The 2017 Hockomock League Girls Soccer All Stars

Below are the official 2017 Hockomock League Girls Soccer All Stars, selected by the coaches in the league.

Hockomock League MVP

Avery Snead, King Philip

Hockomock League All Stars

Jordyn Forte, Attleboro
Sarah Connolly, Canton
Riley Duserick, Canton
Olivia Rodman, Canton
Lily Sykes, Foxboro
Mackenzi Fraser, Foxboro
Molly Duncan, Franklin
Catherine Robbins, Franklin
Avery Snead, King Philip
Chloe Layne, King Philip
Emma Corcoran, King Philip
Ally Stanton, King Philip
Melissa Reef, Mansfield
Emily Vigeant, Mansfield
Taylor Smith, Mansfield
Stephanie Kemp, Mansfield
Juliana France, Milford
Rachel LaBonte, North Attleboro
Haley Guertin, North Attleboro
Ashlyn Gaulin, North Attleboro
Emily Chiasson, North Attleboro
Regan Benton, Oliver Ames
Jacqueline Mills, Oliver Ames
Ally Filipkowski, Sharon
Sarah Widrow, Stoughton
Samantha Tichelaar, Taunton

The 2015 Hockomock Girls Soccer All Stars & HMs

playeroftheweek_2015_calabraro_HP
Below are the official Hockomock League Girls Soccer All Stars, selected by the coaches in the league.

Hockomock League MVP

Francesca Calabraro, Oliver Ames

Hockomock League All Stars

Paige Medeiro, Attleboro
Sarah MacQuarrie, Canton
Riley Duserick, Canton
Victoria Stowell, Franklin
Dani Lonati, Franklin
Meghan Dieterle, Franklin
Alexis Stowell, Franklin
Carolynn Will, Foxboro
Lily Sykes, Foxboro
Rachel Hogan, King Philip
Hannah Reiter, Mansfield
Jaclyn Carchedi, Mansfield
Patricia Murphy, Mansfield
Jennifer Kemp, Mansfield
Kristen Franzini, Milford
Haley Guertin, North Attleboro
Rachel LaBonte, North Attleboro
Hana Caster, North Attleboro
Francesca Calabraro, Oliver Ames
Jacqueline Mills, Oliver Ames
Delaney Benton, Oliver Ames
Zoe Chazan, Oliver Ames
Ally Steinberg, Sharon
Samantha Tullis, Stoughton
Alana Vincent, Taunton
Abby Small, Taunton

Honorable Mentions

Rebekah Entwistle, Attleboro
Tessa Cudmore, Canton
Lauren Rudolph, Franklin
Riley Collins, Foxboro
Brooke Thomas, King Philip
Anna Chairolonza, Mansfield
Katie Brown, Milford
Grace Guertin, North Attleboro
Emily Freeman, Oliver Ames
Ally Filipkowski, Sharon
Marissa Williams, Stoughton
Emily Serpa, Taunton

The 2015 Hockomock Girls Soccer All Stars & HMs

playeroftheweek_2015_calabraro_HP
Below are the official Hockomock League Girls Soccer All Stars, selected by the coaches in the league.

Hockomock League MVP

Francesca Calabraro, Oliver Ames

Hockomock League All Stars

Paige Medeiro, Attleboro
Sarah MacQuarrie, Canton
Riley Duserick, Canton
Victoria Stowell, Franklin
Dani Lonati, Franklin
Meghan Dieterle, Franklin
Alexis Stowell, Franklin
Carolynn Will, Foxboro
Lily Sykes, Foxboro
Rachel Hogan, King Philip
Hannah Reiter, Mansfield
Jaclyn Carchedi, Mansfield
Patricia Murphy, Mansfield
Jennifer Kemp, Mansfield
Kristen Franzini, Milford
Haley Guertin, North Attleboro
Rachel LaBonte, North Attleboro
Hana Caster, North Attleboro
Francesca Calabraro, Oliver Ames
Jacqueline Mills, Oliver Ames
Delaney Benton, Oliver Ames
Zoe Chazan, Oliver Ames
Ally Steinberg, Sharon
Samantha Tullis, Stoughton
Alana Vincent, Taunton
Abby Small, Taunton

