Steve Santos Archives

By HockomockSports.com Staff

2016 Kelley-Rex Girls Soccer Preview

Attleboro

2015 Record: 6-12-0
2015 Finish: Missed playoffs
Coach: Steve Santos

The Bombardiers won six games last year, including an upset of rival North Attleboro in the annual Blue-Red Game near the end of the season. Head coach Steve Santos is hoping that the momentum will carry over for his relatively inexperienced group this fall. The Bombardiers return 10 players from last year’s roster but not all were regular contributors. “They need to play simple and play quick,” said Santos, who mentioned that the program is developing with three freshmen seeing time in scrimmages.

The loss of Paige Medeiros to graduation leaves a big hole to be filled, especially with her set piece prowess, but Attleboro will turn to senior attacking midfielders Rebekah Entwhistle and Chloe Vieira to produce the killer pass and set up scoring opportunities. Up front, Hannah Meier will be counted on to finish those chances and give Attleboro the scoring punch it needs.

Defensively, Attleboro can count on junior goalie Maddie Brown, who is coming off a stellar sophomore season, and the center back pairing of Jordyn Forte and Morgan Laplume, who Santos said had a “high soccer IQ”. It is a junior-heavy roster, but one still in need of seasoning. Santos explained, “They’re great kids and hard workers. They just need some experience under their belts.”

Franklin

2015 Record: 17-1-2 (Kelley-Rex Division Champions)
2015 Finish: Reached D1 South Quarterfinal
Coach: Tom Geysen

The Class of 2016 won a state title, two Div. 1 South titles, went to three straight South finals, and won the Kelley-Rex division four times. That is quite a legacy for the program and, while he has a number of new faces to try and incorporate into the lineup, head coach Tom Geysen is confident that this year’s Panthers will be team to contend with by the end of the season.

One reason for optimism is the combination of sophomore Halle Atkinson and junior Jess Krouschl up front (once Kroushl comes back from a niggling injury). Both players saw time in the attack last season and showed the potential to be a strong pairing with one as the forward or playing as the wings. The forwards will be helped by energetic midfielders Molly Duncan and Ellie Teixeira, two more players who saw plenty of playing time down the stretch in 2015.

Defensively, Franklin returns one half of its back four. Nadia Havens will continue as an outside back, while Abby Gibson, who stepped in to have a strong season on the outside last fall, will move in as one of the centerbacks. Junior Kat Robbins will take over from Dani Lonati between the pipes.

Geysen said, “We’re thin and we’re green…It’s a work in progress. But, by the end of the season I think we’ll give people a test.”

King Philip

2015 Record: 2-16-0
2015 Finish: Missed playoffs
Coach: Gary Pichel

The Warriors did not just have an injury or two to deal with in 2015, but almost entire starting 11 ended up with injuries that left King Philip head coach Gary Pichel scrambling to fill roster spots with players from the JV and freshman teams. As 2016 begins, many of the key players are back and healthy and the Warriors are hoping to spring a surprise on the Kelley-Rex.

Junior defender Emma Corcoran (“the heart and soul” of the defense, according to Pichel) has been a rock in the middle of the back line and will have a lot more help with seniors Sarah Fleck (ACL) and Katherine Turner (ankle) back after missing all but one game last year. Corinne Palumbo and Julia Massarone will also chip in from the midfield and will be counted on turning defense into attack quickly.

Up front, Rachel Hogan returns after leading KP in scoring for the past several seasons and she will be joined by fellow senior Maddie Smith, who is back from a quad injury. The seniors will be paired with talented freshman Chloe Layne, who is already drawing rave reviews. Pichel said, “We had a very tough season last year but will look to rebound with a new look and a new strategy to improve our chances in a very competitive Hockomock League.”

Mansfield

2015 Record: 12-6-2
2015 Finish: Reached D1 South Quarterfinal
Coach: Kevin Smith

The Hornets are only bringing back three players who started regularly last season and that includes two goalkeepers. Senior Emily Gaumond started the season in net but missed the final month with a concussion, which meant that then freshman Lauren Whitman had to step in between the pipes. The only returning outfield player is senior Hannah Reiter. The Quinnipiac University-commit, who comes into the season as a contender for Player of the Year, was a standout in central defense, midfield, and up front last year.

