Tag: Diego Rivera

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.

Friday’s Schedule & Scoreboard – 10/21/22

Today’s games are listed below.

Football
Attleboro, 0 @ Franklin, 44 – Final
1Q: (F) Jase Lyons 8-yard pass to Luke Davis, Garrett Portesi XP good; (F) Mike Davide 6-yard rush, G. Portesi XP good; (F) Safety; (F) J. Lyons 48-yard pass to Grayson Hunter, G. Portesi XP good.
2Q: (F) J. Lyons 38-yard pass to Derek Dubriske, G. Portesi XP good; (F) J. Lyons 5-yard rush, G. Portesi XP good.
3Q: (F) M. Davide 24-yard rush, G. Portesi XP good.
4Q: No scoring.

Canton, 14 @ Foxboro, 36 – Final – Click here for a recap and photo gallery of this game.
1st Quarter: (C) Godson Ofonagoro 20-yard rush, Hayden Rose XP good; (F) Brandon Mazenkes-O’Grady 72-yard rush, XP no good.
2nd Quarter: (F) Mike Marcucella 27-yard pass to Rashaan Lewis, Sam Carpenter XP good; (F) M. Marcucella 28-yard pass to Nolan Gordon, Conversion failed; (F) S. Carpenter 37-yard field goal.
3rd Quarter: (F) Lincoln Moore 1-yard rush, S. Carpenter XP good; (F) M. Marcucella 66-yard pass to Eddie Feldman, S. Carpenter XP good.
4th Quarter: (C) G. Ofonagoro 5-yard rush, H. Rose XP good.

Oliver Ames, 0 @ Mansfield, 35 – Final
1st Quarter: (M) Conner Zukowski 29-yard pass to Trevor Foley, Travis Hennessy XP good; (M) C. Zukowski 43-yard pass to T. Foley, T. Hennessy XP good.
2nd Quarter: (M) Drew Sacco 1-yard rush, T. Hennessy XP good; (M) C. Zukowski 28-yard pass to Trevor Foley, T. Hennessy XP good.
3rd Quarter: No scoring.
4th Quarter: (M) Connor Curtis 24-yard rush, T. Hennessy XP good.

Milford, 30 vs. Barnstable, 16 – Final

North Attleboro, 3 @ Taunton, 0 – Final – Click here for a recap and photo gallery of this game.
1st Quarter: No scoring.
2nd Quarter: No scoring.
3rd Quarter: No scoring.
4ht Quarter: (NA) Austin Clemente 24-yard field goal.

Stoughton, 7 vs. Newton North, 28 – Final

Sharon, 21 vs. Hull, 31 – Final
1Q: (S) Gabe Korn 20-yard rush, XP failed; (H) Hull 44-yard pass, XP good.
2Q: (H) Hull 43-yard field goal; (H) Hull 5-yard rush, XP good; (S) G. Korn 17-yard rush, G. Korn 2pt rush.
3Q: (H) Hull 7-yard rush, XP good; (S) G. Korn 10-yard rush, Jace McCarron XP good.
4Q: (H) Hull 18-yard pass, XP good.








Boys Soccer
Canton, 0 @ Oliver Ames, 7 – Final – Oliver Ames built a two-goal lead in the first half then poured in five more inside the final 20 minutes of the game to earn a big win over Canton. Casey Milliken opened the scoring with his 19th goal of the season and then set up Mirray DaSilva for his fifth goal of the season to give the Tigers a 2-0 lead. DaSilva added one more in the second half while Andrew Martins and Braeden Blass each scored twice. Milliken added two assists while Joey Carney, Diego Rivera, and Jackson Macomber each had one.

Stoughton, 4 vs. Norwood – Final – After a scoreless first half, Stoughton found the back of the net four times to earn a big win over visiting Norwood. Kyle Grant had a hat trick to lead the Knights and assisted on the other goal, scored by Alex Kozak. Sam Santos set up Grant twice while Matheus Groberio had the other assist.

Girls Soccer
Canton, 4 @ Oliver Ames, 2 – Final – Canton came into Friday having not won in the past five games and the Bulldogs fell behind after just three minutes, but they came storming back behind an Emily McCabe brace to beat the league leaders. Jolie Diaz set up Lucinda Li Cotter for a quick opening goal for the Tigers, but Canton answered with two straight to take the lead. Mekhala Costello equalized with an unassisted goal and Paige Sullivan made it 2-2, assisted by Emma Cahill. Taylor deVos would level the match again from the spot, after Sophia Byron’s corner led to a handball in the box. McCabe scored what turned out to be the game-winner after she drew a foul in the penalty area and converted from the spot. McCabe would seal the win off an assist by Sarah Dempster. It was a high-paced game from start to finish and Canton coach Idris Senyonjo is hoping this can give his team some momentum to finish the regular season.

Attleboro, 0 @ King Philip, 5 – Final – KP scored four times in the second half to seal its third win of the week and move back within a point of first-place Franklin with two league games remaining. Ella Pisani got the opener four minutes into the match, on a feed from Addisyn Lamothe-Vaughn. Dani Lomuscio scored to double the KP lead after 57 minutes and then Heidi Lawrence scored twice within a minute to put the game away. Ally Pochay added an unassisted goal in the final minute. Lamothe-Vaughn finished with two assists, while Lomuscio and Pisani each finished with two points.




Field Hockey
Mansfield vs. Holliston, 3:45

Stoughton, 0 @ East Bridgewater, 3 – Final

Foxboro, 2 vs. Hopkinton, 0 – Final

Franklin, 2 @ Walpole, 6 – Final – In a battle of two of the top teams in the entire state, Walpole earned a 6-2 win over the Panthers. Franklin thought it scored first when a deflected shot found the back of the net but the shot was ruled dangerous and the goal was wiped off. Walpole took a 1-0 lead into halftime before Kaitlyn Carney found the back of the net to make it 1-1. The Porkers scored back-to-backs but the Panthers got one back before the end of the third when Shaw Downing redirected a shot from Carney to make it 3-2. Walpole won the fourth quarter to pull away with the win.