Honorable Mentions

Rebekah Entwistle, Attleboro
Tessa Cudmore, Canton
Lauren Rudolph, Franklin
Riley Collins, Foxboro
Brooke Thomas, King Philip
Anna Chairolonza, Mansfield
Katie Brown, Milford
Grace Guertin, North Attleboro
Emily Freeman, Oliver Ames
Ally Filipkowski, Sharon
Marissa Williams, Stoughton
Emily Serpa, Taunton

Caster Hat Trick Blasts Rocketeers Past Oliver Ames

Hana Caster
Hana Caster (24) was a blur for North Attleboro on Thursday as she scored three times to lift the Rocketeers to a win at OA. (Josh Perry/HockomockSports.com)

By Josh Perry, Managing Editor

NORTH EASTON, Mass. – North Attleboro shocked Oliver Ames during the regular season, beating the Tigers for the second year in a row and for the first time in 13 years at Kelly Field. On Thursday night, the two teams met again at Muscato Stadium with far more than bragging rights on the line.

OA had the lead twice, but both times North bounced back and senior forward Hana Caster scored her third goal of the game with just seven minutes remaining to lift to the Rocketeers to a 3-2 victory in the opening round of the Div. 1 South tournament.

When asked how long it has been since North last won three in a row against the Tigers, North coach Glenn Pasquel shook his head and said, “I don’t think it’s ever happened.”

Trying to explain why the sudden success against the Davenport champions, Caster added, “We really play good against teams that are equal to us or even better. When it comes to a team where we know what they’re doing because we do the same things we get up for it.”

The Rocketeers were certainly enthusiastic at the start, but it was the Tigers that jumped into the lead. Following an early chance for Francesca Calabraro that sailed over the bar, OA took advantage of a poor clearance on a corner and Jess Robarge knocked it in from six yards out.

The lead lasted 13 minutes before Caster showed off her wheels to get on the end of a through ball by sophomore Haley Guertin down the middle of the field. Caster raced past the defenders and managed to get there just ahead of OA keeper Regan Benton, took a touch past her, and rolled it into the empty net.

“We told her that we’re not going to put the ball down the lane; we’re just going to pop them up over the top and you chase after them,” said Pasquel.

North Attleboro set out to limit the effectiveness of Calabraro with double teams, but OA still had chances in the first half with Jackie Mills heading straight at North keeper Kiersten Bixby and then twice Lauren Wright went close but could not find the back of the net.

The Tigers pressure paid off in the 35th minute when Calabraro was brought down in the box. Delaney Benton stepped up to put away the penalty and restore the lead. The Rocketeers almost equalized right after the restart but Caster was denied on a breakaway by Regan Benton.

Caster tied the game for a second time nine minutes after the break. Again she sped past her markers on a quick counterattack. Her first shot was saved by new keeper Bethany Dunk but she settled the rebound and fired it into the back of the net.

“You’re up 1-0, you’re up 2-1 and you have to be a little firmer in limiting their chances,” said OA coach Britt Sellmayer. “You know Hana Caster is there and we can’t leave her open and we can’t give her chances and, to be honest, [North] played with more composure.”

The game was mostly a stalemate in the second half, thanks in large part to the play of the North Attleboro defense, which limited OA’s normally potent offense. The Rocketeers central defenders, Rachel LaBonte and Emily Chiasson closed down the middle of the field.

Pasquel said, “Our defense keeps everything together. When times were getting tough, we pulled back a little bit and they stayed together.”

Sellmayer agreed, “I thought their back four was outstanding. We tried to force the ball down the middle and then as the game got closer and tighter our decision-making got worse and worse.”

The Tigers nearly restored the lead in the 67th minute when Kiana Lozzi got free in the six-yard box, but Bixby got down quickly and blocked the chance.

That was a crucial stop, as six minutes later the Rocketeers took the lead. A scramble in front of the OA goal was not cleared properly and Caster managed to escape a crowd, find the ball, and score her third of the night to send the Rocketeers into hysterics.

“That always happens when there is such a big jumble and you see the ball in front of the net and I just got my foot on it,” she explained.

“That was so exciting. There’s nothing better than breaking a tie in a tournament game.”

With three minutes left, OA had one last chance when Delaney Benton got free down the left flank but her cross just missed Calabraro racing in at the back post and went out for a goal kick.

