09/19/201909/20/2019

Thursday’s Schedule & Scoreboard – 09/19/19

Today’s games are listed below.

Boys Soccer
North Attleboro, 3 @ Attleboro, 0 – Final – North Attleboro scored once in the 10th minute and added two more goals in the second half to pick up a win over rival Attleboro. Matt Mordini finished off a cross from James Sales to give the visitors the lead in the first half. In the second, Sales buried a chance after a failed clearance after a cross from James Bush to make it 2-0 in the 48th minute. Mordini grabbed his second in the 61st minute off a feed from Alex Pfeffer. Kyle Briere earned his third shutout of the season.

King Philip, 1 @ Canton, 0 – Final – Click here for a recap and photo gallery of this game.

Oliver Ames, 2 @ Foxboro, 0 – Final – Oliver Ames earned its fifth straight win to start the season, posting a 2-0 win on the road at Foxboro. Kevin Louhis scored and had an assist in the win. Anthony DaCosta scored the other goal for OA while Colin Milliken grabbed his fifth assist of the year. Drew Nickla earned his fourth shutout of the year.

Mansfield, 1 @ Milford, 4 – Final – After a scoreless first half, Milford exploded for four goals in the second half to earn a win over visiting Mansfield. Pedro Araujo put the Hawks ahead with a penalty kick in the 50th minute but Mansfield’s Colin True headed in a service from Colin Caridi minutes later to bring the Hornets level. Araujo grabbed his second after being playing in by Lucas Da Silva. Da Silva then scored a pair of his own, both from Araujo, as the Hawks pulled away for the win.

Taunton, 1 @ Sharon, 3 – Final – Sharon scored a pair of second half goals to pull away from visiting Taunton for the win. The Eagles went ahead in the 6th minute on a goal from Brian Higgins (from Andrew Jacobson) but Taunton knotted the score with a penalty kick from Alec Nunes in the 37th minute. Sharon jumped back ahead in the 55th minute when Michael Baur converted a penalty kick, and Jacobson linked up with Higgins again in the 73rd minute for an insurance tally.

Girls Soccer
North Attleboro, 1 @ Attleboro, 1 – Final – Attleboro took the lead on a first half goal by Meghan Panzer, but Olivia Wills scored for the second time this week to earn a point for the Rocketeers. Abi Slaney assisted on North’s goal. Attleboro nearly grabbed a late winner with a quick break but Summer Doherty made a big play to cut out the chance. Lydia Hershey, Jordan Sullivan, and Lily Cameron all played well in the North back line. Regan Fein made seven saves for North, while Attleboro keeper Ashley Macia made six stops.

Canton, 1 @ King Philip, 4 – Final – King Philip senior Chloe Layne registered three points to become the program’s all-time point leader, breaking a 21-year old record. Layne had a goal and two assists, scoring the game-winner in the 15th minute. Layne also set up Jenny Montville as KP opened the scoring 30 seconds into the game. Ally Stanton (assists) scored on a feed from Jenna Hitchen in the 50th minute, and Layne set up Kiera Lindmark for a strike in the 71st minute. KP coach Gary Pichel credited his back line with having a strong game, with freshman Grace Lawler have a particularly strong showing.

Foxboro, 2 @ Oliver Ames, 0 – Final – Click here for a recap and photo gallery of this game.

Stoughton, 1 @ Franklin, 6 – Final – Franklin took control of the game early on, jumping out to a 4-1 lead by halftime, and never looked back. Carly Alston led the way for the Panthers with two goals and two assists, while Anna Balkus added a goal and two assists. Sydney St. Marie and Anna Grasso added goals for Franklin and Erin Quaile had an assist. Brianna Buckley had a big day in goal for the Black Knights with 16 saves. Freshman Shayla Ford scored for Stoughton with an assist from Ashley Camilo.

