Franklin Continues Hock Win Streak Against Foxboro

Franklin girls lacrosse
Franklin junior Annie Walsh (3) and her sister Erin each scored four goals to lift Franklin to a victory against Foxboro in a battle of league champions. (Josh Perry/HockomockSports.com)

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FRANKLIN, Mass. – Franklin and Foxboro have been the dominant girls lacrosse programs in the league for several years, winning a combined 14 league titles in a row (including this spring’s Kelley-Rex and Davenport crowns) and perennially making deep state tournament runs as well.

While the two teams have shared success in the league, the head-to-head matchup has recently been one-sided. The games have typically been close, but it is Franklin that has regularly come out on top, as part of the Panthers incredible win streak against Hockomock opponents that stood at 70 games entering the yearly matchup with the Warriors on Wednesday night at Pisini Field.

This felt like a year that Foxboro could flip the script and end the Panthers’ long unbeaten run, but instead it was a familiar storyline. Annie and Erin Walsh scored four goals apiece, Franklin goalie Gianna Cameron made eight saves (six in the second half) and the Panthers pulled out an 11-5 victory.

“They came out with a lot of energy, a lot of passion,” said Franklin coach Kristin Igoe Guarino. “it was our senior night so we were honoring them and that energy translated on the draw. Annie did a great job, our circle people (Hailey Toolin, Erin, and Kelsey MacCallum) did awesome fighting for the ball.”

Franklin won 9-of-10 draws in the opening half, which limited the Warriors ability to get the ball into the sticks of their talented attacking corps. Also, the Panthers took full advantage of the opportunities that they were presented with.

“They were using every opportunity they had, for the most part, and capitalizing on them,” said Foxboro coach Brittany Sherry. “When it’s only being done on one side for us, the defense can only do so much, Sara [Addeche] can only make so many saves.”

Following a Nicole Houlihan steal, Annie Walsh put Franklin in front with a shot over Addeche’s stick into the top corner. Less than a minute later it was Erin Walsh bursting through the middle of the Foxboro defense to double the lead.

The Warriors got on the board three minutes later when senior Cat Luciano found space in the middle of the Franklin defense. Erin Walsh answered back with a pump fake and finish, but Foxboro again got the lead down to one with a lefty shot on the run by Sophia DiCenso.

Kelsey MacCallum scored her first of the night to make it 4-2 and then the Franklin defense made several big plays to keep Foxboro at arm’s length. Grace MacCallum was the vocal leader for the defensive unit, calling out switches, slides, and double teams. With the help of Halle Atkinson, MacCallum forced a turnover and scooped the ground ball to win possession back and on the other end Annie Walsh went high-to-low for Franklin’s fifth.

“Grace has been on this team for four years, so she’s a huge leader on the defensive end, kind of the director of the team,” said Igoe Guarino. “We’ve been pushing the defense to get even better and she’s been leading the way.”

She added, “Our communication was up, we were just playing as a team out there. Our doubling, we had a second slide ready and then our goalie just backing us up when they did shoot.”

Foxboro got one back with man-up goal by Molly Murphy off a perfect pass from DiCenso. With three minutes left in the half, Kelsey MacCallum was denied in transition by Addeche, but Franklin forced a turnover on the clearance and Erin Walsh found MacCallum with a precise pass across the crease for a close-range finish.

“We were moving the ball and ball-moving is great but eventually you’ve got to put points on the board,” said Sherry about the Foxboro attack. “We weren’t attacking the cage, we were looking to just a few players to get it done and when those players aren’t getting it done then other players need to step up.”

Murphy had one more chance before the half but Cameron read the bouncing shot and was able to deflect it up over the bar just as the horn sounded. At the start of the second half, Foxboro had several chances in the first few minutes to cut into the lead, but Cameron made three saves to keep it 6-3. Franklin then broke the game wide open.

“When we need her to save it, she does,” said Igoe Guarino of Camerron. “She had 15 saves against Walpole (on Monday) and she had a ton today against some of their best shooters. We’re just lucky to have her.”

Erin Walsh picked up her second assist when she connected with a cutting Katie Jones and the freshman went behind her back on the run for a highlight-reel finish. Walsh then added back-to-back goals on free positions to put the Panthers up by six. Annie Walsh got into the scoring with a drive from the left side to complete her hat trick.

“They play the whole game,” said Igoe Guarino of the Walsh sisters. “They hustle to get ground balls and win us possession and they just do an excellent job of reading when to take one-on-one and when to pass. They draw a lot of attention, but they both finished really well today.”