Volleyball
Oliver Ames, 3 @ Bridgewater-Raynham, 0 – Final – For the second time this season, Oliver Ames earned a win over Bridgewater-Raynham, this time doing it on the road with a 3-0 sweep (25-29, 25-14, 25-22). Sophomore Clare Kavolius dished out 28 assists to set the offense in motion, Sarah Hilliard led the charge with 18 kills, Maddie Homer (19 digs) and Claire O’Rourke (15 digs, four aces) anchored the defense, and junior Isabel Domenico played well at the net.

Canton, 3 vs. Westwood, 2 – Final – After dropping the first set, Canton rallied to win two in a row — including a close third set — and then bounced back in the fifth to capture the match, 3-2 (14-25, 25-22, 28-26, 20-25, 15-10). Freshman Erin Bigham had a breakout match for the Bulldogs, dishing out 32 assists to go along with 12 digs, four aces, and a block. Junior Jess Wright continued her strong all-around play with 20 kills, 16 digs, three blocks, and two aces while sophomore Kaitlin Bigham added five kills and a pair of blocks. Sophomore Zoe Scibelli played well with 22 digs and five aces.

Foxboro, 3 vs. Braintree, 0 – Final – Foxboro defended home court with its second win over Braintree this season, earning a 3-0 (25-19, 26-24, 25-15) win over the Wamps. Juliana Pettigrew and Sami Sloan each had eight kills while Mallorie Meyer added seven kills to pace the offense. Alyssa Cloherty dished out 23 assists to go along with three kills and three aces, and Shannon McElhinney added 16 digs in the win.

King Philip, 3 @ Medway, 0 – Final – King Philip earned a season sweep of Medway, running away with a big 3-0 (25-12, 25-20, 25-11) win on the road over the Mustangs to move to 16-2 on the year. Ava Kelley (eight digs) and Ahunna James (10 digs, seven kills) took care of business defensively while Sami Shore (eight kills), Emily Sawyer (seven kills, four digs, three blocks), and Olivia O’Neil (four kills, two aces) led the offense.

Stoughton, 3 @ North Attleboro, 1 – Final

Strong Defensive Effort Helps OA Blank Milford

Oliver Ames boys soccer Milford boys soccer Nick Ribeiro Casey Milliken
Milford senior Nick Ribeiro plays the ball under pressure from Oliver Ames sophomore Casey Milliken. (Ryan Lanigan/HockomockSports.com)
ByRyanLanigan_2016FollowRyanLanigan_2016
 
 
 MILFORD, Mass. — Over the past three weeks, both the Milford and Oliver Ames boys soccer teams have rolled through the competition with a barrage of offense.

The Scarlet Hawks entered riding a six-game win streak with 25 goals scored in that span. In that same time frame, Oliver Ames had won seven in a row — apart of an 11-game unbeaten streak to start the season — and poured in 33 goals in that stretch.

So it seemed likely there would be some offensive fireworks when the two met on Wednesday in a clash between Hockomock League division leaders.

Not so fast.

Click here for a photo gallery from this game.

Both defenses were on point as the game played out mainly between the boxes, a midfield battle that went back and forth with chances at a premium because of strong defensive play.

In the end, it was Oliver Ames sophomore Casey Milliken who continued his red-hot scoring streak, scoring the lone goal of the game in the 32nd minute off a service from senior Jake Williams to hand the Tigers a vital 1-0 win on the road.

“Like I tell these guys, we try to build throughout the season and defense is what’s going to win games at the end of the year,” said Oliver Ames head coach John Barata. “The more comfortable we get with team defense, the better off we are. Today, our number one goal — believe it or not — was not to win but to play great team defense to build to something. Getting the result and playing great team defense is a bonus.”

Williams anchored the OA back four alongside classmate Hector Bucio, with junior Diego Rivera playing outside on the left and sophomore Jackson Mercieri patrolling the right side. Sophomore Luke Churchill sat at the six atop the backline.

“They’ve grown a lot,” Barata said. “They play off of each other well, they support each other. One steps, one drops…they talk to each other a lot, and they’re yelling when it’s needed. And the glue to it all is Luke. He allows them to take some chances, allows them to go up for a head ball they might not normally because Luke is so massive at winning that second ball.”

After a tentative opening 20 minutes, Milford registered the first genuine scoring chance in the 23rd minute. A long throw from Arthur Tome was partially cleared by the Tigers but only as far as Milford senior Nick Ribeiro, who didn’t have time to put a lot on his shot but unleashed one that got through the defense only to hit the post and stay out.

Minutes later, sophomore Rodrigo Lorenzo carried possession into the attack and linked up with Ribeiro who quickly switched fields to John Borges. Borges uncorked a shot that was deflected high and nearly found its way to the top corner but was swatted away by OA keeper Drew Hall. On the ensuing corner, Ribeiro found Kaua Pereira but he flashed a header wide.

“We got a bit lucky that [Eduardo] Santana (12 goals, six assists) was out on a red card because he changes their dynamics in the middle however, I still feel like we didn’t give them many chances. Hector and Jake were both beasts in the back. Diego was amazing against Borges all game, and then Jackson, just a sophomore and a converted back, played well. And Luke — diligent, smart — they all played great.”

Oliver Ames finally cracked the Milford defense in the 32nd minute. A long throw in from sophomore Andrew Martins was parried away by Milford keeper Lucas Fernandes but was tracked down by Mercieri near the top of the box. He played it back to Williams and he lofted a service over the defense as they were pulling up. Milliken timed his run perfectly to get in behind and flicked a perfect header past the keeper to make it 1-0.

The goal came just a minute after Milliken was moved up top to the striker spot after spending the opening 30 minutes in his usual midfield spot.

“To be able to go from a false 10 to the nine and at the perfect moment, sneak in between the center backs at the perfect time when the ball is played for the header,” Barata said. “It makes it look like we know what we’re doing but the kid is gifted and it was a great ball in.”