“We have a really, really positive team,” said Caster. “Not even one second of the game were we questioning that we would win.”

Pasquel added, “That’s one thing about this team; they’ll stay together to the end.”

The Rocketeers may get a second straight Hockomock League rival as they await the winner of Franklin and Walpole, which will be played on Friday afternoon.

Josh Perry can be contacted at JoshPerry@hockomocksports.com and followed on Twitter at @Josh_Perry10.

Tuesday's Schedule & Scoreboard – 10/27/15

Today’s games are listed below.
Boys Soccer
Attleboro, 1 @ Mansfield, 3 – Final – Attleboro scored first 13 minutes into the game but a penalty kick from Jared Miller three minutes before the break leveled the game. Senior Chris Elsner scored his first career goal, heading home a corner from Brad Eames and Miller added the insurance goal four minutes off an assist from Jareme DiLorenzo. Michael Kirejczyk made eight saves in net as the Hornets clinched at least a share of the Kelley-Rex division title.

Stoughton, 1 @ Canton, 0 – Final – Stoughton freshman Fabio Ponce De Leon scored his eighth goal of the season off of what head coach Aaron Salter called a great pass from Winston Kessah. Salter said Goddy Frombe was fantastic at the back and Kyle Silverman was solid for the whole game.

Foxboro, 4 @ Sharon, 2 – Final – Joe Morrison, Devante Teixeira and Anthony Barreira each scored a goal inside the first eight minutes as the Warriors jumped out to an early lead. Jake Goloboy brought the Eagles back within two in the 14th minute and scored again in the 51st minute to make it a one goal game. But Teixeira netted his second in the 62nd minute for the insurance goal.

Franklin, 1 @ North Attleboro, 0 – Final – Franklin’s Nick Parent scored in the second half off an assist from Aaron Frongillo for the lone goal of the game.

King Philip, 9 @ Taunton, 1 – Final – Sophomore Tyler Mann scored a first half hat trick and one assist for the Warriors, who jumped out to a 7-0 lead at the break. Joe Kellett had three assists and one goal, Will Weir and Larsen Keys each had a goal and an assists, Nick Cannella had a pair of assists and Thomas Lugten netted a pair of goals. Mike Rowe also had a goal for KP. Austin Botelho scored off an assist from Derek Pereira for Taunton.

Oliver Ames, 3 @ Milford, 0 – Final – Oliver Ames clinched at least a share of the Davenport division title with the win. Thomas McCormick had a pair of assists, setting up Keegan Nutt and Jack Sheldon, and scored once himself. Chris Romero picked up an assist on McCormick’s goal.
Girls Soccer
Mansfield, 4 @ Attleboro, 1 – Final – Emma Goulet scored twice and Jackie Carchedi had a pair of assists to lead the Hornets. Melissa Reef and Rebecca Bornstein also scored for Mansfield. Paige Medeiros scored the lone goal for Attleboro.

Canton, 5 @ Stoughton, 0 – Final

Sharon @ Foxboro, 3:30
North Attleboro, 1 @ Franklin, 1 – Final – Alexis Stowell scored the goal for the Panthers off an assist from Emily Mastaj. Hana Caster scored from a Shannon Kingsley corner 12 minutes into the game. It was the first goal that Franklin has allowed this season. 

Taunton, 4 @ King Philip, 2 – Final

Milford, 0 @ Oliver Ames, 3 – Final –  Jacqueline Mills scored a brace and Francesca Calabraro added a third for OA. Delaney Benton, Erin Fitzgerald, and Sam Bamford had the assists for the Tigers and Regan Benton and Bethany Dunk shared the shutout. Milford coach Jay Mastaj noted that Gabby O’Neil and Brianna Braza played well for the Hawks.
Volleyball
Taunton, 3 vs. Coyle & Cassidy, 0 – Final

