East Bridgewater, Ursuline high school girls soccer South Sectional final for The Enterprise 11-5-13.

1. SPORTS
ENTERPRISENEWS.COM
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Enterprisenews.com
MONDAY, NOVEMBER 11, 2013
15
P AT R I O T S
By Glen Farley
McCourty
F
turns the
corner
ENTERPRISE STAFF WRITER
Defensive back
makes nice
transition from
CB to safety
HISTORY LESSON
On this date in 1941...
I Joe DiMaggio wins the
American League Most
Valuable Player award for
the second time in his career. The Yankee Clipper,
who compiled a 56-game
hitting streak in 1941,
edges the Red Sox’ Ted
Williams, who hit .406 that
season.
OXBORO – With the sudden
impact he made on the NFL –
seven interceptions, second
most in franchise history by a Patriots rookie to Pro Football Hall of
Famer Mike Haynes’ eight in 1976
– Devin McCourty earned a Pro
Bowl berth at cornerback.
Three years later, McCourty
may be in the process of enjoying a
“re-berth” at the safety position.
“He’s a very good player,”
safeties coach Brian Flores said.
“(He’s) versatile, smart, can make
adjustments on the fly, in-game adjustments, and prepares well, practices hard and does all the right
things.
“He’s a great player. I’m very
MCCOURTY/PAGE 18
HIGH SCHOOL SOCCER
‘HEARTBREAKING’
POP QUIZ
I In 1949, Ted Williams,
above, reached base in 84
consecutive games, a major league record. Who
holds the Red Sox record
for consecutive games with
a hit?
Answer on Page 16
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I Did the Miami Dolphins do the right thing in
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Martin controversy? To
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click on sports.
Absolutely
No way
EMILY J. REYNOLDS PHOTOS/THE ENTERPRISE
I
Ursuline players, left, celebrate as East Bridgewater High players console one another after the top-seeded Vikings lost on penalty kicks to the seventh-seeded Bears
in the Div. 4 South final Sunday at Taunton High School.
No. 1 seed E. Bridgewater dominates but falls short
By Ken Lechtanski
ENTERPRISE CORRESPONDENT
TAKE OUR POLL
I We asked readers on
our website, Enterprisenews.com: Despite the
rash of injuries, do you
think the Patriots can
make it to the Super
Bowl?
Sure, they can do it .... 45%
No, too many injuries . 55%
TAUNTON – As her players
solemnly packed their travel bags for
their final bus ride back home on
Sunday, East Bridgewater High girls
soccer coach Pam Ross paused to reflect on having been down the same
dead-end road before.
“I sort of feel like something’s
torn out of me right now – mostly for
these girls,” Ross said. “I thought this
would be it. I thought this is the
team.”
Instead, Ross and the Vikings fell
short of their South Sectional expectations for the third time in four years
as the top seed. After outshooting
seventh-seeded Ursuline, 23-5,
through 100 minutes of scoreless regulation play and two overtimes at
Taunton High’s Aleixo Stadium, East
Bridgewater watched the Bears steal
SOCCER/PAGE 17
I
East Bridgewater High goalie Brooke Troup dives for the ball Sunday.

2. S PORTS
Find more at www.enterprisenews.com
The Enterprise, MONDAY, Nov. 11, 2013
17
COLLEGE SOCCER
Twice as nice
Bridgewater State soccer teams win MASCAC tourney championships
Sunday was a special day for the
Bridgewater State University men’s
and women’s soccer teams.
Just an hour apart during the afternoon, the two teams won Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference tournament championships. They
are headed to the NCAA Div. 3 tourney this week.
The third-seeded women earned
their first MASCAC tourney title
since 2003 with a 3-1 victory over
fourth-seeded Worcester State University at Swenson Field.
The Bears will be making their
third appearance in the NCAAs, qualifying in 2002 and 2003.
An hour after the women became
champions, the third-seeded men
scored a late goal to slip past top-seeded Worcester State, 1-0, for their first
MASCAC tourney crown and NCAA
tourney bid since 2007.
The Bears also reached the NCAA
tourney in 1990 and 2004.
This marks the first time ever that
the men’s and women’s teams will be
in the NCAAs in the same year.
The tourney pairings will be announced today, and the two BSU
teams are expected to be on the road.
WOMEN’S SOCCER
I
Bridgewater State 3, Worcester
State 1: Sophomore Mackenzie Hatfield of Whitman was selected the
tournament most valuable player after
helping the Bears win the title.
BSU took a 1-0 lead late in the
first half on a goal by Caley McClendon, assisted by Hatfield.
Less than four minutes into the
second half, Erica Jonasson notched
her 16th goal for a 2-0 lead, Olivia
Planty assisting.
Hatfield, who had two goals and
two assists in the tourney, extended the
advantage to 3-0, scoring her ninth
goal on an assist by Katie Nasuti.
The Lancers (11-7-2) spoiled the
shutout bid of BSU goalkeeper Kerry
Condon of Whitman (two saves) with
less than seven minutes to play.
The Bears had been to the MASCAC finals four times since winning
their last title in ’03.