Defense was the story in the second half as chances were limited by both sides. Milford’s back four of Kevin Barbosa, Lucas Nalon Ribero, Nate Dinis, and Pereira stifled the OA attack for the most part.

Meanwhile, OA’s defensive group continued to thwart any momentum that the Hawks tried to generate getting forward.

Hall handled a low shot from Borges in the 47th minute and Fernandes was in the right spot to take in a one-timer from Milliken in the 53rd minute. The next chance didn’t come for nearly 20 minutes.

“Defensively they were sound,” Milford head coach Antonio Pinto said of Oliver Ames. “They worked together — everywhere that ball went, all four shifted over together. I’ve watched OA play quite a few times this year and I don’t think I’ve seen Hector lose an aerial battle or a ground battle, he’s all over the place. Arthur was trying to give them problems but they’d bring two guys on him. They’ve only allowed seven goals this year…you can tell why.

“Usually we rely on our offense but our defense really kept us in the game today. This was the first time I was able to see our defense limit some skillful guys so it was good to see.”

Click here for a photo gallery from this game.

Fernandes got low and to the near post to tip away a free kick bid from Milliken in the 70th minute, the last serious chance for either side.

“It was a big midfield battle for today,” Barata said. “We were looking for the through balls, they were looking for the through balls, both teams were trying to get it wide, Ribeiro was looking to get in, Casey was looking to get in. I knew it was going to be a ball over the top and someone breaking into negative space that would win the game. We got lucky it was us to be fair because they could have pulled it off.”

Oliver Ames boys soccer (10-0-2 overall, 10-0-1 Hockomock) moves within two points of clinching at least a share of the Davenport title. The Tigers travel to Stoughton on Friday to play the Black Knights, who are the only team to take a point from OA this season. Milford (8-4-1, 7-3-1), who is now two points back in the Kelley-Rex, will host Attleboro on the same day. The Bombardiers, who are tied with the Hawks in second place, won the first meeting, 4-0.

Friday’s Schedule & Scoreboard – 09/30/22

Today’s games are listed below.

Football
Attleboro, 0 @ Milford, 24 – Final
1Q: (M) Romeo Holland 57-yard rush, Nick Araujo XP good; (M) N. Araujo 34-yard rush, N. Araujo XP good.
2Q: (M) N. Araujo 51-yard field goal good.
3Q: No scoring.
4Q: (M) Evan Cornelius 26-yard pass to Cameron Phillips, N. Araujo XP good.

Foxboro, 14 @ Hopkinton, 3 – Final

Franklin, 21 @ North Attleboro, 20 – Final – Click here for a Recap and Photo Gallery from this game.
1Q: (NA) Nathan Shultz 49-yard rush, Austin Clemente XP good; (F) Jase Lyons 24-yard pass to Derek Dubriske, Garrett Portesi XP good.
2Q: (F) J. Lyons 31-yard pass to Luke Davis, G. Portesi XP good; (F) J. Lyons 30-yard pass to Grayson Hunter, G. Portesi XP good.
3Q: (NA) Greg Berthiaume 7-yard rush, A. Clemente XP good.
4Q: (NA) Chase Frisoli 1-yard rush, Conversion failed.

Taunton, 24 @ King Philip, 26 – Final
1Q: (T) Jacob Leonard 24-yard pass to Jose Touron, XP failed; (KP) Will Astorino 64-yard rush, Matt Kelley XP good; (T) J. Leonard 70-yard pass to Dmitrius Shearrion, 2pt pass failed; (KP) Tommy McLeish 42-yard pass to Will Laplante, 2pt rush failed.
2Q: (T) Brian Batista 2-yard rush, 2pt pass failed; (KP) Kyle Abbott 3-yard rush, 2pt failed.
3Q: (KP) K. Abbott 10-yard rush, M. Kelley XP good.
4Q: (T) J. Leonard 40-yard pass to J. Touron, 2pt rush failed.

Oliver Ames, 32 @ Stoughton, 35 – Final
1Q: (OA) Chad Silva 2-yard rush, XP good.
2Q: (OA) C. Silva 65-yard rush, XP good; (S) Alex Huynh 13-yard rush, Tommy Silva XP good; (OA) C. Silva 43-yard rush, XP failed; (S) Jarred Daughtry 4-yard rush, T. Silva XP good.
3Q: (S) J. Daughtry 61-yard pass to Tagh Swierzewski, T. Silva XP good; (OA) C. Silva 3-yard rush, 2pt failed.
4Q: (S) J. Daughtry 2-yard rush, 2pt failed; (OA) C. Silva 48-yard rush, 2pt failed; (S) J. Daughtry 63-yard pass to A. Huynh, Liam Pearl 2pt rush.

Sharon, 35 @ Case, 6 – Final








Boys Soccer
Attleboro, 1 @ Franklin, 2 – Final – In a battle of the top two teams in the Kelley-Rex division, Franklin used a late-winner to take over first place in the division at the midway point of the season. The Panthers got off to a great start at home as Trey Lovell finished off an assist from Will Kryzak in the sixth minute for the early lead. Attleboro junior Alex Vecchioli converted a pass from Esvin Morales to bring the visitors level in the 15th minute. The game stayed level for the majority of the game before Kryzak finished off a great pass from Andrew O’Neill in the 77th minute to secure the win.

North Attleboro, 2 @ King Philip, 0 – Final – North Attleboro scored just before halftime and then doubled its lead minutes into the second half, earning a 2-0 win on the road at King Philip. The Rocketeers gained a huge momentum boost when goalie Owen Goeller denied the Warriors on a penalty kick in the first half. North capitalized on a free kick from just outside the box as sophomore Patrick Etienvre converted his shot in the 34th minute. Just moments into the second half, Griffin Rodden linked up with Kaden Burns to make it 2-0 in the 43rd minute. North head coach Mike Lacasse praised the efforts of his defense in the win.