Murphy scored again to end the Franklin run and Mackenzie Cusack got the benefit of a bouncing ball through traffic on what appeared to be a pass that slipped past Cameron to make it 10-5 with 3:31 left, but Annie Walsh scooped a ground ball on the far sideline and took it herself to seal the win.

Foxboro came into the game on a nine-game win streak and had key players battling illness, but Sherry admitted that Franklin might be in the Warriors’ heads at this point.

“We love competition with Franklin,” she said. “We had the win streak going and…we’re just scared of Franklin. Every time we hear Franklin, we just don’t get it done and if this was any other team we would have a better result.”

Franklin (12-4, 9-0) has not lost a league game since April 2012 and the Panthers will try to complete another perfect league campaign next Wednesday against Canton. Foxboro (11-3, 7-1) will try to bounce back on Thursday with a trip to North Attleboro.

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Mansfield Gets Off to Winning Start Against Foxboro

Mansfield Girls Soccer
Mansfield junior forward Stephanie Kemp (white) scored a pair of goals and recorded an assist in the season opener. (Josh Perry/HockomockSports.com)

Josh PerryFollowJoshPerry


MANSFIELD, Mass. – After winning the program’s first ever league title last fall, Mansfield comes into this season with a deep and experienced roster, but it was youthful Foxboro that started Thursday evening’s season opener at Alumni Field with energy and confidence. The Warriors were pushing the Hornets back towards their own goal and putting pressure on the Mansfield back line.

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But, 15 minutes into the game, the Hornets picked out a pass over the top, a bad bounce took it past the defender, and junior Amanda Mangano slid the ball past Foxboro keeper Jamie DeVellis to open the scoring.

That goal changed the game. The Hornets clicked into gear and dominated from that point on, running out to a 5-1 win behind a pair of goals and three points from junior forward Stephanie Kemp and a pair of assists by senior Emma Oldow.

“Foxboro came out flying. They were physical and quick and tried to press us as high as they could,” said Mansfield coach Kevin Smith. “They had five in the midfield and we couldn’t figure out how to play through it with our typical passing game. I said, stretch the field, just put it over into space. That will stretch them out and then we can go back to the middle.”

He added, “Once we trusted that, two balls over the top and two goals; the game changed because of that.”

Foxboro was putting pressure from the opening whistle, using a high line and high pressure to win the ball and then quickly releasing freshman Jordyn Collins into the channels. Collins was able to run at defenders along with sophomore Lizzy Davis and win the Warriors a few early corners. The best chance in the opening minutes was a 30-yard free kick by Lily Sykes that swerved over the bar.

In the 16th minute, Oldow fired a pass forward towards Mangano and the ball skipped through the center of the Foxboro defense to create a one-on-one with the keeper. Foxboro struggled to sustain the pressure after falling behind.

“We came out on fire and really working hard,” said first-year Foxboro coach Katie Stalcup. “The ball was in our half, we were in the attacking half for the first part of the first half and then they got that goal and we got a little deflated. That’s something I need to talk to the girls about, but they didn’t stop fighting.”

Once the momentum turned, Mansfield took full control of the game. Junior Cassidy McMahon sent a shot wide from the right corner of the box and then sent a free header over the bar from the six-yard box. Kemp, who had an early chance that she sent wide, doubled the lead in the 31st minute when she ran onto a long ball from Erin Daniel, rounded the keeper and tapped it in.

Kemp nearly played provider a minute later, but Oldow shot wide when free on goal and then Kemp missed a chance that DeVellis appeared to get a finger to, but was ruled a corner.

Foxboro could have made the game closer before halftime, but Sykes had a free kick saved at full stretch by Mansfield keeper Caty DeMassi. On the resulting corner, the ball was redirected up and off the bar to keep it 2-0 heading into halftime.

Despite the speed of the Warriors’ attack, the Mansfield defense was able to hold strong, particularly the combination of center backs Emily Vigeant, Daniel, and Taylor Smith, a senior defender who transferred from Seattle, Wash. (and is already committed to play soccer at the University of Minnesota next year).

“It’s nice to have three center backs,” Smith said, “so I can rest them when they need and so many kids are interchangeable. Erin plays defense, midfield, outside back, and I can put the players anywhere.”

