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By Mike Flanagan
Hometown Weekly Sports Editor
The top two field hockey programs in the TVL met at Flahive Field last Wednesday afternoon as Westwood hosted Dover-Sherborn for the lone meeting between the two rivals in 2019.
The Raiders (11-1-2, 9-0-1) traveled to Westwood looking to not only spoil the unbeaten season for the Wolverines (15-0-2, 12-0-1), but also earn a landmark victory that would help bolster their tournament resume.
Caitlin O’Connell drew first blood for the Raiders with 23:49 remaining in the first half, finishing a rebound at the net-mouth to give DS an early 1-0 lead. Westwood called a timeout to settle things down and began to control the game’s tempo. With 13:35 to play, sophomore Lindsey Diomede responded for Westwood, tipping a shot by junior Hannah Blomquist on a penalty corner to knot the game at one at halftime.
Dover-Sherborn’s Merritt Sullivan (right) and Westwood’s Kendall Blomquist (left) battle for a loose ball.
Westwood continued to control the game’s tempo following halftime, receiving a series of penalty corner attempts midway through the half with the chance to take their first lead. With 19:29 remaining, the Diomede-Blomquist connection re-emerged, this time with Blomquist receiving a feed from Diomede on a penalty corner bid and launching home a shot just inside the right post to give Westwood a 2-1 advantage.
Pressing for the tying goal with under seven minutes remaining, DS got the response it needed via sophomore Izabella Friedel, who slammed home a rebound off of a scramble in front to knot the game at two with 6:19 to play. Both teams took a conservative approach during the game’s final six minutes, and the match ended in a 2-2 tie.
DS will look to keep earning points in the standings when the Raiders travel to Bellingham on October 25, while Westwood will host Norwood the same afternoon.
For funny and incisive sports analysis, follow Mike Flanagan on his personal Twitter and Instagram @flano0.
