and found the far corner to put the Rocketeers ahead 1-0 in the 46th minute. Just over 15 minutes later, a long free kick from Brody Carter was headed by Dameron onto Zach Smahi and he finished for a 2-0 lead. Stoughton scored with just under 10 minutes to go on a free kick goal from Matheus Groberio.

Milford, 3 @ Canton, 2 – Final – Canton came back from a two-goal deficit two pull level with a half hour left in the game, but Milford regained the lead and held on for an important two points on the road at Canton. Andre Baiano smashed a thunderous volley off a pass from Eduardo Santana to give the Hawks the lead, and Nick Ribeiro doubled the advantage with his second free kick goal in as many games. The free kick was earned after some great work from freshman Danny Da Silva. Canton came back and leveled the match with two goals in a seven-minute span. First, freshman Vlad Francoeur squeezed one in past the keeper to cut the deficit in half and Carson Eagles buried a rebound chance from in close to make it 2-2. Milford found the winner with 10 minutes to go as Ribeiro played Santana through and he finished past the keeper to make it 3-2.








Girls Soccer
Oliver Ames, 2 @ Attleboro, 0 – Final – For the second straight game, Oliver Ames scored once in each half and earned a shutout win. Jolie Diaz opened the scoring for the visitors, intercepting a ball at midfield and going on to convert a breakaway chance, beating the keeper on the near side for a 1-0 lead. OA doubled its lead late in the second half as Emma Gavin volleyed a second chance off a restart with 12 minutes left with the assist going to Sophia Byron. Mary Cross had a great game in the midfield for the Tigers while Janiya Matier made four saves for the shutout.

Canton, 6 @ Milford, 1 – Final – Canton scored three times in the opening 25 minutes of the game to take control and keep its unbeaten start to the season alive. Lauren Shatkin, Emma Cahill, and Emily McCabe each scored in the first half. For McCabe, it was her league-leading 10th goal of the season. Caira McKinney, Gisella Berardi, and Mekhala Costello added second half goals for the Bulldogs, who tried not to let the tempo slip despite being in a busy stretch of the season. Georgia Campbell, Cahill, McCabe, Costello, and Shatkin each had an assist. Dani Atherton scored Milford’s lone goal.

Foxboro, 1 @ King Philip, 4 – Final – The game was scoreless at the half, but Ella Pisani scored four times after the break to lead King Philip to a big win. Pisani opened the scoring off a corner just a minute into the second half, assisted by an Addisyn Lamothe-Vaughn corner. Four minutes later, Pisani again finished off a corner, this time with Danielle Gresham picking up the assist. She completed her hat trick by finishing off a pass from Ailish McGowen. With 13 minutes to play, Pisani got behind the defense and capped off her night by lifting a shot over the keeper. Makayla Thompson had the assist on the final goal. Erin Foley had the Foxboro goal that cut the lead to 3-1.

Sharon, 0 @ Franklin, 5 – Final – Olivia Costa scored a pair of goals to lift Franklin to a home win that moves the Panthers a half-game ahead in the division. Kelly O’Connor and Tori Carmignani each scored once and each assisted on another goal. Norah Anderson’s header capped the scoring for the Panthers, who also got a pair of assists from Anya Zub and an assist from Katie Ewald. Sharon faced the Kelley-Rex leaders without a pair of starters and struggled to get the attack going against Franklin’s defense. Jordanna Morris and Sally Brouhard both had strong games in defense for the Eagles.

Mansfield, 4 @ Taunton, 0 – Final – Mansfield scored four times in the opening half to take home an away win against the Tigers. Freshmen Alexandra and Maddie Fernandes each scored their first varsity goals. Bridget Hanley and Meghan McCann also found the back of the net for Mansfield. Alexis O’Keefe had a pair of assists, while freshmen Lauren Signoriello and Olivia Dunham each had one helper. Olivia Salisbury picked up the clean sheet. Eighth-grader Ashlyn Herbert had another good performance in net for the Tigers, making nine saves. Mia Torres, Jenna Pereira, and Christina Da Costa also played well in the loss.

Stoughton, 0 @ North Attleboro, 1 – Final – Sydney O’Connor headed in a Kaitlyn Joyce cross with five minutes to go before halftime and that was enough for North to pull out its first league win of the season.




Volleyball
Sharon, 0 @ Franklin, 3 – Final – Franklin continued to roll against league opponents, this time with an impressive 3-0 sweep (25-14, 25-14, 25-11) of visiting Sharon. Juniors Grace Lacerda and Taylor Lacerda (five aces) paced the offense with 12 kills apiece.

Golf
Attleboro, 156 @ North Attleboro, 143 – Final – North Attleboro’s Jake Gaskin had a great day on the links, carding a two-under-par round of 33 that included an eagle, to lead the Rocketeers to a win over rival Attleboro on the middle course at Heather Hill. Gaskin finished with a 33, sinking an eagle putt on the third hole. Tyson Laviano came in one-over at 36 while Dillon Harding, Ishan Kohli, and Zach Corsetti all shot a 37 on the day. Leo Lombardo fired an even par round of 35 to lead the Bombardiers, Ryan hill added a 38, Bradley Lehtonen finished at 41, and Bradley Martin rounded out Attleboro’s scoring with a 42.

Milford, 165 @ Foxboro, 175 – Final – Milford junior Anthony LaPierre continued his strong week, shooting a match medalist round to lead the Scarlet Hawks to victory over the Warriors at Foxboro Country Club. LaPierre was the lone golfer to break 40 on the day, recording a medalist round of 37. Nate Lawrence added a 40 in the win while both Zach Hipolito and Jacob Hipolito shot 44 for the day. Louis Carangelo, who had a birdie, led Foxboro with a 42, Patrick Callahan (three pars) added a 43, and both Zac Georgantas and Reese Curreri came into the clubhouse with a 45.