The third goal came nine minutes into the second half. Bryn Anderson picked out Oldow with a defense-splitting pass but Foxboro keeper Morgan Sylvestre (who took over at halftime) made a sliding save. The ball bounced out to Kemp, who calmly side-footed the ball home. Two minutes later, Kemp knocked down a long ball, Anderson took a touch to her left, and curled a shot past a diving Sylvestre.

Sykes was being smothered by the Mansfield midfield, with Anderson and fellow junior Melissa Reef constantly keeping an eye on Foxboro’s star. She finally got space in the 54th minute and curled a shot that DeMassi could not hold. Mackenzie Fraser was first to the loose ball and patiently took a touch before finishing the rebound.

“She’s always going to be out there playing a big part in the game,” said Stalcup of Sykes, “but they new who she was and they knew how to shut her down and she had a really hard time tonight.”

In the 57th minute, Mansfield restored its four-goal advantage. Mangano had a chance in the box, but the ball was cleared off her foot by Mackenzie Cusack. The clearance went directly to McMahon on the right side of the box and she hit it first time into the far side-netting.

Smith said, “We talked about using our experience but now playing with urgency. You can’t just say, we’re good and show up. I thought they came out with some urgency, which is good.”

Stalcup knows that it was always going to be difficult starting the season against the defending champ. She said, “We’re a young team, but we know how to battle. We’re going to keep fighting and we can build from that. You can’t teach hard work and we have that.”

Mansfield (1-0) will travel to Canton on Monday night in a crossover game, while Foxboro (0-1) will host unbeaten King Philip.

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Girls Soccer: 2017 Davenport Division Preview

2017 Davenport Girls Soccer Preview
The Davenport division is wide open in girls soccer in 2017 and the six teams will all have their sights set on competing for a title. (Josh Perry/HockomockSports.com)

By HockomockSports.com Staff

2017 Davenport Girls Soccer Preview

Canton

2016 Record: 10-8-2
2016 Finish: Reached D2 South Semifinal
Coach: Kate Howarth

For each of the past two seasons, Canton has finished second in the Davenport division and, with only three seniors graduating from the 2016 roster, the Bulldogs are poised to make another run at a league title this fall. Enthusiasm is also high after a strong closing stretch to last year, which included a draw with Kelley-Rex champ Mansfield and playoff victories over Greater New Bedford and Milton.

Senior Riley Duserick is the focal point of the Canton midfield and her ability to open space, pick out the right pass, and shoot from distance gives the Bulldogs a consistent threat in the attack. Junior Julia Hamilton emerged last season as a solid counterpoint to Duserick in the heart of the midfield with her tenacity and speed adding even more cover to the back line. Sophomores Lauren and Morgan McCabe will be added to the midfield options after strong rookie seasons. Lauren Fitzpatrick could see more time up front to replace the graduated Hannah Link and Tessa Cudmore and head coach Kate Howarth expects several freshmen to contribute as well.

The defense had inconsistent moments early in 2016, but the Bulldogs seemed to figure things out midway through the season and with the back four all returning defense should be a strength for Canton. Seniors Sarah Connolly and Carly Hutchinson will lead the defensive unit and junior Sarah Collins brings energy and speed from her right back spot.

“We are working really hard every day to get better at the little things that will push us beyond being a good team this season,” Howarth said. “I think our biggest weakness last year was consistency, so if we can get ahead of that right away we will be in a much better place than we were last year.”

Foxboro

2016 Record: 11-9-0
2016 Finish: Reached D2 South Quarterfinal
Coach: Katie Stalcup

Foxboro had an inconsistent 2016, but demonstrated the talent in the program by beating perennial power Notre Dame Academy in the first round of the playoffs and nearly going on the road to beat Medfield in the second round, only to fall in a penalty shootout. The Warriors have seven returning players, so this will be a young team in 2017, but new head coach Katie Stalcup will be familiar with those players after her stint as the JV coach last year.

The Warriors will be able to count on senior Lily Sykes. The four-year starter is one of the most dynamic players in the league and is capable of dominating the midfield by beating a defender off the dribble or picking out a defense-splitting pass. Senior Shaina Abbott will be one of the forwards that Sykes will be looking to set up, while senior Olivia Dantona adds speed on the wings. Senior Mackenzie Cusack is also back to lead the defensive unit along with junior Alex Stamatos.

Stalcup is counting on a number of young players to step in and contribute right away. Sophomore Lizzy Davis played for Stalcup on JV last year and brings speed and physicality to the forward position. Among the freshmen that will be on the roster are midfielder Katelyn Mollica, forward Jordyn Collins, and defender Emma Dahl.

