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By Michael Flanagan
Hometown Weekly Sports Editor
Following a 2-1 victory over Ashland on September 11, the Dover-Sherborn Regional High School field hockey team dropped a heartbreaker to Division I power Natick on Thursday to fall to 2-2 on the young season.
Natick struck first less than six minutes in with a goal off of transition to make it 1-0. DS sophomore goaltender Sabrina Ryan responded positively with a pair of kick saves to keep it a one-goal deficit for her team.
Junior midfielder Payton Ahola nearly tied the game at one with a shot off of a penalty corner, but the ball was kicked aside by Natick’s goaltender before hitting the far post and bouncing out of bounds, and the game remained 1-0 in favor of the Redhawks.
Abigail Gramer (left) fights off a Natick defender on a rush up the field late in the first half.
Haley Gladstone also saw a premium scoring opportunity when the senior fired a shot on net, but the ball was deflected just wide of the cage. The game remained 1-0 Natick at the half.
DS came out of halftime pressuring the Natick end vigorously in an attempt to even the game at one. Despite a series of penalty corners awarded, the Redhawks’ defensive corps stood strong, blocking shots and clearing the ball away repeatedly. The Raiders were awarded one final penalty corner with just under a minute to play, but Ahola was denied by the leg pad of Natick’s keeper and the Redhawks were able to kill the remainder of the clock to come away with the 1-0 victory.
The Raiders will look to get back on a winning note when they host Holliston on September 21.
For funny and incisive sports analysis, follow Mike Flanagan on his personal Twitter at @fLAno0.