Milford, 1 @ Mansfield, 1 – Final – Kerrin Sears scored the opening goal for Mansfield in the first half, assisted by Bella Lennon, but Ashleigh Starks equalized for the Hawks from the penalty spot with 15 minutes remaining in the game.

Sharon, 1 @ Taunton, 2 – Final – After trading first half goals, Taunton’s Emily O’Gara netted the game-winner in the 55th minute to give the Tigers the win over visiting Sharon. Taunton opened the scoring in the 17th minute as senior Paige Tolan finished off a corner kick from Emily Calderon. Sharon drew level in the 30th minute when Olivia Soby found the back of the net with a shot from outside the box. O’Gara picked out the top corner with a rocket in the 55th minute on an assist from Tolan. Junior Hannah McEntee made seven saves to earn the win while seniors Emma Silvia and Allison Calderon had strong games defensively for the Tigers.

Golf
Franklin, 152 @ Attleboro, 159 – Final

King Philip, 150 @ Stoughton, 196 – Final – King Philip’s Kayla Schuberth had a terrific day on the links, carding a two-under round of 34 to lead the Warriors past Stoughton. Nate Ihley added an even par 36, Mike Matheson shot a 39, and Jack Hastry chipped in with a 41 for the Warriors.

Mansfield, 171 @ Foxboro, 175 – Final – Mansfield earned a close win on the road at Foxboro to stay unbeaten on the season. Nate Morreale led the Hornets with a low-round of 40 while Joseph Gormley added a 41, Jason See shot a 43, and Ryan Dow finished with a 47 for Mansfield.

Milford, 166 @ Canton, 149 – Final – Canton’s Chris Lavoie, Will Gefteas, and Conor Hunter shared medalist honors on the day, each shooting a 37 to help the Bulldogs win in their home opener. Mike Leonetti, Thomas Singleton, and Owen Donovan all shot 38 for the Bulldogs. Tyler Wetherbee led Milford with a low-round of 39.

North Attleboro, 179 @ Sharon, 165 – Final – Sharon defended its home course, knocking off visiting North Attleboro at the Cape Club of Sharon. Ethan Skelly earned match medalist honors for the Eagles, shooting a match-low round of 38, with Andrew Glaser adding a round of 40. Eric Carter (43) and Nathan Daley (44) also scored for Sharon. Jake Gaskin had a team-low round of 41 for the Rocketeers.

Oliver Ames, 170 @ Taunton, 187 – Final – Tate Hadges led the way for the Tigers on the road, carding a round of 39 to earn medalist honors in Oliver Ames’ win. Brad Powers added a 41 in the win.

09/10/201909/11/2019

Layne Lifts King Philip Over Franklin With Early Goal

King Philip girls soccer Chloe Layne — King Philip’s Chloe Layne and Franklin’s Carissa Alers battle for possession in the first half. (Ryan Lanigan/HockomockSports.com)

FRANKLIN, Mass. – The Franklin girls soccer team put on a nearly flawless defensive performance against visiting King Philip on Tuesday afternoon.

But the potent Warriors’ offense only needs one chance to punish teams.

Such was the case at Pisini Field as senior Chloe Layne scored inside the opening 10 minutes, the 100th point of her career, and the Warriors walked away with a hard-earned 1-0 decision over the Panthers.

Click here for a photo gallery from this game.

While King Philip’s lone goal came early, the Warriors had chances throughout the game that were either thwarted by the Panthers’ defense or denied by senior goalie Bre Atwood.

“Defensively, [Franklin head coach Tom Geysen] always comes up with a good scheme, you just have to try and work and work and work until you break through,” said King Philip head coach Gary Pichel.

The Warriors started on the front foot, keeping possession as they built towards their goal. In the eighth minute, senior Avery Snead controlled a service and linked up with Layne. Layne first carried towards the end line but cut back inside and fired a left-footed blast that powered through defenders and into the back of the net. The assist was also the 100th point for Snead in her KP career.