MEN’S SOCCER
I
Bridgewater State 1, Worcester
State 0: Conor Murtagh broke a
scoreless tie at 84:30 with Steve
McAvoy assisting to give the Bears the
championship.
Murtagh, a sophomore, also scored
the only goal in Friday’s semifinalround win at Framingham State.
He was selected the tournament
most valuable player.
Goalkeeper Matt Bagley made two
saves for the Bears’ fourth shutout in
the past five games. BSU has given up
just one goal in that span and did not
allow a goal in the tournament.
Worcester State (11-4-4), which
had played the Bears to a tie during
the regular season, was 6-0-1 in the
MASCAC.
COLLEGES
HIGH SCHOOLS
Dramatic
rally puts
Silver Lake
in state
semifinal
Stonehill
harriers
earn titles
The Stonehill College women’s and
men’s cross country teams swept NCAA
Div. 2 East Regional championships on
Sunday afternoon in Boston.
The women, ranked 22nd in the nation, won their fifth consecutive regional
title and 12th overall. The Skyhawks will
take part in the national championship
meet for a 14th year in a row.
The men, also ranked 22nd in the
country, won their first regional championship since 2007 and third overall. They
are headed to the nationals for the 11th
consecutive year.
The two teams will travel to Spokane,
Wash., for the NCAAs next week.
The Stonehill women topped a 26team field at Franklin Park with 57
points, ahead of second-place Bentley
University with 105 points.
The Northeast-10 Conference champions were led by senior captain Chelsea
Bishop, who was fourth in 22:23.2.
Classmate and fellow captain Emily Regan of Hanson had her third top 10 finish
of the season, winding up sixth in
22:45.8.
Freshman Nicole Borofski of Plymouth was 11th, senior Elizabeth
LaRegina took 14th place and junior
Brittany Venturo of Taunton was 22nd.
Those five runners earned all-region
honors.
In the men’s race, Stonehill sophomore Robert Massey was eighth with senior Stephen Leonard finishing ninth.
Junior captain Bryan Wilcox was 11th
while Daniel Zawalich became the fourth
Skyhawk runner to earn all-region honors, placing 23rd.
Stonehill, which won the NE-10 title
earlier this month, had 78 points to finish
ahead of Franklin Pierce with 97.
EMILY J. REYNOLDS/THE ENTERPRISE
I
East Bridgewater High’s Brittany Richardson and Ursuline’s Courtney Sepe battle for the ball during the Div. 4
South final Sunday at Taunton High School.
E. Bridgewater girls
lose on penalty kicks
SOCCER/FROM PAGE 15
FIELD HOCKEY
I LIU Post 2, Stonehill 1: The Skyhawks (18-3) were edged in the Northeast-10 Conference championship game
in Brookville, N.Y.
Erika Kelly scored her 37th goal for
Stonehill at 63:39 after third-ranked LIU
Post (20-0) had opened a 2-0 lead on
goals at 4:32 and 54:06.
Elizabeth Genovese made seven saves
for the fifth-ranked Skyhawks.
Stonehill’s Chelsea Emery and Emily
Sideris were chosen to the all-tournament
team
The Skyhawks are likely to receive a
bid to the NCAA Div. 2 tourney when the
pairings are announced this afternoon.
MEN’S BASKETBALL
I
Stonehill 78, Queens 65: The Skyhawks are 2-0 after winning both games
at the Stonehill Tip-Off Classic.
Josh Heyliger led the way with 20
points while Ryan Logan added 18 points
and five rebounds and Carter Smith
chipped in with 17 points and six assists.
WOMEN’S
BASKETBALL
I
Nova Southeastern 96, Stonehill 77:
In a matchup of teams ranked in the top
10 nationally, the Skyhawks (1-1) lost to
the host Sharks in Fort Lauderdale, Fla.
Amy Pelletier (20) and Mary Louise
Dixon (15) led seventh-ranked Stonehill
against fourth-ranked Nova Southeastern,
which hosted a two-day tournament.
I
Bentley 75, Caldwell 58: All-America forward Lauren Battista of Easton had
23 points, including 11 straight late in the
second half for the top-ranked Falcons.
away with the Div. 4 South crown in
a 1-0 win decided by penalty kicks,
4-3.
“It’s heartbreaking,” Ross said.
“PK is never a way to go out. We
dominated the game, but we just
couldn’t get our shot off. I guess
that’s a credit to their defense, but
we won all the first-balls, we won all
the second-balls and dominated play.
At the end though, you ultimately
have to have a goal on the scoreboard.”
Unfortunately for the Vikings
(17-3-2), they were shut out by Ursuline goalkeeper Niamh Hynes to
force the contest into penalty kicks,
where the Bears (13-5-4) came away
with their third straight tourney win
via PKs to reach the Div. 4 EMass.
final, where they will face North
champ Austin Prep on Tuesday in
Quincy.
“East Bridgewater is very tough,
but we’re excited to be moving on,”
Ursuline head coach John Forte said.
“The chemistry of this team is unbelievable. We have a lot of skilled
players and they just really play well
together as a team.”