Stoughton, 1 @ Mansfield, 3 – Final – Stoughton cut the deficit to one goal just before the midway point of the second half but the Hornets slammed the door shut with a late insurance goal to collect two points in a 3-1 win over the Black Knights. Mansfield found the back of the net less than 10 minutes in as Sam Oliveira took an assist from Tyler Znoj for a 1-0 advantage in the ninth minute, a lead the Hornets carried into half. Just five minutes into the second half, Dante Spivak blasted a shot in from 30 yards out (assisted by Aiden Steele) to double Mansfield’s lead to 2-0. Stoughton pulled one back in the 53rd minute but Steele recorded his second assist, this time setting up Grady Sullivan in the 73rd minute for the insurance tally. Mansfield coach Steve Sheridan praised the efforts of Dan Checkoway in the midfield as well as the defensive group of Derek McGrath, Matty Sullivan, Aidan Jones, Brendan Flynn, and Kyle Johnson.

Taunton, 0 @ Milford, 4 – Final – Milford scored a pair of goals in each half, taking a 4-0 decision over Taunton to push its win streak to four games. The Scarlet Hawks, who have scored at least three goals in each game during the winning streak, had another strong first half. Freshman Danny Da Silva set up Marcello Alves for the opener, and Eduardo Santana converted a cross from Andre Baiano to double the lead before halftime. In the second half, Nick Ribeiro’s free kick service was finished off by Kaua Pereira to make it 3-0. Alves earned his second point of the day, finding Santana for his second goal, for a 4-0 advantage.

Oliver Ames, 6 @ Sharon, 0 – Final – After a scoreless battle for 20 minutes, Oliver Ames exploded for six goals over the final 60 minutes to secure a key win over Davenport rival Sharon. Sophomore Casey Milliken scored OA’s first two goals, first finishing off a pass from classmate Andrew Martins, and then taking a feed from senior Mirray DaSilva and scoring to make it 2-0, which held until halftime. Milliken returned the favor to Martins to open the scoring half as Martins scored his first of two goals. Sophomore Luke Churchill set up Martins’ second goal to make it 4-0, and Milliken earned his fourth point of the day with an assist to senior Jason Zalis. OA junior Braeden Blass capped the scoring by finishing off a pass from junior Diego Rivera. Drew Hall recorded his fourth shutout of the season for OA.

Foxboro, 1 @ Canton, 2 – Final – Canton scored on either side of halftime to grab a 2-1 win over visiting Foxboro, snapping a three-game skid. Senior Jack Lauro put the hosts ahead with a goal just before halftime, and then just minutes into the second half, senior Drew Garrett scored to double the lead.




Girls Soccer
Franklin, 3 @ Attleboro, 0 – Final – Kelly O’Connor scored a pair of goals to help Franklin bounce back from its loss on Wednesday and to keep pace with KP in the league title race. It was an even first half, but the Panthers took the lead in the final five minutes, O’Connor nodding home a Bridget Leo corner. With Attleboro pushing for an equalizer, Franklin was able to strike twice more after the break. Anya Zub doubled the lead a little more than halfway through the second half, with O’Connor picking up the assist. O’Connor then secured her brace and her third point of the night with a goal with nine minutes to play. Alexis Campbell made six big saves that kept Attleboro in the game, while Rachel Welch made seven stops for the Panthers. Attleboro coach Steve Santos was proud of the way the team kept battling to the end.

Canton, 1 @ Foxboro, 0 – Final – In an evenly played game from start to finish, Emma Cahill scored off a Mekhala Costello assist with only three minutes remaining to secure the victory. Canton coach Idris Senyonjo praised Costello for a “man of the match” performance with contributions on both ends of the field. Foxboro coach Jen Lippolis rued missed chances for her team again on Friday. Allie Sougaris had an impressive game in the Foxboro goal to help keep it scoreless into the closing minutes.

King Philip, 2 @ North Attleboro, 0 – Final – Click here for a Photo Gallery from this match. KP scored a pair of second half goals to earn the win and keep pace in the division title race. Ella Pisani scored the opener with a shot from outside the box that just eluded the fingertips of North goalie Maddie Ferrin. The Warriors sealed the points when Addisyn Lamothe-Vaughn rose highest for a powerful header off a Danielle Gresham corner. While KP had the bulk of the possession and the scoring chances, North nearly equalized when Caroline Ferrin hit the bar with a shot from distance.

Mansfield, 1 @ Stoughton, 0 – Final – Jill Koppy followed up a shot in the final three minutes, slamming home the rebound to secure a hard-fought win for the Hornets.

Milford, 4 @ Taunton, 4 – Final – Milford and Taunton split eight goals in a thrilling shootout at Aleixo Field. Milford jumped into a 2-1 lead at halftime. Paige Caldon and Dani Atherton scored in the opening half for the Hawks, while Emily Calderon got one back for the Tigers. Ava Uhl, who also had the challenge of marking Atherton on the other end of the field, scored to tie the game again in the second half. Brooke Ferreira and Atherton each had goals to put Milford in front after the break, but each time Taunton responded. Kaylee Lopes had a brace in the second half to secure a point for the Tigers. Serena Borges had an assist for the Hawks. Hayleigh Porter made 10 saves for Taunton and Milford keeper Kayleigh Tourtellot was even busier, making 15 stops. Taunton coach Dan Borges was pleased with the team’s reaction to keep fighting back after going behind and highlighted the back-and-forth battle between Uhl and Atherton, who he called one of the league’s top attackers.

Sharon, 1 @ Oliver Ames, 4 – Final – Oliver Ames scored three goals in the first half and added an insurance tally in the second to get a win at home over Sharon. Taylor deVos put the Tigers ahead in the eighth minute, and Mary Cross scored off a corner from Sophia Byron at the midway point of the first half. Carly Gibson also found the back of the net before halftime to make it 3-0. Sofia Goclowski scored Sharon’s lone goal off a corner from Olivia Soby, which cut the lead to 3-1, but the Tigers tacked on a fourth from Jolie Diaz to seal the win. Sally Brouhard and Jordanna Morris both had solid games for the Eagles in defense, while Jessica Li played well up top in the loss.