Friday's Schedule & Scoreboard – 10/16/15

Today’s games are listed below.
Game of the Week – Football
Stoughton, 14 @ Foxboro, 0 – Final
1st Quarter: (S) Izon Swain-Price 19 yard rush, Jake Gibb XP good.
2nd Quarter: No scoring.
3rd Quarter: (S) Ryan Sullivan 2 yard rush, J. Gibb XP good.
4th Quarter: No scoring.
Football
King Philip, 15 @ Attleboro, 25 – Final
1st Quarter: (A) Cam Furtado 40-yard pass to Brendan Nunes, Owen McKenna XP good; (A) Furtado 2-yard rush, XP blocked.
2nd Quarter: (A) Furtado 27-yard pass to Alex Silva, 2-point conversion no good.
3rd Quarter: No scoring.
4th Quarter: (KP) Giovanni Fernandez 3-yard rush, Zach Boari XP good; (A) Nunes 5-yard rush, XP blocked; (KP) John DeLuca 10-yard pass to R.J. McCarthy, DeLuca to Leo Munafo for 2-point conversion.

Canton, 40 @ Oliver Ames, 14 – Final
1st Quarter: (C) Jake Ragusa 5 yard rush, XP no good; (C) Joe Bires 22 yard rush, XP good.
2nd Quarter: (C) J. Bires 1 yard rush, Woanyen Mahn 2pt rush; (C) Dennis Ross 1 yard rush; XP good.
3rd Quarter: (C) W. Mahn 35 yard rush, 2pt fail; (OA) Charlie Ryan 1 yard rush, 2pt fail.
4th Quarter: (C) Joe Mulkay 45 yard rush, XP fail; (OA) Kyle Gagliardi 60 yard rush, Leandro Moro 2pt rush.

Mansfield, 24 @ Franklin, 3 – Final
1st Quarter: (M) Anthony DeGirolamo 12 yard pass to Mike Arnold, Diogo DeSousa XP good.
2nd Quarter: (F) Nick Yelle 33 yard field goal.
3rd Quarter: (M) D. DeSousa 16 yard field goal.
4th Quarter: (M) Connor Finerty 16 yard rush, D. DeSousa XP good; (M) Nick Graham 80 yard rush, D. DeSousa XP good.

Taunton, 20 @ North Attleboro, 44 – Final
1st Quarter: (NA) Nick Morrison 58 yard rush, Connor Flynn XP; (NA) C. Flynn 7 yard rush, 2pt fail.
2nd Quarter: (NA) C. Flynn 24 yard field goal; (NA) N. Morrison 6 yard rush, C. Flynn XP; Nick Rajotte 3 yard rush, Connor MacIver XP; (T) Collin Hunter 34 yard pass to Adam McLaughlin, 2pt fail.
3rd Quarter: (T) C. Hunter 33 yard pass to A. McLaughlin, C. Hunter 2pt pass to A. McLaughlin; (NA) N. Morrison 55 yard fumble return, C. Flynn XP.
4th Quarter: (T) C. Hunter 8 yard pass to Michael Fernandez, 2pt fail; (NA) N. Morrison 50 yard rush, C. Flynn XP.
Boys Soccer
Attleboro, 0 @ Franklin, 3 – Final – Hatim Brahimi broke open a scoreless game with a goal in the 52nd minute for the Panthers. He then assisted on a goal by Kevin Hall, who added a second in the final minutes of the game.  

Canton,1 @ Foxboro, 1 – Final – Anthony Barreira put the home team up in the first but Canton’s Sam Papakonstantino leveled the match before the break. 

Mansfield, 0 @ King Philip, 0 – Final – In a battle of two of the top teams in the Kelley-Rex, neither side was able to find the back of the net. Mansfield coach Steve Sheridan credited goalie Michael Kirejczyk with a strong game in net for the Hornets.

Sharon, 1 @ Milford, 0 – Final – Sharon’s Oliver Hu scored the lone goal of the game with just over 10 minutes to play, converting a pass from Lucas Allaria  in the 70th minute. Mike Da Silva made five saves in net for the Scarlet Hawks.

Taunton, 1 @ North Attleboro, 2 – Final – Gareth King scored a pair of goals inside a five minute span, lifting the Rocketeers to their first win of the season. Taunton took the lead in the second half but just 15 seconds later King finished off a through ball from Gabe Pinhancos. Three minutes after that, Kevin Aguilar set up King for the game winner. 

