For Pembroke seniors Declan Crowley, Ethan Sullivan and 9 teammates, the reminiscences from final 12 months’s devastating extra time loss to Stoneham within the Div. 3 boys soccer match linger.
The vivid reminiscences of their opponents storming the turf in celebration stay, serving as gasoline because the Titans search a greater ending.
“I was quite sad,” Sullivan stated. “But I knew we didn’t have that many seniors leaving. I knew that this year was going to be a good year, just as it has.”
Pembroke (8-0) is a contender not only for the crown in a loaded Patriot League, however as a possible state finalist. The Titans have ripped by their troublesome schedule with ease.
“We asked the captains what their goals were,” stated Pembroke coach Adam Scott. “I think you want to be honest with your goals. I think everyone is like: ‘Yeah, I want to win the state championship.’ The goal for this team, and for these captains is to do that. Now, that’s a long way off and there’s a ton of work to get there. Obviously, you want to make the tournament, you want to win the Fisher Division. We feel like we can compete in, and win the Patriot League as well. We’ve got a lot of returning players. I think we’re very solid from one into the bench, and I think we’ve got a lot of drive. I think we’ve got a lot of leaders that want that for themselves individually, but also from a collective group.”
So far, Sullivan has 17 factors (eight targets, 9 assists) to guide the Titans, whereas Crowley has 12 (5 targets, seven assists).
“There’s lots of talent,” stated Crowley. “But the chemistry brings us all together. We’re all close, on and off the field. Best friends in school, best friends out of school. So, just being together all the time really helps us.”
Senior ahead Andrew Gleason has additionally offered a spark (4 targets, six assists), whereas Jack Taylor has confirmed to be a stonewall for Pembroke. The senior netminder has solely allowed three targets this 12 months.
“Last year, I thought we almost overachieved,” Scott chuckled. “But all of those boys came back. Not only did they come back, but we hit the weight room for the first time maybe as a program in the offseason. So you can see all of the hard work … a lot of kids have just taken their game collectively to that next level.”
Pembroke has been knocking on the door of greatness; will the painful finish to final season be the final hurdle?
“I think this is definitely the year to bring home the state championship,” Sullivan stated. “It’s definitely leaning that way this year.”
West Bridgewater ladies on the transfer
With depth and a balanced assault, the West Bridgewater ladies “team-first” method is paying off.
Each participant is seen as an equal and a member of the household. The philosophy is actually gospel inside the program, and it has carried out wonders for the squad to this point this season.
The Wildcats even have co-coaches, with Michelle DeCastro and Kyla Daley splitting duties. The two determined to workforce up on the varsity degree after teaching separate teams for over a decade, and it paid dividends nearly instantly one 12 months in the past.
Last season, West Bridgewater made a visit to the Div. 4 Final Four. It was the deepest postseason run since 2013, when the Wildcats fell to East Bridgewater within the Div. 4 south semifinals.
Despite the commencement of stars Eva Adams and Arianna Georgantas, the Wildcats might have truly improved as a collective unit, having so many different starters returning.
“We are incredibly excited about this group,” stated DeCastro. “By far, the most coachable group we have ever coached. They just have this positive, go-getter attitude. They listen to everything we say, and they have been fabulous. We can’t wait to go into the tournament. We’re really confident about our success moving forward.”
The 5-1 Wildcats have been led to this point by senior captain Amanda Jacques, who already has seven targets to go along with 11 assists this season, however the striker has obtained assist from two attacking midfielders: sophomore Kylie Fuller (11 targets, 4 assists) and junior Rachael Geniuch (eight targets, 4 assists).
“We have a lot of great coaches,” stated Geniuch. “We have a lot of great players … and I think we all just connect really well being (from) a small school. We’ve played together most of our lives, so it’s easy to play together, know each other.”
The Wildcats are a title contender from the Mayflower Athletic Conference.
West Bridgewater has additionally obtained management from its two heart backs, Chloe Hulme and Emma Lavoie. A younger sensation in web, freshman Kerri Gomes, has averaged 20 saves per recreation, with 5 shutouts.
Source: www.bostonherald.com