UXBRIDGE – Any hypothesis of how it will stack as much as the state’s different elites is lastly put to relaxation – the Div. 4 Uxbridge discipline hockey workforce can match up with any squad the MIAA has to supply.
The No. 12 Spartans (7-0) proved that on Saturday, utilizing a whole workforce effort to stifle No. 2 Walpole, 1-0, within the first matchup towards each other.
Uxbridge held the Porkers to 3 pictures on web with tight protection all recreation, pairing it with Kendall Gilmore’s tally within the third quarter to increase this system’s unbeaten streak to 61 video games.
Strength of schedule pinned the back-to-back Div. 4 state champions at No. 6 within the MIAA’s first set of energy rankings the day prior. Beating Div. 1’s top-ranked workforce places Uxbridge in a a lot totally different gentle.
“My sister said this was 30 years in the making … that we finally have the opportunity to actually play (Walpole) and compete with them,” stated Spartans head coach Kelly Rosborough. “(That) was the best version of (us). … They work so, so hard that for them, it’s just reassuring to them that they’re putting in the time the right way, and this is evidence.”
Uxbridge dominated possession out of the gate. Walpole couldn’t hold the ball out of its personal facet as Uxbridge tightly marked everybody on the sector, plugging passing lanes sufficient to stop the Porkers from reaching the offensive circle for the primary eight minutes of motion.
Kerin Birch, Elena Govoni, Izzy Adams and Kate Schneider all helped create some offensive alternatives, however the begin set the tone for Uxbridge. While the Spartans put Walpole goalie Abby Johnson to work for six of her 9 saves within the first half, the Porkers generated one shot.
Walpole didn’t play poorly by any means – Uxbridge was simply getting a stick on a big chunk of passes. Speed, communication and hustle didn’t go away many openings.
“Uxbridge is an excellent team, they’re skilled, they’re strong, they’re fast, they’re athletic,” stated Porkers head coach Jen Quinn. “It just took us longer to adjust than we normally do. … That is by far the best team that we’ve faced all year.”
Both coaches stated afterward that their defenses confronted probably the most stress both has confronted but this season, which is the very problem that each hoped for.
Walpole’s performed powerful sufficient to stave off seven whole corners and produce a scoreless first half, however Uxbridge’s harmful offense discovered a strategy to get on the board with 11:13 left within the third quarter. A pair of pictures on Johnson drew her to the bottom, and Gilmore scooped a shot over her for the lone tally.
“When they are together as a team, that’s what they can do,” Rosborough stated. “They were firing on all cylinders as a unit, as a team attack and as a team defense. That was the biggest difference – the help on both ends.”
The rating very properly may’ve been greater for Uxbridge, which threatened a lot behind its velocity and well-placed hits. Freshman Brooklyn Kaferlein despatched a couple of sturdy hits into potential ideas, however the Spartans couldn’t get extra towards sturdy defensive stands from the Porkers.
“I think my girls dug deep and hung in there, and showed a lot of perseverance,” Quinn stated. “It’s only going to make us stronger.”
Walpole hit an offensive groove within the fourth quarter to get a few of its finest appears and a pair of late corners, however pictures went large of the purpose and Julia Brynn Okenquist secured the shutout.
Source: www.bostonherald.com