“I am very excited about being the new varsity coach this year,” said Stalcup. “We have seven returning varsity players, four seniors who are all captains and five very impressive freshmen on the team for this season as well as some great players coming up from JV. We are a young team, but I am excited to see how well we can play together.”

Milford

2016 Record: 5-9-4
2016 Finish: Missed playoffs
Coach: Jay Mastaj

Milford is looking to bounce back from a five-win season to challenge for a spot in the state tournament this fall. The Hawks have a roster filled with youth and bring the majority of the starting lineup back and head coach Jay Mastaj is confident that the talent is there to make a push up the table and compete with the top teams in the league.

The Hawks are deep and experienced on the back line and the defense could be a real strength for Milford this season. Seniors Rachel LeBlanc and Brianna Braza will be the leaders in the heart of the defense and will try to keep everyone organized. Senior Leeanne Kibbee will lead the attack and will be counted on to finish off chances created by senior Maggie Boyle and sophomore Ashleigh Starks, who will look to create from the center of midfield.

Mastaj said of the attackers, “The combination brings strong skills, familiarity and solid varsity experience.” He is also excited about the younger players and what they can bring to the table this year, including sophomores Madelyn Boyle, Julianna France, and Annie Flanagan.

“This season we expect to be very competitive across the entire league,” Mastaj added, “and with a little bit of luck we believe we can challenge for the top of the Davenport.”

North Attleboro

2016 Record: 14-4-2 (Davenport Division Champions)
2016 Finish: Reached D1 South Quarterfinal
Coach: Bill Wallace

Despite changing coaches midway through the 2016 season, North Attleboro rolled to its first league title in its first season in the Davenport division. The Rocketeers racked up 14 wins and a goal differential of plus-40. Expectations are even higher coming into this fall with North returning a roster filled with experienced upperclassmen.

URI-commit Haley Guertin is the player to watch for the Rocketeers, as the senior forward is both a goal threat and also a playmaker who consistently opens up opportunities for her teammates. Her 37 career assists is tied for the most in program history. Head coach Bill Wallace said that there is a change in systems coming up front, but with Leah Jette and Ashlyn Gaulin joining Guertin, North will have a formidable attack.

In the midfield, Aine Mendonca returns to hold things down in the center of the pitch. Her poise in posession and ability to break up opposing attacks is critical for the Rocketeers. Of course, if anyone gets through, HockomockSports.com Best XI defender Rachel LaBonte and fellow senior Emily Chiasson are on hand to clean it up. North also returns both Nina Beauvais and Emma Noreck in goal.

“We should be up tempo and have a lot of depth,” said Wallace. “These kids have played together for years and generally care about each other. As always, the Hock is a ‘bear’ of a league and for us to continue last years success we are going to have to work hard and continue to improve!”

Sharon

2016 Record: 7-9-2
2016 Finish: Missed playoffs
Coach: Brad Furnival

Sharon narrowly missed out on reaching the playoffs last season under first-year head coach Brad Furnival. This year, making the playoffs could be even more difficult after the team lost nine seniors and seven starters from last year’s team. The Eagles will be building with youth this fall and gaining experience for a number of new faces.

One returning player that the Eagles will be counting on is senior Ally Filipkowski, who is coming off an exciting summer that saw her named to the U-20 Puerto Rican national team. The George Washington-commit is one of the most talented players with the ball in the league and she will be tasked with creating most of the chances for the Eagles. Senior Sabrina Robbins will step into a leadership role at the heart of the Sharon defense this fall and will be counted on to organize a young group.

Among the new faces to watch is junior Maxine Gordon, who will be starting in the attack this fall and is hoping to build off her experience from last season to be a consistent goal scorer. Sophomore Bella Berger is another player that Furnival believes could be in for a strong season. Berger will be influencing the game from the center of midfield.

“This season will be more of a transition season for Sharon girls,” Furnival said. “We have a very young team so the vision for this team is a couple of seasons down the line. We are hoping to continue playing an attacking brand of soccer and are looking forward to coming up against some top opposition that the Hock will pit us up against.”

Stoughton

2016 Record: 0-17-1
2016 Finish: Missed playoffs
Coach: Tara Daniels

Stoughton has been in a rebuilding mode for the past couple of seasons, but entering 2017 head coach Tara Daniels is making changes to the formation and counting on an experienced back line to get the Black Knights moving up the table in the Davenport division.