Field Hockey
Franklin, 8 @ Attleboro, 0 – Final – Holding a 3-0 lead at halftime, Franklin pulled away with two more goals in the third quarter and three more in the fourth to finish with an 8-0 lead. Emily Carney scored a hat trick for the Panthers, scoring once in each of the first three quarters, while Payten Crandall had two goals and one assist in the win. Kaitlyn Carney (one assist), Haley Wernig, and Sydney Rogan (one assist) each scored once in the win. Devon Barry and Megan Sullivan (two saves) combined for the shutout in net.

Mansfield, 7 @ Stoughton, 0 – Final – For Stoughton, Katherine Giroux, Nicole Reid, and Catarina Melo all played a great game.

Sharon, 0 @ Oliver Ames, 8 – Final

Milford, 0 @ Taunton, 4 – Final – Taunton senior Caelen O’Leary factored into all four goals, scoring twice and assisting on the other two, to help the Tigers secure a shutout win over visiting Milford. Ayla Jackson and Camryn Emond each scored once, finishing off a feed from O’Leary. Jasmine Lucier made two saves to record the shutout in net for Taunton.

Canton, 0 @ Foxboro, 2 – Final – Foxboro scored once in the second quarter and again in the third, and the Warriors’ defense became the first team to shut out Canton this year as the Warriors collected a vital division win. Mary Collins scored the opening goal to put the hosts ahead 1-0, an advantage they carried into halftime. In the third, Mya Waryas found the back of the net to extend Foxboro’s lead to 2-0.

Volleyball
Canton, 3 @ Foxboro, 1 – Final – Foxboro jumped out to a lead by taking the first set but Canton rallied to win three straight for a 3-1 (22-25, 25-14, 25-18, 25-22) win on the road. Jess Wright led the way for the visitors, registering 17 kills, 14 digs, and one block while Fatima Sidibay had a big night at the net with 11 kills and a trio of blocks. Zoe Scibelli anchored the defense with 19 digs and a pair of aces while freshman Erin Bigham (two aces) distributed the ball well with 32 assists. For Foxboro, Juliana Pettigrew had 18 kills, Sami Sloan put down 12 kills and added three aces, Mallorie Meyer added four kills and 18 digs, and Alyssa Cloherty dished out 37 assists.

Sharon, 0 @ Oliver Ames, 3 – Final – In a key division clash, Oliver Ames notched a convincing 3-0 (25-5, 25-22, 25-9) win over rival Sharon. Sophomore Ava Barth had a big day for the Tigers with 18 digs and five aces, junior Ariel Gao added 23 service points and six aces, and sophomore Addie Smock registered 10 kills and three blocks. Maddie Homer had 21 digs and Clare Kavoulis finished with 34 assists in the win.

Franklin, 2 @ Attleboro, 3 – Final – Attleboro rattled off three straight points in the final set to turn a one-point deficit into a 3-2 (14-25, 26-24, 21-25, 25-20, 15-13) win over visiting Franklin, giving the Bombardiers one of their biggest wins in program history. Julia Leonardo was a monster at the net for the Bombardiers, putting down 36 kills to go along with 20 digs to pace the attack, while Sadie Whiwtmarsh had a huge showing with 23 kills. Addie Shelton added 11 kills and 12 digs in the win. Natalie Brojek orchestrated the offense for the hosts, dishing out 49 assists to go along with 15 digs and three blocks.

King Philip, 3 @ North Attleboro, 0 – Final – King Philip rolled to a win, taking down North Attleboro 3-0 (25-8, 25-10, 15-12). KP’s trio of captains led the way as Sami Shore had five kills and two aces, Emily Sawyer added 10 kills and 10 aces, and Ahunna James added seven kills and four digs.

Mansfield, 3 @ Stoughton, 2 – Final – After falling behind 2-1, Mansfield rallied to win two in a row to claim a 3-2 (23-25, 25-18, 18-25, 25-20, 15-9) victory over Stoughton. Keira Fitpatrick orchestrated the offense with 21 assists to go along with seven digs. Elyssa Buchanan notched 10 kills and eight digs while Lily Verheggen had a big day at the net with 12 kills.

Milford @ Taunton, 5:00

Golf
Attleboro, 175 @ Franklin, 145 – Final – Brendan Collins had a consistent day out on the links, shooting a medalist round to lead the Panthers to a win over Attleboro. Collins carded a 36 to lead the way, CJ Steel shot a 38, and both Caden Sullivan (one birdie) and Jack Hagerty (one birdie) each came in at 38. Bradley Martin led the Bombardiers with a 43.

Mansfield, 149 @ Oliver Ames, 145 – Final – Oliver Ames passed its biggest test of the season so far, landing a four-stroke win over Mansfield in a battle of the top two teams in the Davenport division. OA senior Daniel Paul and junior David Rodgers shared medalist honors with Mansfield sophomore Brendan Vokey, with all three coming in at 35 on the day at Pine Oaks. Juniors Sean Kearns and Lucas Riley rounded out OA’s scoring, carding a round of 37 and 38, respectively.

North Attleboro, 151 vs. Dighton-Rehoboth, 168 – Final – North Attleboro had all four of its scorers come in under 40 in a non-league win over Dighton-Rehoboth on the middle course at Heather Hill. Sophomore Tyson Laviano was the match medalist, firing a one-over round of 36 to lead the Rocketeers. Jake Gaskin and Jordan Paradis each shot a 38 and Dillon Harding chipped in with a 39 for the Rocketeers. Drew Urban carded a round of 36 for the Hornets while Nathan McClean and Will Riley each shot a 39.

Wednesday’s Schedule & Scoreboard – 09/28/22

Today’s games are listed below.

