By Max Clifford
Hometown Weekly Reporter
Medfield High School Varsity Girls’ Soccer has been as hot as could be since their lone loss of the season on September 12. On Thursday night in Medfield, the Warriors extended their winning streak to six games with their fifth shutout of the season, defeating Norton 3-0.
A host of early Medfield shots found the gloves of Norton’s goalkeeper, keeping the game scoreless for nearly 25 minutes.
In the 24th minute, Medfield’s Kelly Blake took a big hit from two Norton defenders, drawing a penalty kick opportunity for the Warriors. Taking the penalty kick for her team, Kenzie Ellis put a cross into the box for Blake to tap in for the game’s opening score.
Sitting on a 1-0 lead, the Warriors were intent on extending their advantage in the second half. Mary Panciocco, who had been robbed of a near-goal late in the first, found the back of the net thanks to a long feed from Emily Hoffman, pushing the Medfield lead to 2-0.
Finishing off a strong night on the attack, Blake capped off the Warriors’ scoring with her second goal of the night from close range in the closing minute of the game. The final score stood as 3-0 for Medfield’s sixth straight win.
Blake, who was an All-American for Medfield’s varsity girls lacrosse team in the spring, is no stranger to finding the back of the net. After the game, head coach Melinda Lohan said “The way she creates on offense, she’s somebody that you have to watch. If you don’t, you’re in trouble.”
Of course, Blake’s first goal of the afternoon proved to be all the team truly needed thanks to goalie Anna Sophia Flamand’s fifth clean sheet of the season. Since the team’s 2-0 loss to Hopkinton on September 12, Flamand has allowed just one goal in six games. “She is the backbone of our defense,” said Lohan. “[Anna Sophia] is an excellent leader in the back there. She holds us together.”