“You can’t let Chloe get in that deep, and all she needs is a little space,” Pichel said. “She just knocks it in with a lot of firepower. I thought Franklin did a good job [defensively] on Chloe and Avery, they were all over them, made it very difficult to get decent shots off. But that’s what you expect, a close game against Franklin.”

Minutes later, Snead nearly doubled the lead. She took a pass from classmate Jenna Hitchen and rifled a one-timer from just inside the 18 but her low shot was wide as Franklin senior Sam Powderly applied pressure.

The Warriors best chance to add onto their advantage in the first half came in the 22nd minute. Junior Paige Varvarigos lofted a corner kick that Snead rose up to meet but her header flashed just wide at the near post.

Although Franklin defended for the majority of the half, it did have some breaks that turned into looks offensively. In the 20th minute, Carly Alston served a corner kick to the near post. Anna Balkus was the first to the bar, getting a touch that eluded the keeper but the ball was cleared in front of goal by the KP defense.

King Philip had two great chances to add onto the lead in the opening 10 minutes of the second half but Atwood came up big for the Panthers on both occasions. In the 45th minute, Snead blocked a clearance attempt but Atwood quickly closed down and turned away her shot.

Four minutes later, Makayla Griffin found Ally Stanton with a corner kick, and Stanton’s header looked destined for the back of the net before Atwood made a terrific diving save to prevent the ball from crossing the line.

“I thought their goalie made some really good stops, especially on that corner it looked like Ally Stanton had taken care of it, it was going right in, and she got there right in the nick of time,” Pichel said. “We knew coming in that, the trouble they had with Milford, you forget about it. It’s KP against Franklin and it’s always a dogfight.”

Franklin got strong defensive performances from Powderly, senior Sabrina Addi, junior Carissa Alers, junior Erin Quaile, and freshman Norah Anderson.

“You have Snead, Layne, and Stanton…that’s a lot of firepower,” Geysen said of the KP attack. “When you look at their scoring, goals and assists, it all goes through the three of them. So we just tried to make it a little bit harder, tried to be in their face, and when you have the opportunity, double team them.

“Just one chance, that’s all it takes. And that’s what happens when you don’t score.”

Anderson applied pressure so Snead couldn’t get off a clean one-timer in the 63rd minute. Less than a minute later, Jenny Montville blasted a shot from 25 yards out but Atwood handled it on the bounce. And in the 69th minute, Stanton’s cross found Montville but good defending from Addi prevented a serious chance.

Franklin had its best chance of the second half come in the 73rd minute on a near post corner kick but KP keeper Taylor Butler came off the line and disrupted the service.

“I told Taylor she did a fantastic job of coming out when she needed to and taking care of business,” Pichel said. “I thought Grace Lawler did a fantastic job on defense, picking up some of their runs. Jenny Montville and Ava Tormey, things changed drastically when I put those two in the middle. They really picked it up for us and gave us a lot of energy.

We’re a work in progress. Who’s going to step up, who’s going to be consistent…and you just do the best you can. We don’t think we’re fantastic but we’re more of a meat and potatoes type team, just keeping fighting.

Hitchen intercepted a clearance in the 76th minute to give the Warriors one final chance, but the near post service was knocked away by Atwood before Layne could get a touch.

Click here for a photo gallery from this game.

“Bre played extremely well in the second half after being a little passive in the first half,” Geysen said. “Same thing with Sabrina [Addi], she had a great second half. They were both better today and it worked well.

“We beat Milford but we didn’t play very well, they physically knocked us all over the place and took advantage of our lack of aggressiveness. We needed to be more physical and aggressive today, that was the goal for today. I don’t care what the score was, we needed to play better. And I was very proud that they did that today.”

King Philip girls soccer (3-0 overall, 2-0 Hockomock) is back in action on Friday with a trip to Milford. Franklin (1-1, 1-1) is on the road at Canton on Thursday afternoon.