Boys Soccer
Foxboro, 0 @ Attleboro, 4 – Final – After a scoreless first half, Attleboro exploded for four goals in the second half to surge past visiting Foxboro. It took the hosts less than five minutes to start the second half scoring when Lucas Marques was quick to pounce on a rebound in the box after Foxboro keeper Ryan Cotter made a strong stop on a blast from Esvin Morales. Attleboro doubled the lead in the 50th minute, striking on a quick counter after a Foxboro corner. Billy Badger got the ball up to Steve Etienne, who played a streaking Luke Hagopian in on goal and his low shot found the back of the net despite Cotter getting a piece of it. Richard Ferreira linked up with Morales in the 65th minute, and Morales played a perfect switch over the top of the defense to find Kyle Neuendorf, who blasted a shot from in close that was denied by Cotter, but Neuendorf cleaned up his own rebound. The Bombardiers capped the scoring late when Ferreira headed a corner from Neuendorf off the crossbar and Clay Tyler was first to it and nodded it past the keeper.

Sharon, 0 @ King Philip, 1 – Final – King Philip found the back of the net for the lone goal of the game in the final moments to give the Warriors an upset win over visiting Sharon. Junior Jack Morgan scored the winner in the 79th minute, finishing off an assist from classmate Neelam McGrath. Senior Connor O’Reilly recorded four saves for the shutout in net.

Mansfield, 3 @ Milford, 4 – Final – For the second straight game, Milford buried three first half goals but this time, needed one in the second half to put away visiting Mansfield, who rallied for three goals in the second half. All three first half goals came in the final 20 minutes, starting with Johnny Castro’s first career goal. Castro, who was called up from the JV team, latched onto a pass from Kevin Barbosa and got just enough to touch it past the keeper for a 1-0 lead in the 23rd minute. Nick Ribero found Castro on the left sideline, and his through ball to Arthur Tome sent him into the box where he was able to touch past a defender before being brought down for a penalty kick. Tome finished the pen himself in the 31st minute, burying a low right-footed shot into the corner. Freshman Danny Da Silva was fouled in the final moments of the first half and Ribeiro drilled a free kick from 25 yards out, over the wall and inside the near post past the outstretched keeper for a 3-0 lead at halftime. Mansfield pulled one back in the 56th minute as Grady Sullivan’s long throw in into the area snuck under a defender’s foot and fell right to Dan Checkoway, who buried it from in close. Milford answered six minutes later when Kaua Pereira looped a header from a Ribeiro free kick over the keeper to make it 4-1. Tyler Znoj took a free kick quickly at the top of the area before the Hawks’ defense or keeper could set to bring the Hornets’ within two. Aidan Lopes had a great run before laying it off for Sam Oliver for a shot from distance that skipped in to make it 4-3 in the 79th minute.

Oliver Ames, 3 @ North Attleboro, 0 – Final – Oliver Ames continued its undefeated start to the season, grabbed its fifth win of the season with a 3-0 decision on the road at North Attleboro. The Tigers built a 1-0 lead in the first half when sophomore Casey Milliken buried a free kick from just outside the area for the lone goal of the first half. Ryan Linhares doubled the visitors’ advantage, finishing off a deflected pass from Milliken. Michael MacAdam capped the scoring, converted a penalty kick that he earned himself after being brought down in the box. Drew Hall notched his third shutout of the season while defenders Hector Bucio, Jake Williams, Diego Rivera, and Jackson Mercieri played well in front of him.

Canton, 1 @ Franklin, 4 – Final – Behind a pair of goals in each half, Franklin pushed its unbeaten streak to six games with a win over visiting Canton. Trey Lovell and Andrew O’Neill each had a goal and an assist in the win, bookending the scoring for the hosts. The two hooked up for the opener as O’Neill set Lovell in the 13th minute to make it 1-0. Lovell then assisted on Franklin’s second goal from center back Rex Cinelli to double the advantage. Sophomore Vignan Kamarthi opened his account in the 60th minute, taking a pass from Bradley Herndon for the Panthers’ third goal. O’Neill capped Franklin’s scoring, notching a goal in the second straight game off an assist from Garrett Scagliarini in the 75th minute. Franklin coach Fran Bositis praised the play of his midfield, noting the strong efforts from Noah Cain along with centerbacks Will Klawson and Cinelli.

Stoughton, 2 @ Taunton, 3 – Final – Click here for a photo gallery of this game. – Taunton emerged from a back-and-forth, competitive contest on its brand new turf field with two points behind a brace from Javonte Fernandes and a late-winner from Josh Letourneau. The visitors notched the first goal of the game as Sam Santos worked his way behind the defense in the 10th minute and slid one past the keeper one-on-one for the early lead. The Tigers pulled level in the 20th minute as senior Aidden Fitting made a great run from his outside back spot and was taken down in the area for a penalty kick. Fernandes stepped up and converted with a low shot to the corner. Taunton took its first lead just five minutes into the second half when Fitting sent a long ball into the area that was flicked on by Riley Rebello. Fernandes was able to collect in the area and blast a deflected shot into the back of the net for a 2-1 lead. Similar to Stoughton’s first half, Taunton’s advantage didn’t last long. The Knights sent two to the corner, and with just one Taunton defender, were able to use a quick one-two with Matheus Groberio open for a shot, which he blasted past the keeper. The winner game in the 70th minute after 20 minutes of near chances from both sides, including one off the post from Fernandes that prevented his hat trick. A throw from Rebello bounced past the Stoughton defense and Letourneau latched on, keeping it in play on the end line before using a tidy finish to the far post to make it 3-2. Taunton keeper Jack Buffington made a save in the final minutes on a good header from Joao Marotti. Ben Shirey played well in net for Stoughton, including a one-on-one save on Fernandes in the 60th minute.








Girls Soccer
Attleboro, 2 @ Foxboro, 0 – Final – Attleboro put in what head coach Steve Santos described as a complete team performance on both ends of the field to pick up the road win over Foxboro and move back to .500 on the season. Jamie Davies scored the winner from the spot after Tatum O’Brien’s slaloming run drew a foul in the box. In the second half, Zenda Gjoni headed in a Kacey Parker free kick to secure the two points for the Bombardiers. Alexis Campbell had another strong game in net to earn the clean sheet. Lindsey Resnick had a good game for the Warriors in the back and delivered several dangerous set pieces, while Lauren Miley had a strong game in midfield, but Foxboro couldn’t find the finishing touch.