Franklin, 149 @ Sharon, 172 – Final

Stoughton, 186 @ Canton, 156 – Final – Canton sophomore Huck McCready fired a medalist round of 35 to help the Bulldogs bring down Stoughton at Blue Hill Country Club, snapping a four-match skid. Brendan Tourgee added a 38 in the win, Joey Ryan shot a 41, and both Charlie Vaughan and Teddy Shuman finished at 42 for the day. For Stoughton, Mason Page had a team-low round of 42.

Oliver Ames Blanks Mansfield In Key Division Clash

Oliver Ames boys soccer Casey Milliken
Oliver Ames sophomore Casey Milliken takes a shot in the first half against Mansfield. (Ryan Lanigan/HockomockSports.com)
ByRyanLanigan_2016FollowRyanLanigan_2016
 
 
 MANSFIELD, Mass. — The Oliver Ames boys soccer team felt it should have taken two points in its last league game, a draw at home against Stoughton, especially after carrying a lead into the second half.

The Tigers found themselves in a similar situation on Monday, and this time out made sure to put the game away.

Senior Mike MacAdam gave the visitors the lead less than 10 minutes into the game and sophomore Casey Milliken, who had the assist on the opener, buried a penalty kick late in the second half for a key insurance goal as Oliver Ames earned a 2-0 win in a key matchup with division foe Mansfield.

Click here for a photo gallery from this game.

“Every game in the Hockomock this year is going to be that, a tough, gritty battle,” said Oliver Ames head coach John Barata. “In fairness, I thought we played well at many times tonight and I thought their goalkeeper made a number of terrific saves. Overall it was a good bounce-back game after Stoughton because we should have put that game away and we didn’t. So it was good to come here and get a gutsy win against a good Mansfield team.”

A week ago, Oliver Ames didn’t open the scoring until just before halftime. Against Mansfield, MacAdam’s opener came in the eighth minute of play. But in both contests, the Tigers controlled play and had a handful of chances to score more.

Mansfield senior goalie Liam Doyle was strong all game long, turning away bids from OA’s Jackson Mercieri (5th minute) and Mirray Dasilva (6th) in the early moments.

OA broke through just moments later as outside back Diego Rivera connected with Milliken in the middle, who promptly dribbled forward to attack the defense. He laid off a perfectly weighted through pass and MacAdam sprinted onto it, reaching out to blast a shot past the keeper from inside the area for an early 1-0 lead.

“Mike’s going to see a lot of minutes for us if he plays like he did today,” Barata said. “Mikey is kind of like that unsung senior that can really help us out.”

Milliken nearly had another assist in the 16th minute, connecting with classmate Andrew Martins atop the area, and Martins used a quick touch before ripping a shot that was gobbled up by Doyle off the bounce. A minute later, Milliken’s hard cross was knocked around before Hector Bucio got his right boot on it but Doyle was once again in position for the stop.

OA continued to press, this time it was sophomore Luke Churchill playing Dasilva in behind but Doyle came out and made a huge stop, pushing the bid over the bar in the 26th minute. Four minutes later, Doyle was at it again as MacAdam nearly returned the favor to Milliken, who cut it back onto his left foot inside the area only for his shot from in close to be denied and cleared by Mansfield defender Derek McGrath.

“We didn’t get into our style, [OA] runs around and cover each other all over, unlike we did,” said Mansfield head coach Steve Sheridan. “We’re young, we’re inexperienced, and we’re learning, which is good. This is what happened against Wayland, we let them dictate everything and got away from the way we should be playing. We played great for three games, got better each game, but reverted back tonight.”

Mansfield was able to get a forward a bit more in the second half and had their first two real chances just minutes apart. In the 52nd minute, senior Aiden Steele won a battle after a service from Grady Sullivan and unleashed a left-footed blast from distance but OA keeper Drew Hall handled it on the bounce.

Minutes later, sophomore Marco Germiniani got up and headed a cross from Daniel Checkoway, but Hall was there to take it in.

OA finally added its insurance tally in the 70th minute. Milliken was taken down in the area to earn the pen. He stepped up and converted with a clinical finish just out of the reach of an outstretched Doyle.

“We definitely learned from Stoughton…today, we gave up very little shots from anywhere on the field, we were converging very quickly,” Barata said. “In the second half, we tried to bring them out a little bit because we wanted to play the game a little bit more. So it was a little bit of a tactical shift on our end that allowed for a lot more open play. We’re trying different things because it’s early in the season, we’ll see what works and what doesn’t.”

Click here for a photo gallery from this game.

Oliver Ames’ back four of Mercieri, Rivera, Bucio, and Jake Williams played well in the back while Luke Churchill and twin brother Craig Churchill were vital in the midfield. Anytime the Hornets tried to build out of the back, it seemed one of the Churchills was there to thwart it. And then when it came to OA’s heavy edge in possession, it was Luke and Craig that seemed to facilitate the majority of it.

“Luke is kind of the glue that keeps us together, he’s the lynchpin for us right now,” Barata said. “It’s a lot of pressure in that position but now we have two Churchill’s doing it together, which is great because they both were fantastic today. They won’t get much press — except for maybe this — that’s just the way it works sometimes but they’re so steady, very good players.”

Oliver Ames boys soccer (2-0-1 Hockomock, 2-0-2 overall) has another huge showdown on Wednesday as the Tigers welcome league-leading Attleboro to Muscato Stadium. Mansfield (2-1-1, 2-2-1) will look to bounce back on Wednesday evening when it hosts Taunton.