09/02/201909/02/2019

Girls Soccer: 2019 Kelley-Rex Division Preview

By HockomockSports.com Staff

2019 Kelley-Rex Girls Soccer Preview

Attleboro

2018 Record: 6-11-1
2018 Finish: Missed Playoffs
Coach: Steve Santos
The Bombardiers have made great improvements over the last couple of seasons, jumping from eight goals scored as a team to 26 and then 24 in 2017 and 2018, and now head coach Steve Santos is looking for Attleboro to take the next step and make its first state tournament appearance since joining the Hockomock League. With an experienced corps and several talented newcomers, Santos hopes this will be the year to get a taste of the postseason.

The attack has been led by junior forward Isabella Salviati, who had half of the team’s goals last year and assisted on seven other goals. The forward play flows through her, but the Bombardiers will be hoping to get more contributions from junior Briley Harnois, who had a breakout sophomore campaign, and from midfielder Jessica Gates, who has the vision to find the key pass that will spring one of the forwards. Also helping out through midfield and into the attack with be seniors Ashley Dame and Julia Reyes.

There is also experience in the heart of the Attleboro defense with senior Sophia Salviati paired with classmate Emily Antonik. Junior Vanessa Laguerre makes the move up from JV this season and will be slotted into the back line as well. Goalie has been a position of strength for the Bombardiers for several seasons but this year it is in flux as senior Ashley Macia is slated to be the starter, but she is also capable in defense and saw a lot of time as an outfield player last year. Freshman Alexis Campbell could eventually step in between the posts. Junior Riley Sullivan could contribute right away and is capable of playing multiple positions and sophomore Emily Khang adds another player with ball skills.

“We have a lot of returning players,” said Santos, “and I think we have more depth so we won’t have to rely on the starters for as many minutes. We have a lot of players who can contribute and fill in the pieces. The key this season will be being consistent for 80 minutes and keeping our pace for the whole game.”

Franklin

2018 Record: 10-3-5
2018 Finish: Reached D1 South First Round
Coach: Tom Geysen
Franklin lost only three games all of last season and had one of the league’s best defensive records, allowing only 10 goals in 18 games. That solidity in the defensive third will be hard to replicate, as the Panthers graduated three of last year’s back four, but there is also hope that the promising young attackers can take some of the pressure off by improving on the team’s 40 goals scored, which was seventh best in the Hock.

Senior Sabrina Addi is the lone returning defender for the Panthers, but she will get help from senior goalie Breanna Atwood to try and organize an inexperienced defense. Freshman Norah Anderson will jump into the center of the defense and looks ready for the physical challenge of Hock play. Senior Sam Powderly will drop back from midfield to help out as well.

Once the Panthers get the ball back, there are plenty of familiar faces to try and get goals. Senior Anna Balkus can play a number of different positions, including in the heart of midfield, the wing, or in the attack. Sophomore Stella Regan is coming off a breakout rookie season and adds even more pace to the center of the pitch, while senior Carly Alston is a solid performer on both sides of the ball. In the attack, juniors Erin Quaile and Sydney St. Marie are looking to make the leap to add more consistent scoring.

“I know the kids with experience won’t back down,” said Franklin coach Tom Geysen, “but I need to see how the younger kids will react to this level. I need to see if they can physically cope with playing where I need them to play.”

King Philip

2018 Record: 12-5-2
2018 Finish: Reached D1 South First Round
Coach: Gary Pichel
When you bring back players the caliber of seniors Avery Snead and Chloe Layne, the expectations will be very high for the upcoming season. King Philip enters 2019 as the favorite to bring home a league title but also with the goal of matching the run that the Warriors made in 2017, when they won the South title in double overtime and reached the state semifinal.