The leader for Stoughton is senior Sarah Widrow, who was the team’s lone league all-star last fall and impressed during the HockomockSports.com Charity All-Star Game. As an attacking fullback, Widrow pushes the Black Knights forward and adds vocal leadership to the back line. She will be joined at the back by the speedy Gabriela Diaz, who was converted from striker to defender. Senior Mia Greene will be the focal point in the midfield to try and keep possession for Stoughton.

Sophomore Chinazo Odunze returns from a injury-shortened season to lead the line for the Black Knights attack. She had a strong start to her freshman campaign before her injury and Daniels calls her combination of speed and physicality a “game-changer” for the attack.

Daniels said, “This season we are trying a new formation to give us more offensive opportunities…Staying healthy and in good shape is key to a successful season. We are looking to step up our possession game and having more of an offensive push this year.”

Foxboro’s Comeback Comes Up Short In D2 East Final

Foxboro girls lacrosse
Foxboro’s Meghan Curran is double teamed by a pair of Walpole defenders in the first half. (Ryan Lanigan/HockomockSports.com)
ByRyanLanigan_2016FollowRyanLanigan_2016
 
 
 
MILFORD, Mass. – While it wasn’t a favorable position, it wasn’t an unfamiliar one. For the second time this season, Foxboro girls lacrosse trailed Walpole at halftime, but this time around it was just a two goal deficit.

Unfortunately for the second-seeded Warriors, the second half played out in familiar fashion. Foxboro rallied back from a five goal deficit to cut it to one, but couldn’t get over the hump, falling 12-10 to the top-seeded Rebels in the MIAA D2 East Sectional Final.

“We were hoping we’d have the push we needed to get ahead over the last 25 minutes,” said Foxboro head coach Brittany Sherry. “We’ve had games we were down and come back before so we’ve been in that situation. But it was just too much of a lead today. Our shot selection wasn’t great and we needed to take care of the ball better than we did.”

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A highlight goal from Catherine Luciano tied the game at 3-3 with just over 12 minutes to play in the first half, but the Rebels rattled off three straight goals over a seven minute span. Luciano took a feed from Caroline McGeary to cut the deficit to two with just over a minute remaining and freshman goalie Sara Addeche had a big save with 10 seconds left in the half to keep it at 6-4.

But unlike in the first meeting when Foxboro completely shut Walpole out int eh second half, the Rebels went right to work on the offensive end in the second half. Emily Curtis put Walpole up three, 7-4, with a goal less than two minutes in but after an interception from Hallie Canfield, Foxboro responded with an 8-meter goal from Luciano.

The big difference in the game came in the next ten minutes as Walpole used lengthy possessions and finishes right in front to complete a 4-1 lead.

Back to back goals from Alison Foley in a two minute window put the Rebels up by four before Meghan Curran could get Foxboro back on the board on a restart two minutes later. After a four minute break between goals, Walpole cashed in on a long offensive spell with Curtis depositing one in.

A minute later, Foley tallied another and Walpole took a commanding 11-6 lead with 11 minutes to play.

“[Walpole] did great with manipulating our zone,” Sherry We tried to get our girls to be closer but Walpole has speed, size and they see the cutters and the open players very well.

“We were on a five or six game roll of taking care of the ball and not having silly turnovers but we see those Walpole uniforms and we seemed to panic. We practiced it but the turnovers were a killer.”

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But just when it looked like that might be it the Hockomock League’s Davenport division champs, its offense came to life.

With just under nine minutes to go, Lauren Flahive scored on an 8-meter try with a bounce shot. Just over two minutes later, Mackenzie Cusack took a feed from Christina Rogers – who had made a nice defensive play at midfield – and tossed her shot over the shoulders of the Walpole keeper.

Foxboro’s defense came up with its biggest stop of the game after another lengthy Walpole possession. On the offensive end, Curran used her speed to blow around the Walpole defense and fired one in to make it 11-9.

After a draw win from Caroline Boudreau, the Foxboro offense went right back to work. Luciano continued her terrific performance, beating a defender one on one and going low to get the Warriors within one, 11-10, with 3:16 to play.

“We were driving more,” Sherry said of what changed during the comeback. “Luciano had a great game, I think she had four goals and it was because she was driving. Others just weren’t pulling the trigger on that and weren’t driving to the cage. It’s tough to put points on the board if you’re just passing it around instead of driving. We had our spurts at times and then other times, not so much.”

Walpole capitalized on a Foxboro turnover in the defensive end and scored with just under two minutes left and then took possession for the final minute, running the majority of the clock out until a very late break from Foxboro.