But it all came down to Hynes
on Sunday. The junior was sensational, repeatedly denying the
Vikings, who put 11 shots on goal in
each half.
“A lot of our shots were from the
outside, but she made some really,
really good saves,” Ross said.
After neither team could produce
a shot in the second scoreless overtime, the Vikings began the penaltykicks session with freshman and
team-leading scorer Mackenzie Vlachos putting the first shot of the day
past Hynes along the ground. When
Ursuline’s Courtney Sepe followed
by banging her shot off the right
post, the Vikings took the early lead.
East Bridgewater freshman
Sarah Lofstrom made it 2-0, but after Ursuline’s Jill Kamphaus beat
Vikings goalkeeper Brooke Troup,
Rianna Fasanello got too much under her kick and sent it over the net
to keep it at 2-1. Katherine Lynch
took advantage for Ursuline with a
shot into the top right corner to pull
the Bears even after three rounds.
East Bridgewater’s Katherine
Cavanaugh and Ursuline’s Carly
Whalen traded goals, with Whalen’s
shot deflecting off the gloves of a
diving Troup and into the net, to
keep things deadlocked. In the final
round, Allie Cranshaw’s grounder
rolled just inches wide of the left
post for the Vikings to put the game
on the foot of Ursuline’s Katherine
Lynch. The junior midfielder calmly
ripped her shot along the ground
past Troup, sending the Bears into a
raucous celebration as the teary-eyed
Vikings stood and watched in
stunned disbelief.
“I wasn’t thinking penalty
kicks,” Ross said. “I think we even
picked it up in the overtimes. I had a
feeling that something was going to
go in, but their goalie and defense
stepped it up. Even in PKs, I liked
us because, in the last shootout, we
did win and our goalkeeper, as crazy
as she is, loves PKs.”
After not allowing a goal in their
first three tourney games, the
Vikings’ game plan against Ursuline
was to make sure that speedy junior
forward Amy Piccolo was marked
tightly. Piccolo, the state indoor track
champ in both the 300 meters and
600 meters last winter, had one-onone opportunities in each half, but
was stopped both times by Troup
while being otherwise kept in check
by the East Bridgewater defense.
“She’s fast and we knew that
coming in, but our defense is fast,”
Ross said. “They just played their
zones like we have played and every
time she got the ball, it’s gonna be
three-on-one.”
The Vikings’ best scoring opportunity in regulation came at 25:18 of
the second half when Sarahkate Norton took a crossing ball in the middle from Danielle Griffin and sent a
Beckham-esque bending shot from
20 yards out towards the upper left
corner that Hynes leaped to turn
aside.
“It’s heartbreaking to go out, but
I’m still very proud of everything
we’ve accomplished,” said Ross,
adding that she has one more assignment for her team. “We’re definitely
going to celebrate the good year that
we had. We deserve to celebrate
that.”
TAUNTON – The Silver
Lake boys soccer team was in a
world of hurt in Sunday’s Division 1 South Sectional final
against Needham, trailing 1-0
with less than two minutes to
play.
The Lakers had been frustrated all night by missed opportunities at the offensive end,
and by a handful of calls that
didn’t go their way. To make
matters worse, a would-be tying goal had been disallowed
by an offside flag with 5:48
left.
Silver Lake needed to be
rescued, and just as he’s done
all season, Paul Beatty answered the call.
Beatty netted the tying goal
with just over a minute to play
and then added the winner in
double-overtime to give Silver
Lake a dramatic 2-1 win.
The Lakers (21-0-1) advance to Tuesday’s Div. 1 state
semifinal against North champion Somerville (20-1-1). That
battle of No. 1 seeds will be
played at 7:15 p.m. at Taunton
High.
BOYS SOCCER
I
Cohasset 3, Sacred Heart 1:
The Cohasset High boys soccer
team won its first Division 4
South Sectional championship
since 1989 Sunday afternoon,
with two second-half goals
from sophomore Matt Legge
(pronounced “leg”) providing
the winning margin in a 3-1
victory over Sacred Heart at
Taunton High School.
The Skippers earned themselves a berth in Tuesday’s
state semifinal.
Sunday’s first half saw Cohasset dominate the offensive
play, forcing Saints goalkeeper
Ryan Bigley, an eighth-grader,
to make three saves within the
first 10 minutes. No. 2 Sacred
Heart (16-3-1) was also crafting its own threats, which tended to be equally dangerous, if
not as frequent, but the steady
Cohasset pressure began to
wear down the Saints
For Sacred Heart, the
school’s second-ever appearance in a sectional final ended
the way its first one did, back
in 1990 when the Saints lost to
Medfield. Adding to the disappointment is the knowledge
that the 10 seniors backboned
this excellent campaign, and
next year will have to be a
youth movement.
“Cohasset ended up finishing their scoring chances, and
we didn’t,” said Saints coach
Matt Bruninghaus. “But, with
an eighth-grade goalie and a
freshman left fullback, I thought
our defense played tremendous.
For what they had to face, they
really held the fort for us.”