Stoughton, 0 @ Oliver Ames, 4 – Final – Oliver Ames senior Keegan Nutt, junior Thomas McCormick and senior Chris Romero all scored goals in the first half as the Tigers built a 3-0 lead at the break. Sophomore Matt Alvarado set up classmate Cam Vella for the lone goal of the second half. Max Bamford, Nathaniel Cardoza and Vella each had assists. 
Girls Soccer
Franklin, 5 @ Attleboro, 0 – Final – Alexis Stowell netted a pair of goals, Emily Foley scored a goal and had an assist and Emily Spath and Abigail Gipson each scored once. Jess Kroushl, Halle Atkinson, Victoria Stowell and Meghan Dieterle each had an assist. 
Foxboro, 0 @ Canton, 1 – Final – Canton’s Sarah Collins scored an unassisted goal for the lone strike of the game to lift the Bulldogs to a win.

King Philip, 1 @ Mansfield, 9 – Final – Mansfield’s offensive exploded for nine goals, led by a hat trick from junior Hannah Reiter. Alle Bezeau scored a pair of goals, Emma Oldow had two goals and an assist, Jen Kemp scored once and had an assist, Bryn Anderson netted a goal and Emma Goulet and Jackie Carchedi each notched a pair of assists.
Milford, 2 @ Sharon, 1 – Final – Kristen Franzini netted both of Milford’s goals while Emily Duquette had a strong game in goal with nine saves for the Scarlet Hawks.

North Attleboro, 1 @ Taunton, 1 – Final – Taunton scored first in the opening half but Haley Guertin, off an assist from sister Grace Guertin, leveled the score just over 10 minutes into the second half.

Oliver Ames, 7 @ Stoughton, 0 – Final – Francesca Calabraro had a hat trick and added an assist for the Tigers. Jackie Mills added two goals and an assist and Lauren Wright and Annabella Walsh each scored goals. Delaney Benton chipped in with three assists.
Volleyball
Attleboro, 0 @ Franklin, 3 – Final – Franklin’s Caroline Maguire had seven aces and added four kills and a pair of blocks to lead the Panthers. Maddy Kuzio had four aces and a pair of digs and Lauren McGrath had 10 assists and three aces for Franklin.

Canton, 3 @ Foxboro, 0 – Final – Canton got the sweep on the road 25-15, 25-14, 28-26 and clinched its sixth straight Davenport Division title and ninth straight Hockomock League title overall, dating back to before the division split. Olivia Devoe had yet another strong game on defense with 15 digs while Elizabeth Hamilton dominated offensively with 20 kills and three aces, also chipping in with 19 digs. Canton head coach Pat Cawley praised the efforts of Kaitlin McCarthy, Emma Gobbi and Emma Murphy for their strong play at the net. Cawley also noted great defensive efforts from Julia Panico, Cassie Loftus and Maria Mackie. 
Mansfield, 3 @ King Philip, 0 – Final – Mansfield picked up the sweep on the road, 25-15, 25-22, 25-23. Jess Haradon had 18 digs and 11 service points for the Hornets while Cathryn Heavey had 35 assists and 10 service points. Sarah Mullahy had seven kills, seven blocks, and nine service points while Alli Belanger added eight digs and nine service points. For King Philip, Josie Rowean had 13 kills, Amelia Murphy added five kills, Emma Lopez had three kills and Micaela Murray finished with 10 digs. 
Sharon, 1 @ Milford, 3 – Final

Taunton, 0 @ North Attleboro, 3 – Final

Stoughton, 0 @ Oliver Ames, 3 – Final – Stoughton’s Bridgette Whalen had 10 digs and five kills in the loss.
Field Hockey
Taunton, 0 @ North Attleboro, 1 – Final

Calabraro Brace Lifts OA To Win Over Foxboro

Francesca Calabraro
OA junior midfielder Francesca Calabraro (7) scored a pair of second half goals, as the Tigers beat Foxboro 3-0 on Wednesday.

By Josh Perry, Managing Editor

NORTH EASTON, Mass. – Junior midfielder Francesca Calabraro continued her scoring surge with two goals inside of two second half minutes to break Foxboro’s resistance and lift Oliver Ames to a 3-0 win over its Davenport rival on Wednesday night at Muscato Stadium.

The win open up a six-point gap between the league leading Tigers and third place Foxboro.