Foxboro girls lacrosse finishes the season 17-5.

“This is the furthest we’ve gone and the kids have worked really hard to be here,” Sherry said. “And it wasn’t easy either. Wayland was tough the other day, and our schedule was set up all year to be tough. Next time, hopefully we get the result we wanted.”

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DiCenso Scores Five, Foxboro Scores Non-League Win

Foxboro girls lacrosse
Foxboro freshman Sophia DiCenso scored five goals in a win against Ashland at Sam Berns Community Field. (Josh Perry/HockomockSports.com)

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FOXBORO, Mass. – Nine minutes into the second half, the game had seemed over. Freshman Sophia DiCenso beat the Ashland goalie under the bar and Foxboro held an 8-2 lead as the Clockers were forced to take a timeout.

But the Warriors only won four draw controls in the game and ever girls’ lacrosse coach will tell you that whoever wins the draws wins the game. The Clockers turned the game on its head with four goals in the next nine minutes to cut the lead to two and set up a frantic few minutes for Foxboro’s young attack.

With Ashland double-teaming the ball at every opportunity, Foxboro looked nervous and a little hesitant, until DiCenso picked out sophomore midfielder Catherine Luciano cutting through the middle for the goal that calmed everyone down and allowed the Warriors to hold on for a 9-6 victory.

“We panicked,” admitted Foxboro coach Brittany Sherry. “I think at that point I had three or four freshmen out there in attack, so we’re young and they need to realize get the ball moving and avoid the double, don’t let it come to you.

“Once that goal happened, we were like okay we can break it.”

DiCenso was once again Foxboro’s key player. The freshman has stepped right into the lineup for the defending league champions and she scored five goals and had that clutch assist in the closing minutes to lead the Warriors.

“She’s obviously our go-to,” said Sherry about DiCenso. “She gets it done on both ends of the field. When she’s on then everyone is on and she’s also a great feeder – she sees the open people and she gets it to them and she gets the ball moving.”

DiCenso got the scoring started three minutes into the game with a shot on the run and then added a second a few minutes later off a free position. She then forced a turnover on the ride and fed it to Ally Curran who ran straight to goal and scored with a backhanded shot.

Freshman Caroline McGeary had an overhand finish to make it 4-0 with 11:30 left in the half and Foxboro seemed to be cruising despite not having won any of the first five draws. The Warriors defense had been stalwart through the opening half, allowing only a few chances for the Clockers.

Defenders Annie McGeary and Hallie Canfield were aided by good pressure from DiCenso and Luciano and fellow midfielders Lauren Flahive and Mackenzie Cusack.

Sherry said, “We were struggling [on draws] and that’s when they were getting their opportunity and thankfully Ashland wasn’t able to capitalize on their offensive possessions but yeah defense kept us in the game in the first half.”

After Ashland got on the board, DiCenso cut through the middle and scored her third of the day. Melissa Lynch (five saves) came up with a big stop on an eight-meter chance and with only two seconds left in the half Curran scored on her eight-meter chance to make it 6-1.

Ashland started the second half with a goal, but Foxboro answered back quickly to regain the momentum. DiCenso scored on an assist by Luciano before Lily Feeney had a goal disallowed for a player in the crease. The Clockers then had a goal taken off the board because of an illegal stick and DiCenso scored her fifth to make it 8-2 with 15:52 left.

Sherry said of the way her team played the opening 40 minutes, “Coming out and getting the shots on net; defense came out strong with sticks up and putting the pressure on them to make the right move; our transition looked the best it’s probably been since the start of the season.”

She added, “I think we played about 35 minutes today, so we need to get to 50.”

The Clockers scored twice from eight meters and once in transition to cut the lead down to three. With 6:07 left and Ashland’s defense scrambling to pressure whoever touched the ball, the visitors tacked on another with a good passing sequence to make it 8-6 and force Foxboro into a timeout.

“We kind of got complacent with our possessions,” Sherry explained, “and we didn’t have that urgency any more. The draws – if you win the draws, then you win the game and thankfully we kept possession longer in attack but they had the momentum going forward for sure.”

Curran nearly got her hat trick with a bouncing shot that clipped off the post and the Warriors started to settle down. Nerves were noticeably calmed when DiCenso flicked a pass over an onrushing double team to a wide open Luciano and the sophomore finished from close-range.

Foxboro (8-2, 5-0) was able to run out the clock and preserve its third straight win. The Warriors will travel to Attleboro on Wednesday.

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