LYNN — On a chilly Saturday afternoon at Manning Field, St. Mary’s field hockey team was anything but cold.
The No. 15 Spartans opened the Division 3 state tournament with a thrilling 4-1 win against No. 18 Blackstone Valley RVT.
“They came out ready,” said St. Mary’s coach Victoria Sanders. “We switched a lot of people in the middle of the game, but our passes looked good and we were moving up the field well.”
St. Mary’s controlled most of the possession and kept the ball in the offensive zone. The Spartans finally found their breakthrough in the second quarter when Alyssa Norden made it 1-0 with 7:31 remaining in the half.
It was Norden’s first of two goals. St. Mary’s hockey fans, sound familiar?
“Alyssa is amazing. She came into this season not really knowing the sport, but she has that hockey background and knows what it takes to win a state championship,” said Sanders, harkening back to when Norden scored twice in the girls hockey team’s state championship win against Notre Dame in March. “Once she figured out the sport, she started to take over.”
And when St. Mary’s got on top, it didn’t fall down.
Consistently applying pressure and pushing for their second, the Spartans found it through Ava Korisianos.
“Ava is a really aggressive field hockey player and her skill is bar none at this level,” Sanders said. “She plays all year round and the way she controls the ball – especially when we’re in the circle – is very imperative to our success.”
The Spartans took a 2-0 lead into halftime. Sanders was proud of her team for finding that second goal and not giving Blackstone Valley any hope.
“It was very important. I told the girls: If you give a team like this in the state tournament any hope, it’s dangerous,” Sanders said. “I told them they needed to bury another to keep the momentum in our favor.”
And with less than 10 seconds remaining in the third quarter, Norden tucked her second. A loose ball in front of the net fell to her stick, and she didn’t need a second opportunity to find her brace (3-0).
In the fourth quarter, Blackstone Valley scored its first goal. However, playing true to Sanders’ first-half message, the Spartans didn’t let it faze them.
On a corner routine, the ball found Chloe Bergeron, who rifled one into the back of the cage for an emphatic fourth goal.
“We’ve been working on that corner all season long. I’ve been yelling for her to score one for me. For her to rocket that into the cage, I got the chills,” Sanders said. “I was very proud of her and very happy for her. She’s been working on that all season long.”
The final buzzer sounded and the Spartans kept their postseason dreams alive.
Sanders, pleased with the result, praised two of her players who might’ve flown under the radar.
“I’m really proud of Keira Twomey. She did everything we asked her to do. She really is our most improved player. She was everywhere today and a big part of our control on defense and pushing the offensive drive,” Sanders said. “Tabby Lopes, our goalie, is another player who’s been really putting in the work to get better.”
At last, revenge time. St. Mary’s now faces No. 2 Watertown, which beat No. 31 Falmouth, 8-0, on Sunday. The Spartans and Raiders met in the Round of 16 last year, when Watertown earned a 5-0 win en route to its third consecutive state championship and 21st state title.
All that said, Sanders believes her team can compete with anyone.
“We belong on the field with them. I told the girls that the team we played last year isn’t the team they have this year. We aren’t the same team this year,” she said. “It’s going to be a battle and we just have to go out there with confidence, believe in ourselves, and give it all we got.”
St. Mary’s looks for an upset when it travels to Watertown at 3:30 p.m. on Tuesday.