Franklin, 1 @ Canton, 2 – Final – Click here for a Recap and Photo Gallery from this game.

King Philip, 7 @ Sharon, 2 – Final – KP continued its scorching form in front of goal, scoring seven times on the grass at Sharon. The Warriors have scored 20 goals over the last three games. Ella Pisani sparked the attack again on Wednesday, scoring one goal and assisting on four others. Sofia Goclowski scored both Sharon goals and Autumn Simon recorded an assist. KP grabbed the lead in the fifth minute, as Addisyn Lamothe-Vaughn took a pass from Pisani and found the back of the net from 30 yards out. Pisani teed up Rachel DeFlaminis for her fourth goal in the last two games to make it 2-0 at the midway point of the first half. Seconds before the break, Pisani got a hat trick of assists, playing Heidi Lawrence in behind the defense. Pisani got a goal of her own four minutes into the second half, with DeFlaminis picking up the helper. DeFlaminis added another assist six minutes later with a cross that Mikayla Thompson put away. Eilish McGowen blasted a 25-yard shot with 20 minutes to play (assisted by Pisani) and Olivia Florindi scored off a pass from Ally Smith to make it seven.

North Attleboro, 1 @ Oliver Ames, 4 – Final – Oliver Ames tallied a pair of goals in each half to earn its sixth win of the season, a 4-1 verdict over visiting North Attleboro. Mary Cross wasted little time to give the hosts the lead, converting just five minutes in for a quick 1-0 lead. Sophia Byron netted an “olimpico” in the 26th minute, curling in a corner kick directly in to double the Tigers’ advantage. In the second half, Jessica Keane added to OA’s lead off a feed from Emma Gavin in the 65th minute, and Carly Gibson (from Lucinda Li Cotter) capped the hosts’ scoring in the 72nd minute.

Taunton, 2 @ Stoughton, 5 – Final – Click here for a photo gallery of this game. – Stoughton senior Shayla Ford and sophomore Makenzie O’Connor each scored twice to lead the Black Knights to a 5-2 win over visiting Taunton. Sophomore Bianca Casna opened the scoring in the 11th minute, combining with Emma Tran just outside the area before unleashing a shot to the near post for a 1-0 lead. Stoughton doubled its lead less than 10 minutes later as Ford took down a throw in from classmate Isabella Rodrigues, cut around a defender and blasted a shot that hit off the far post and in to give the hosts a 2-0 lead, which they carried into halftime. O’Connor made it 3-0 in the 44th minute but Taunton junior Ava Alves answered, looping a high arching shot that bounced off the crossbar and in. Four minutes later, Taunton goalie Hayleigh Porter made a nice one-handed save on a free kick from Stoughton’s Emma Tremblay, but the ball hit off the crossbar and Ford was the first too the rebound and buried it in the 50th minute. Taunton eighth-grader Kaylee Lopes won an individual battle before slotting a shot to the far post in the 57th minute, but a last minute goal from O’Connor capped the scoring at 5-2. Freshman Molly Fox made seven saves in net for the win for Stoughton.




Field Hockey
Franklin, 4 @ Canton, 2 – Final – Canton took the led on an early goal in the first quarter, but Franklin rallied with three straight to grab the lead and a win over its fellow division leader. Izzy Digirolamo put the Bulldogs in front after two minutes, but Payten Crandall tied it with the first of her three goals. The game remained tied until the third quarter. Haley Wernig put the Panthers in front off assists from Sophia Cuneo and Shaw Downing. Crandall’s second unassisted goal of the night made it 3-1 in the fourth but Canton answered back on a goal from Carolyn Schiavo. Crandall capped her hat trick and sealed the points by finishing off a pass from Emily Carney in the final minute. Devon Barry made one save for the Panthers.

King Philip, 7 @ Sharon, 0 – Final – King Philip junior Mara Boldy recorded three points to lead the Warriors to a win against visiting Sharon. Boldy had one goal and a pair of assists in the win while both Leah Santoro and Ella McDonell scored a pair of goals. KP senior Kari Calderone notched her first career goal in the win.

Attleboro, 0 @ Foxboro, 3 – Final

North Attleboro, 1 @ Oliver Ames, 6 – Final

Taunton, 5 @ Stoughton, 1 – Final – Taunton got back in the win column for the second time this season after collecting a 5-1 victory on the road at Stoughton. Kaysie DeMoura scored a pair of goals and added an assist to pace the Tigers’ offense while Caroline Vallarelli scored twice and Ayla Jackson had one in the win. Morgan Groppi scored off an assist from a Katherine Giroux for the Black Knights, while Kerry Driscoll, Cat Melo, and Jordan Coleman played excellent defensively.




Volleyball
King Philip, 3 @ Sharon, 1 – Final – After rolling to a two-set lead, Sharon surprised the visiting Warriors with a third-set win but King Philip finished strong to earn a 3-1 win (25-12, 25-16, 22-25, 25-9). Sami Shore dazzled at the net in the win, landing 16 kills along with a pair of aces to pace the KP offense. Emily Sawyer added six kills, four aces, and three blocks, Ahunna James notched seven kills, two aces, and eight digs, and sophomore Madison Asprelli had 22 assists and six aces in the win.

North Attleboro, 0 @ Oliver Ames, 3 – Final – Oliver Ames defended home court with a clean sweep, 3-0 (25-11, 25-18, 25-18), of visiting North Attleboro. Sophomore Caroline Hansen had a standout performance, notching 10 kills for the Tigers. Clare Kavoulis dished out 25 assists, Sarah Hilliard landed 20 kills, Maddie Homer notched 19 digs, and Courtney Raymond chipped in with five aces and three kills.