Layne, the 2017 HockomockSports.com Underclassman of the Year, and Snead, the 2017 HockomockSports.com Player of the Year and two-time league MVP, have been among the league’s leading scorers each of the last three years and will make one more run at a league title. They are joined up top by senior Ally Stanton. The trio was one of the league’s most dynamic attacking groups, combining for 50 goals and 33 assists last season

Senior Jenna Hitchen and juniors Emma Glaser and Jenny Montville will also contribute to pushing the Warriors forward, while freshman Ella Pisani is a newcomer to watch in the attack. A lot of attention will (rightfully) be paid to KP’s attack, but its defense is also experienced. Seniors Makayla Griffin and Olivia Berry and junior Paige Varvarigos return to the back line with a combined eight years on varsity. Junior Taryn Greenberg and freshman Grace Lawler will also contribute in defense in front of junior goalie Taylor Butler.

“I am very excited about the prospects for our team this year,” said KP coach Gary Pichel. “That being said, we will remain laser-focused on not overlooking any team that we play. We will not look ahead but instead, will prepare for each team we have on our schedule with great intensity, one game at a time.

Mansfield

2018 Record: 15-3-4
2018 Finish: Reached D1 South Semifinal
Coach: Kevin Smith
The Hornets have had an unprecedented level of success over the past three seasons, winning three straight Kelley-Rex division titles, and reaching last year’s Div. 1 South semifinal, but Mansfield enters the fall with an almost entirely new roster and having only one player on the team with more than one year of varsity experience.

Senior Erin Dooling is by far the most experienced player on the roster, but defender Maria Sevastos and midfielder Katie Miller both saw a lot of playing time as freshmen and impressed during their rookie campaigns. Senior midfielder Kerrin Sears and senior defender Megan Krone join Dooling as captains this season and will both need to provide leadership for a team with four freshmen on the roster.

Mansfield coach Kevin Smith said, “We are young and learning each day with an entire new starting lineup, four freshmen on the roster and 18 of 24 players new to the team. Erin is the lone player with more than one year of varsity experience while Maria and Katie earned a lot of minutes last year. All three will be leaned on to share their experience with the team.”

Oliver Ames

2018 Record: 11-5-3
2018 Finish: Reached D1 South First Round
Coach: Britt Sellmayer
Oliver Ames continues to turn out competitive teams ready to challenge the best teams in the league and put themselves in the state tournament picture. This fall will be no different, as the Tigers have six returning starters and 14 players who saw varsity action last year. While there is still a relative lack of experience, the Tigers remain a team with high expectations.

Defense has also been a strength of the program and this year is no different with seniors Olivia Carroll, Abigail Hodges, and Leah Johnson providing a strong backbone for the team and will be a unit that is hard to break down. Junior goalie Emma O’Donnell is dealing with a preseason injury, so sophomore Emily Meyers will get the start for the season opener. Seniors Erin Holmberg and Abby Evin will lead the forward line, but there were strong rookie seasons from Camryn O’Connor and Allison Evin that give confidence for additional help in the final third.

“For OA to return to the tournament we will need some of our less experienced players to step up,” said Oliver Ames coach Britt Sellmayer.

Taunton

2018 Record: 3-16
2018 Finish: Missed Playoffs
Coach: Joe Rocha
Former Taunton boys soccer coach Joe Rocha takes over the girls program this fall and will continue a rebuilding effort to try and get the Tigers off the foot of the division standings, which is a difficult task in the loaded Kelley-Rex division. Rocha knows it will be a process with a relatively young roster and is looking for improvements over the course of the season.

Senior Grace Pimenta will be back in goal for the Tigers this season, after missing part of last year with an injury. Pimenta will add leadership to the defensive unit that features senior Emma Silvia and sophomore Isabella Anslow in the middle. Keeping things solid in the center will be the key and Taunton will hope that the forwards can stay active and put pressure on the opposing defenses. Seniors Paige Tolan, Allison Calderon, and Kerla Sylvestre, and juniors Emily O’Gara and Morgan Zakrewski will be counted on to step up and improve Taunton’s goal-scoring numbers (after scoring 16 goals as a team last season).

“We are a very young team and will have some growing pains,” Rocha said. “As a first-year coach, my players are learning a new system and once we all get on the same page, I feel that our play will improve.”