The Tigers started the game on the front foot and pushed Foxboro back into its defending third, although the first shot on target was by Lily Sykes who had a go from 20 yards that was saved by Bethany Dunk. OA did not put a shot on target until the 13th minute when Delaney Benton’s 35-yard free kick was tipped over the bar at full stretch by Jalisa Allen.

Three minutes later, a corner came into the box and Allen got a touch to knock it out to the 18 where freshman Sophia Cox was lurking. She had a first-time shot that was deflected and forced another good stretching save from Allen.

Despite the OA pressure, the opening goal remained elusive. In the span of three minutes, Lauren Wright just missed the far post when played down the channel, Julia Roy had a shot from 20 yards land just outside the post with Allen stranded, and Calabraro rushed a shot from seven yards out after Jacqueline Mills worked space on the right and cut it back to her.

“We’re picking on a great player, but that’s what we talked about was having more composure,“ said OA coach Britt Sellmayer. “We had the chances in the first half, but I think we just needed a little more composure in the attacking third.”

In the final two minutes of the first half, the Tigers created one more good look but Allen, who made seven of her 11 saves in the opening 40 minutes, was equal to the shot from Erin Fitzgerald.

Sykes had created a couple of shots for Foxboro in the first half and forced Dunk into three saves, but the Warriors had struggled to create clear-cut chances. That changed in the opening 10 minutes of the second half.

Hailey Maling had a left-footed shot that went over the bar and Carolyn Will tested new OA keeper Regan Benton with a fiercely struck free kick that was just tipped over the bar. Five minutes later, Will had another go and the Warriors bench erupted thinking the senior had broken the deadlock but the ball had stuck the upright and landed behind the net.

“Defensively the first 10 minutes of the second half we were up here,” said Sellmayer. “I told them to settle down.”

“This is the group I’ve been waiting for for two years. So, we can play a little more on the ground, a little more possession, but we have to have the confidence to do it. “

Sellmayer made a switch and moved Calabraro back into the midfield and moved Kiana Lozzi up top as the striker. She got a chance in the 48th minute, but again the shot went wide when clear through on goa. Three minutes later, Roy got into the box and had a penalty appeal waved away before Benton ran onto the loose ball and forced Allen into a near post save.

The game remained scoreless until the 56th minute when a corner kick was played to the near post and Allen made a terrific reaction save on a header, but the ball bounced around and eventually found its way to Calabraro about three yards from an empty net and she nodded the Tigers in front.

Only a minute later and she had her second. Freshman defender Zoe Chazan found herself up field on the right and put in a perfect cross to the back post to find an unmarked Calabraro and she made no mistake.

“We had her on the outside the first couple of games and were trying to figure a couple things out,” said Sellmayer of Chazan. “We eventually moved her into the middle and I think that’s when we started playing our best soccer.”

“She cleans up a lot for us in the back. Her first touch is always away from pressure and then she’ll put it on someone’s foot.”

One of the main weapons throughout the game was the Tigers’ speedy wingers. Mills and Wright started and were spelled by Sam Bamford and Dana Lowney to allow OA to keep the pressure on and give an outlet for when Foxboro pushed forward.

The ability to sub in fresh bodies has been a key for Sellmayer this season and the difference between the squads was exacerbated by the injuries that Foxboro was dealing with.

“When someone asks about playing four games this week, I feel like we can do that because we go deeper,” said Sellmayer. 

“I’ll throw four girls at one time and remove the whole attack or whole midfield and it’s just about being team first and being able to share minutes.”

With two minutes remaining, OA wrapped up the victory. Lozzi ran at the Warriors back line and was able to dance through on goal before calmly slotting her shot past Allen and make it 3-0.

Oliver Ames (9-1-2, 8-1-2) will travel to Stoughton on Friday and play Brockton on Saturday morning. Foxboro (6-6-0, 6-5-0) will travel to second place Canton on Friday.

Josh Perry can be contacted at JoshPerry@hockomocksports.com and followed on Twitter at @Josh_Perry10.

Benton Saves Day, OA and Franklin End in Stalemate

Regan Benton
Regan Benton makes a save against Franklin. The sophomore made several key stops to preserve a 0-0 draw. (Josh Perry/HockomockSports.com)

By Josh Perry, Managing Editor

Click HERE for a photo gallery from the game.

