By Avonlea Cummings
Hometown Weekly Sports Reporter
On the cold and rainy evening of October 30th, the Medfield girls' soccer team gathered to face off against the Norwood Mustangs in their final regular-season match. The rain poured down on the turf, but the spirits of both the Warriors and the crowd remained high with excitement as they celebrated senior night, honoring their seven seniors. Despite the chilly conditions, the Warriors brought an intense heat to the field and secured a resounding 5-0 victory, drawing enthusiastic cheers from the stands.
Throughout the match, the Medfield girls asserted their dominance, maintaining possession of the ball against the Mustangs, carefully planning their every move. In the first half, Bridget Deignan skillfully netted her first two goals, bypassing the Mustangs' defense and securing a comfortable 2-0 lead for Medfield.
As the second half commenced with the piercing whistle, the Warriors eagerly stormed the field in search of more scoring opportunities. It was truly remarkable to witness such immense talent from every corner of the field, with Deignan and Emily Hoffman contributing three more goals (Deignan, 2) and (Hoffman, 1), further adding to Medfield's tally.
Head coach Melinda Lohan shared her thoughts on the game and the impressive, yet selfless work from Deignan.
“I mean what’s crazy is that Bridget could have had six goals, but she is so selfless although she had the ability to score those goals, she wanted to set up every other senior to try and get those goals. That was their goal was to get each senior a goal, and she was a big part of not only putting the ball away when she had the opportunity, but she was looking to set up everyone as well,” said Lohan.
The Warriors secured the top seed in the Division III MIAA tournament and learned about their competition on Friday evening. Their match was scheduled for Sunday, November 5th, against Dighton-Rehoboth, the 32nd seed in the tournament. Medfield emerged victorious with a convincing 7-1 win, propelling them to the sweet-16 round of the playoffs.
Head coach Lohan addressed the significant challenges the girls will encounter as they progress into the postseason.
“I think the hardest thing for our team is knowing that at a point this season is going to be over. They really do love each other so much and they love these seniors so much. We have been talking a lot about getting ready for the postseason and wrapping up a regular season that it’s all about them and about the legacy that they have made on this team and what they have created as a part of this program,” said Lohan.
