FOXBORO, Mass. – Just inside the final minute of the first half of Monday afternoon’s division leader showdown at Sam Berns Community Field, Cate Noone picked of an errant clearance to get a free run on goal, cutting the Franklin lead down to just two. As the final seconds ticked off, the Panthers had a chance from close range but Audrey Campbell came up with a big kick save, one of her five stops in the game.
It was just a two-goal lead at the break, as close as any Hockomock team had been to the Panthers at halftime this season.
On the visiting bench, Kristin Igoe Guarino had a frank conversation with her team about how things were going, while the Warriors carried their momentum into the second half and, with 19 minutes to play, Foxboro had the lead down to just one. The home fans were starting to believe that the upset was going to happen.
Franklin found another gear. The Panthers would lose only one draw from that point forward (winning 18-of-23 for the game) and rattled off nine straight goals, turning a close battle into a 16-6 win, extending their long league unbeaten streak by another game and clinching at least a share of their 13th straight league title.
“We had a nice chat at halftime,” Igoe Guarino explained. “I think we were kind of dissatisfied with our play. Give a lot of credit to Foxboro, they’re a really good team, they had long offensive possessions, and we just got frustrated at halftime. I think they just took that dissatisfaction into the second half and really turned it around.”
Foxboro coach Kathleen McCullough said, “I think they kind of figured out what we were doing and second half they just came out a little tougher, faster. We couldn’t sustain it for as long as we hoped but I’m proud of the defense. We’ll learn from it and move on.”
The visitors needed little time to take the lead, as Kaitlyn Carney (three goals and four assists) broke the deadlock after just 40 seconds. Foxboro answered right back, with Mya Waryas setting up Paige Curran (goal and two assists) for a nice, lefty finish that evened things back up.
Franklin started to put pressure on the Warriors defense. Katie Peterson (four goals and three assists) had an 8-meter chance go over the bar, but Foxboro turned it over and Carney found Peterson on a nice cut to regain the lead. Jamie Tanner then found Emily Carney, who had a nice shot fake before scoring, and Kaitlyn Carney teed up Tanner for a low-angle shot to make it 4-1.
After the Panthers scored three times in just two minutes, Foxboro made sure to make its next possession count. The Warriors held the ball for several minutes before Waryas had a shot stopped by Ella Mahoney (two saves). After a quick turnover, Curran went just wide with a chance, but she recovered to find Val Beigel (three goals) at the post to make it 4-2.
Peterson nearly responded with a goal right off the draw but Campbell made the stop. Lindsay Atkinson (three goals) would make it 5-2 with a great dodge down the middle of the defense. Curran set up Beigel again and Foxboro had the ball back, but Julia Flynn came up with a big ground ball to regain possession and Peterson scored on the other end.
Inside the final minute, Franklin had the ball and a three-goal lead and looked ready to put a little cushion on the scoreboard before the break, but Noone made a great read and equally adept catch to get a free run on goal. She finished to cut the lead to 6-4. The Panthers would get one more look before halftime only for Carney to see her shot kicked aside by Campbell.
Things continued to be back-and-forth after the break. Mahoney made a nice kick save to deny Beigel on a free position, but Waryas hit Beigel on a cut down the middle and she planted a shot under the bar. Carney restored a two-goal lead with a strong solo move and sidearm finish but, after Noone won the draw, Waryas showed off her own moves with a spin back and shot inside the post that made it 7-6.
It felt like the Warriors were on the cusp of handing Franklin its first league loss since 2012.
Just nine minutes later, the Panthers were on the cusp of running time.
Tanner (four goals and an assist) got the run started, making a nice move down the middle and going five-hole with her shot. After winning the draw, Carney picked out Atkinson cutting across the middle and she made no mistake with a quick release. Emily Carney then forced a Foxboro timeout, as she managed to squeeze a shot over Campbell while stumbling under pressure.
McCullough said, “We’ve gained that confidence from our wins over Hingham and Cohasset, just knowing we can play with some top teams, but we have to do it for 50 minutes. I’m very proud of that first half, but transferring it to the second half is what we need to practice.”
Franklin was undeterred by the break in play. Tanner rang the post with a shot, Campbell made a nice stop on a bouncing shot by Atkinson, and then Peterson got her bounce past the goalie to make it 11-6. A minute later, Tanner picked the bottom corner on an 8-meter try. Two minutes after that, Peterson showed great patience with the ball, waiting for Atkinson to pop free on the edge of the crease for another goal.
“We ask a lot from Katie,” Igoe Guarino said of Peterson. “To play middie pretty much the whole game, to take and win draws, to play defense, to clear, and then be able to shoot and feed. She pretty much does a lot of everything for us.”
While Franklin was pulling away thanks to its attacking prowess, the Panthers were also making the stops on the other end of the field. Maeve Grasso stuck with her mark and scooped a ground ball, finding Riley Cross (who just returned from injury) to start the break. Peterson would find Tanner for the goal.
“Their offensive possessions were great and it does kind of make a defense antsy but I think we held strong,” Igoe Guarino said of her defense. “We got beat on some of the lefty crease rolls but we were able to point that out and tried to stop that in the second half.”
Peterson continued to dish out great passes, hitting Kaitlyn Carney for hat trick. Mary Collins would have two free position opportunities for Foxboro but both times Franklin recovered to make the block, while in between getting a stick on a Beigel shot to force it high. Peterson would wrap up the scoring on a great feed from Carney, sealing another big win.
Igoe Guarino said, “I so appreciate how well Foxboro played they gave us that challenge. I think we get complacent sometimes from other games and that’s why we started slow. I think the challenge is definitely helpful.”
“We knew it was going to be a test and we’ve been craving that,” McCullough added. “Playoffs, that’s the feel you get, it’s intense, it’s physical, so I think it’s good preparation.”
Franklin (11-2, 9-0) will be on the road on Friday to take on the top team in the state, Notre Dame Academy. Foxboro (12-2, 8-1) will get a week off before traveling to Sharon with a chance of clinching at least a share of an 11th straight Davenport title.