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By Michael Flanagan
Hometown Weekly Sports Editor
The Medfield High girls soccer team’s Cinderella run throughout the 2016 MIAA D2 State Tournament came to an end on Monday night at Marciano Stadium in Brockton, as the Warriors (15-4-3) fell to top-seeded Hingham 3-1 in the South Sectional Finals.
The loss comes days after the Warriors completed a 7-3-comeback victory over Canton in the semifinal at Milford High School on November 11, earning them a date with the unbeaten lady-Harbormen (17-0-1).
Hingham got to work early and struck home the first goal of the match just over 10 minutes into play on a left corner strike, and the Harbormen seized the early momentum.
The Warriors fought back with several scoring opportunities, but were unable to sustain sufficient time of possession in the Hingham end of the field. The game remained 1-0 midway through the first half. With less than 10 minutes remaining in the first half, Hingham struck again to go up 2-0, but Medfield responded with a strike from Taylor Sherman to cut the deficit to 2-1 at the half.
Medfield came out of the break with all of the momentum after cutting the deficit to one just before the half, and it showed with more offensive pressure and shots towards the net for the Warriors. There were also fewer offensive chances for the Harbormen.
Alanna Cooney (7) and Maggie McCarthy (21) prepare to restart play and move the ball up the field for the Warriors.
It appeared as if Medfield had knotted the game at two with just under 13 minutes to play in regulation when Kathryn Giordano’s shot on the outskirts of the box hit the crossbar and went bar-down. The Hingham goalkeeper sprawled and covered the ball up, and the referee ruled that the ball had not completely crossed the goal line, therefore negating the potential game-tying goal. The game remained 2-1 in favor of Hingham.
Medfield continued to press the Hingham net throughout the final 12 minutes with several glorious scoring opportunities coming off of the feet of Alanna Cooney and Annie Phipps. The Harbormen stood tall, however, thwarting away a potential tying-score with swift goalkeeping and positioning their defensive back to lock down the center of the field, eliminating Medfield cross attempts.
A goal on a breakaway just before stoppage time put the Harbormen up 3-1 and put the game on ice, clinching the South Sectional title for Hingham. While the outcome may not have been in favor of the Warriors on Monday night, the Medfield girls have a lot to be proud of for their fantastic run deep into the tournament and their proven ability to keep fighting even when behind on the scoreboard. The 2016 girls soccer team showed an abundance of heart and deserves great recognition and praise from every Medfield sports fan.