While Mansfield does not return a lot of starters, there is plenty of experience on the roster. Head coach Kevin Smith utilizes a large roster and makes sure that a majority of the players get time on the field. Senior forward Emma Goulet and senior defender Emily Sullivan will be the captains and each has multiple seasons on varsity. Sophomore Stephanie Kemp and junior Allee Bezeau will be counted on to provide scoring punch and sophomore Melissa Reef will be taking a bigger role in the midfield this year.

With five freshmen and three sophomores playing “significant” minutes last year, Smith is confident that Mansfield will be able to challenge for the Kelley-Rex title. He said, “So even though we are very young we do have some players with some experience under their belts.”

Oliver Ames

2015 Record: 14-3-2 (Davenport Division Champions)
2015 Finish: Reached D1 South First Round
Coach: Britt Sellmayer

The Tigers have won the Davenport division each of the past three years and will now set their sights on claiming the Kelley-Rex title at the first opportunity. Head coach Britt Sellmayer has a squad capable of claiming the crown and with the potential to make a deep tournament run as well. With seven returning starters, including four league all-stars, and 10 seniors, the Tigers have the most experienced roster in the Kelley-Rex and arguably the deepest.

It starts with reigning Hockomock MVP Francesca Calabraro. The senior scored 24 goals last season and has been talked about as a potential All-American in the preseason. With Calabraro moving between a midfield and a forward role, it opens up space on the wings for the speedy Jackie Mills, who chipped in with nine goals last year and could be ready for a breakout junior season. Seniors Dana Lowney and Jess Robarge will also provide midfield support for the Tigers.

Defensively, OA has a strong core of returning players. Sophomore Zoe Chazan stepped in as a rookie and turned into one of the league’s top central defenders and her partnership with junior Emily Freeman will be a tough one for teams to break down. Behind the back line, OA has three solid goaltenders led by junior Regan Benton. Sellmayer said, “[We’re] looking forward to the challenge of playing in the large Hock.”

Taunton

2015 Record: 9-9-3
2015 Finish: Reached D1 South First Round
Coach: Edith Dixon

The Tigers made history last season, becoming the first team in the program’s history to win a playoff game, knocking off Wellesley on the road. That Taunton team was filled with upperclassmen but head coach Edith Dixon wants the program to keep moving forward and believes that there are players ready to step up and take over.

One of the players leading the way for Taunton is senior captain Emily O’Brien, who Dixon credits with setting the tone at practice. The Tiger will turn to junior Sam Tichelaar for offensive production as the three-year starter is healthy after an injury-plagued sophomore campaign and is ready to be the “driving force” in the Taunton midfield. Senior Livi Sweeney will be the forward for Tichelaar to connect with up top.

Defensively, the Tigers will miss goalie Kayla Wentworth, who is now playing at Iona, but junior Kayla Felix will lead the defensive corps and help make Taunton tough to beat. Dixon said, “Last season was a great step forward for the program, but we’re not satisfied with making the tournament just once. Our upperclassmen want to get back there again and they’re being pushed every day in practice by some very talented eighth and ninth graders.”