Attleboro, 3 @ Foxboro, 0 – Final – Attleboro went on the road to Foxboro and came back home with a win, sweeping the Warriors 3-0 (25-12, 25-21, 25-18). Natalie Brojek continued to shine for the Bombardiers with 20 assists, eight digs, and four aces, Julia Leonardo added 14 digs, nine kills, and four aces, and Sadie Whitmarsh was strong defensively with 15 digs. Addie Shelton (six kills) and Ellie Shelton (four kills) were strong at the net. For Foxboro, Alysa Cloherty had 16 assists along with four digs, two aces, and two kills, and Sami Sloan notched eight digs and seven kills.

Milford, 3 @ Mansfield, 1 – Final

Taunton, 1 @ Stoughton, 3 – Final – Stoughton fended off a challenge from visiting Taunton, emerging with a 3-1 win over the Tigers. Junior Maya Ashu (eight kills) and senior Jessie Queeney paced the offense for the Black Knights.

Franklin, 3 @ Canton, 0 – Final – Franklin returned from a trip to Canton with a dominant 3-0 (25-11, 25-13, 25-15) sweep of the Bulldogs. Taylor Lacerda continued to do it all for the Panthers, notching 12 digs, 10 kills, and a pair of aces while Makayla Kuykendall had a strong game with 11 kills, nine digs, and four aces. Sophomore Zoe Scibelli and junior Kelly Schiavo played great defense for Canton, adding six aces.

Boys Cross Country
Taunton, 21 @ Milford, 37 – Final – Twins Brayden and Andrew Cali took the top two spots, less than 10 seconds apart, to lead the Tigers to a win over visiting Milford. Brayden Cali was first overall in 17:24 while Andrew Cali clocked in at 17:32. Senior Jack Pawlowski was fifth overall, junior Daris Alves took sixth, and senior Aiden Zamora was Taunton’s fifth scorer and seventh overall.

Canton, 16 @ Stoughton, 46 – Final – Canton took the top four spots on its way to a win on the road at Stoughton. Luke Darling led the pack, taking first in 18:54 for the Bulldogs. Sam Vail, Austin DiBiaso, and Dom Gray took the next three spots for the visitors. Maks Alves also had a strong race for the Bulldogs, setting a new personal best.

Mansfield, 19 @ Foxboro, 40 – Final

Oliver Ames, 20 @ Sharon, 35 – Final

North Attleboro, 40 @ Attleboro, 21 – Final

King Philip, 31 @ Franklin, 27 – Final

Girls Cross Country
Taunton, 26 @ Milford, 29 – Final – By taking second, third, and fourth overall, Taunton pulled out a close win over the Scarlet Hawks. Milford’s Sydney Kalil took first but Taunton’s Colby Dunham (20:34), Emersyn DePonte, and Kiley Quinlan took the next three spots for key points. Sophomore Arianna Abatangelo added a seventh place finish and senior Jakhai Nicholson finished 10th to give the Tigers the win.

Canton, 34 @ Stoughton, 21 – Final – Canton was led by Johanna Bouwmeester (24:18), who took fourth overall, followed by Tahlia Weaver and Tema Manzonson. Klara Redquest had a solid race for the Bulldogs, running a season best time (25:51).

Mansfield @ Foxboro, 3:45

Oliver Ames, 15 @ Sharon, 50 – Final

North Attleboro, 19 @ Attleboro, 36 – Final

King Philip 45 @ Franklin, 18 – Final – For King Philip, senior Kate Burban took third overall in 21:10 while senior Leah Burke (10th) clocked in at 22:35 and junior Rachel Bailer (12th) came in at 22:51.

Golf
Milford, 147 @ Stoughton, 161 – Final – Stoughton had one of its best performances in program history but fell to a strong Scarlet Hawks squad. Junior Anthony LaPierre continued to shine for Milford, earning medalist honors with a one-under round of 35 while Nate Lawrence came in with an even par round of 36. Jacob Hipolito added a 37 in the win for Milford. Stoughton was led by juniors Colby Strunk (37) and Mason page (39).

Sharon, 169 @ Oliver Ames, 147 – Final – Behind a one-under round from junior Sean Kearns, Oliver Ames moved to 8-0 on the season with a win over visiting Sharon. Kearns was the match medalist after carding a 33, recording a birdie on three holes (1, 4, and 9). Seniors Daniel Paul (37), Michael McGinnis (38), and David Rodgers (39) rounded out the scoring for OA. James Spoto and Dylan Cummings led the Eagles at Pine Oaks, each coming in with a 41.

Foxboro, 157 @ Canton, 159 – Final – Foxboro senior Josh Connolly fired a team-low round of 38 and both freshman Zac Georgantas and senior Louis Caranglo came in under 40 as the Warriors secured a rare win at Blue Hill Country Club, sweeping the season series against the Bulldogs. Georgantas and Carangelo both shot a 39 while seniors Reese Curreri and Mat Sullivan came in at 41 to help the Warriors get the close win. Canton sophomore Huck McCready had another medalist round, shooting a 37 to lead all golfers. Matt Anderson added a 39 for the hosts, Brian Middleton shot a 41, and Brendan Tourgee rounded out the scoring with a 42.

North Attleboro, 164 @ Franklin, 155 – Final – In a crossover clash between two of the top squads in the Kelley-Rex division, Franklin defended its home turf with a win over visiting North Attleboro. Tyler O’Brien and Jack Hagerty shared medalist honors in the win, each shooting a 37 on the day. CJ Steel added a 40 in the win and Caden Sullivan rounded out the Panthers’ scoring with a 41. Jordan Paradis led the visiting Rocketeers with a team-low round of 38.

Taunton, 185 @ Mansfield, 162 – Final – Mansfield emerged from its crossover match with Taunton with a big win at Norton Country Club. Nathan McClean led the Hornets with a medalist round of 39, Drew Urban added a 40, and Davon Sanders chipped in with 41 after a strong finish. Brendan Vokey and Cody Nieratko each shot a 41 to round out Mansfield’s scoring.

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.