NORTH EASTON, Mass. – Last year, when Franklin and Oliver Ames met in the first game of the girls’ soccer season, the Panthers dominated with a number of scoring chances that weren’t put away. In the end, keeper Dani Lonati saved the Panthers from those wasted chances by stopping a late penalty kick and earning a point.

This year, the roles were reversed in the second half at Muscato Stadium. Oliver Ames dominated the ball in the second half, pushing forward, and controlling the center of the pitch, but struggled to put away the chances that it created.

In the dying seconds, sophomore goalie Regan Benton made her third huge save of the half, diving out at the feet of Meg Adams, to stop a breakaway and ensure the battle of reigning league champions finished 0-0.

“When we had our chances, we couldn’t put them on frame,” said OA coach Britt Sellmayer. “We had some chances to shoot and they either went wide or were from too far out and with a keeper like Dani it needs to be in the corner with some pace on it.”

Franklin coach Tom Geysen added, “We’re fortunate that we’re getting out of here without a loss. That’s how he (Sellmayer) felt last year. It’s a forward step in some areas and some work to do in others.”

The first half was a midfield battle with neither team able to create much in the way of consistent attack. The game was not helped by the temperatures soaring into the 90s, which felt even hotter on the sun-drenched turf. Both teams utilized their benches frequently to make sure the players would not wear down.

Sellmayer explained, “It’s the team-first attitude I’ve talked to them about. I’m going to play a lot of players. I might have done longer shifts, instead of seven minutes I might have done nine or 10, but I’m just keeping them fresh.”

Franklin had two chances, a Megan Georges shot and a Victoria Stowell free kick, in the opening 20 minutes that forced Benton into saves, although neither was particularly difficult. Kiana Lozzi nearly broke the game open in the 26th minute with s strong run at the heart of the Franklin defense but her shot from 20 yards out would not curl enough to sneak into the corner of the net.

The best chance of the first half fell to Franklin senior Alexis Stowell in the 37th minute. Adams won a header towards the edge of the box and Bailey Knous hustled to steal it from the defender and cut it back to Stowell but her first-time shot from the edge of the six-yard box was saved at the near post by Benton.

The second half was more one-sided with OA imposing its style on the game. The Tigers are a strong, physical squad and like the ball in the air where midfielder Francesca Calabraro controlled the game.

“Francesca was dominant in the middle today,” said Sellmayer. “I think she must have had 10-15 headers, which is huge for us. Kiana played stronger in the second half. Things will come.”

Fourteen minutes into the second half, the game suddenly broke into life with a through ball flicked into the path of Lozzi by Julia Roy forced Lonati off her line quickly to save at the forward’s feet. Just seconds later, Franklin had a chance when Alexis Stowell finally snuck in behind the left back and was free on goal only to be denied by Benton again at the near post.

In the 64th minute, Benton was again forced into action when Victoria Stowell found space on the edge of the box and fired a shot that was tipped over the bar. On the ensuing corner, OA broke quickly with junior winger Lauren Wright being played into space down the right and raced the full half of the field only to place her shot inches wide of the post.

A couple minutes later OA again worked space on the right side of the box with Lozzi who turned and cut it back to Calabraro, but she didn’t get full contact on her shot and hit it right at Lonati.

Franklin was struggling to get Stowell, Adams, and Knous into the game, in part because of the solid defending of young outside backs Jaqueline Mills (sophomore) and Zoe Chazan (freshman). Sellmayer marveled, “That’s a big introduction into big time soccer and Zoey and Jackie did a great job on the outside for us today.”

As the game started to wind down, the young Panthers started to come into the game and move the ball from side to side, probing the defense. With four minutes left, Knous had a chance but pulled it just wide and then with the clock stopped at 2:00 Adams suddenly burst onto a through ball in the box.

Trailed by two defenders, Adams stretched to get a shot off but Benton was quick off her line, made herself big, and smothered the chance. There was a big collision and Adams was left punching the turf in frustration that he had not been able to find the late winner.

“When it comes down to it, their keeper came up big for them or it could’ve been a loss,” said Geysen.

Franklin will host Foxboro on Friday at Pisini Field, while Oliver Ames will travel to Taunton on Saturday morning.

Josh Perry can be contacted at JoshPerry@hockomocksports.com and followed on Twitter at @Josh_Perry10.