By Cameron Merritt, HockomockSports.com Contributor
ATTLEBORO, Mass. – In their final game of the season, and for many of their seniors the final of their soccer career, the Attleboro High School Lady Bombardiers relied heavily on the defensive back line and sophomore goalkeeper Madison Brown to contain rival North Attleboro, a team which had beat them 5-1 earlier in the season.
Thanks to a goal from junior forward Rebekah Entwistle, Attleboro topped North 1-0 to take the Blue and Red Cup Thursday night at Tozier-Cassidy Field.
“An emotional, hard-fought win,” said Attleboro coach Steve Santos. “I’m just so excited that the girls pulled it off. They worked really hard [and] we came in with a game plan, we made sure we had to shut down the people we needed to, and we packed it in on our defense and it worked out.”
Brown made 13 saves, including some very serious chances by the Rocketeer forwards, to help her team to victory and earn the Outstanding Player honors for her side. Senior forward Hana Caster took the honors for North Attleboro, having been key in some of Big Red’s biggest offensive threats.
“[It was] unbelievable, probably one of my best games ever,” said Brown. “I’m really pleased with myself and the rest girls also. North is a good team.”
The Rocketeers came out of the gates the stronger team, dominating possession and keeping play in the Bombardier defensive end, putting up a few chances within the first few minutes. They’d be given a free kick in the eighth minute.
The resulting kick, though in a dangerous area, would fizzle after not long after hitting the wall and the game would remain scoreless, and North Attleboro would continue to be the stronger side, nearly scoring in the 17th minute after Caster’s cross found sophomore forward Haley Guertin, who sent a hard shot right into the arms of Brown.
The Attleboro offense would soon begin to wake up and attempt to make some chances of their own, as Entwistle was stopped by North goalkeeper Kiersten Bixby in the 23rd minute. She’d get close again with Hannah Meier almost getting on a chance at an open net before Bixby fell on and covered the ball.
But after several chances, Entwistle would finally put one past the keeper in the 40th minute. Senior midfielder Kayla Merritt played a pass upfield to Entwistle, and despite being denied by Bixby on the first attempt, tucked the rebound into the net to give the Bombardiers the 1-0 lead shortly before the first half came to a close.
“[Entwistle’s] just one of those people that once she gets going, she gets the momentum behind her, [and] just a hard worker who fights for her goals,” said Santos of the junior.
As the second half opened, it was clear the tides had turned as Attleboro took control, though North Attleboro certainly showed no signs of giving up anytime soon. After a Bombardier chance early on, chaos erupted in front of their goal in the 53rd minute as a free kick sent in front of the net resulted in several close calls for an equalizer and forced two Brown saves before finally bouncing off the crossbar and out of danger.
Only five minutes later, Felicity Monfils’ shot would go off Brown’s hands and off the crossbar and out and off the football goal post above it.
Attleboro would switch to a more defensive-oriented plan for containing their rivals in the second half rather than trying to add to their totals. In their final game as Lady Bombardiers, the seniors certainly played strong roles in keeping North Attleboro at bay. Paige Medeiros and Hayley Cassidy both proved strong on the back line, as well as Madison Turner, and in midfield, Merritt, Breanna Eddy, and Cassandra Vivar did their best to disrupt their rival’s ability to create chances. Eddy nearly had an offensive chance of her own in the 64th minute before the ball was scooped away to safety by Bixby.
The rest of the game seemed to keep everyone on edge, as both sides looked to get their way but with Attleboro prevailing in the end. North Attleboro may have equalized in the 65th minute as Caster appeared to be on a breakaway but would called a very narrow offsides to end that opportunity. After making a few stops near the end, Brown would hold onto the ball on her last opportunity until the referee blew the final whistle to seal a Big Blue victory.
Following the end of the hard-fought match, the trophy was presented to the winners, who now tied the Blue and Red Cup series at two games a piece. For the seniors, who spent much time with the trophy taking picture after picture, it was bittersweet.
“It was a good way to go out,” said Merritt, who along with Medeiros and Vivar captained Attleboro this season. “Though we didn’t have the best record this season, this trophy was really an accumulation of all our hard work.”
Looking forward to the future, however, Santos seemed optimistic in his team and their chances to come.
“We’ve got a good core of sophomores and a couple of key juniors coming back next year,” said Santos. “The girls have learned a lot this year. Our record wasn’t exactly what we wanted but we had a lot of learning and we’ll be better prepared for next year.”
North Attleboro still has one game remaining in their regular season before they head into the tournament, as they’ll play hosts to Durfee Saturday for some non-league Halloween action.

Tag: Steve Santos

Girls Soccer: 2016 Kelley-Rex Division Preview