CHELMSFORD – A overwhelmed up Chelmsford area hockey crew noticed its season finish at this level final yr when it didn’t correctly match up and allowed an opposing star scorer to erupt.
But figuring out very effectively in regards to the magical fourth-quarter comeback Hannah Ward and No. 22 Lexington pulled off within the first spherical simply a number of days earlier than assembly them within the Div. 1 spherical of 16 on Tuesday evening, the sixth-seeded Lions had been decided to not let that occur once more.
Behind a aim and two assists from star senior Remoré Serra within the first half, in addition to a locked-in defensive efficiency that didn’t permit a lot area within the circle, Chelmsford (15-4) roared to a 3-1 win over the Minutemen in chilly temperatures at Simonian Stadium. The Lions held Ward – who scored two late objectives within the first spherical – to only one aim for Lexington’s solely offense, with Chelmsford permitting solely two pictures on aim regardless of 5 corners.
Head coach Susan D’Agostino by no means forgot the loss at this stage final season. She was positive to ensure her crew didn’t, both, and it’s shifting on to face the winner of Wednesday’s No. 3 Shrewsbury versus No. 19 Doherty within the quarterfinals because of this.
“’Waldeck hat trick sinks Chelmsford field hockey,’ that’s what the headline read. … I showed them the article. We’re not going to do that again,” D’Agostino stated. “We knew (Lexington is) gritty, they want it, they’ll be first to the ball, they’ve got urgency. We don’t take any team for granted, but especially not a team like that. … We don’t take off the gas. Not in a tournament game. We don’t want it to end. We’re on a roll, and we want to keep going.”
That need to win confirmed all through the entire matchup, with the Lions by no means wavering of their depth.
It began with the opening whistle, because it didn’t take too lengthy for Chelmsford to get on the board first. A one-timer into the center of the circle from Serra translated right into a tip-in from Kate Harrison for the 1-0 lead. The Lions stored the stress on, and Serra took her flip to attain by weaving by the protection earlier than a top-shelf shot gave the Lions a 2-0 first-quarter benefit.
With the concept that no lead is ever secure, getting forward by two objectives early was the perfect begin Chelmsford may ask for.
“That just set the pace for us,” Serra stated. “That is not a safe lead at all, but I think having that made us feel a little more secure and we knew we had to focus more defensively from that point on. It worked in our favor because we got our points early.”
As Lexington goalie Sophie Ortyl (11 saves) settled down, Ward confirmed off simply what Chelmsford centered on in apply with a ferocious reverse-chip throughout the circle to chop the deficit to 2-1 with eight seconds left within the body. Ortyl and the Minutemen protection shut out the Lions within the second half, however not earlier than Serra crossed the ball to Maggie Loeber halfway within the second quarter for a 3-1 lead.
Everything that adopted was a dogfight. While Chelmsford struggled to complete off just a few promising offensive sequences, Lexington broke up any rhythm earlier than marching down the sector itself. The finish of the third quarter awarded the Minutemen a golden probability to chop the deficit again to 1 aim with 4 straight corners in expired time, however the Lions didn’t permit a single shot on aim within the defensive flurry.
Lexington stormed down the sector loads of instances within the fourth quarter to place the stress on Chelmsford, nevertheless it couldn’t produce the identical magic it did simply days prior in opposition to Braintree. The Lions protection held robust.
“We have drilled into their heads that offense wins games, defense wins championships and what that actually means,” D’Agostino stated. “They were very focused tonight. And they also know who was the threat. … Nothing is comfortable. No lead is comfortable. Especially a two-goal lead, that was not comfortable at all, knowing where they came from.”
“(The defense) is awesome,” Serra added. “They know what they have to do and they get it done. … I’m so proud of us. I’m ready to keep going, I know we’re ready to keep going. We all have the right mentality, and this is the team that could take it all the way. I know we can.”
Source: www.bostonherald.com