By Avonlea Cummings
Hometown Weekly Sports Reporter
Rain delays cleared just in time for Medfield field hockey to assert dominance in their recent match against the Ashland Clockers on Thursday, September 14. The team showcased a strong performance, controlling possession and executing precise passes to secure a 2-0 victory.
Facing a competitive Ashland Clockers team, the Warriors quickly displayed creativity, using flat and through passes to break through Ashland's defensive line in the first quarter. With less than eight minutes remaining in the first quarter, sophomore Eva Thomson passed the ball to freshman Brooke Malmquist, who skillfully tipped it into the net, securing the Warriors' first goal of the game.
The decisive moment came in the fourth quarter when Medfield capitalized on an offensive corner with less than ten minutes on the clock. Senior captain Mikayla Malmquist executed a flawless shot from the circle, directing it toward sophomore teammate Caroline Cloutman, who skillfully tipped the ball into Ashland's net.
Head coach Lynne expressed her excitement for the team's first win of the season, acknowledging the challenges they faced due to unpredictable weather conditions.
"“We have been putting in a lot of time on our corners this season during our practices and saw success in the game with scoring off of one. Our defense was strong in this game and is led by two juniors this season, Captain - Maeve Kelly and Adeline Keaveney. These two show great leadership on defense, if the ball transitions to defense we know these two will do whatever it takes to get the ball back into our offensive zone. In addition, we have a fast offense working hard to get the ball into the circle to create scoring opportunities”, said Malmquist.
Along with the accomplishments of the team, Malmquist believes there are many strong assets to the Warriors this season. Each game is different, but Malmquist shared some great players from the evening’s competition: “We have so many strong players on the field this season, but in this particular game, our goalie senior - Katelyn Nicotera was a force in the net. She had seven saves, two of which were incredible and saved us from being scored on. She joined our team last season as a junior, having never played goalie before for field hockey. However, her experience as both a hockey and lacrosse goalie has helped her transition her skill sets to field hockey. She has now become one of our strongest assets in our field. We also have two sisters this season helping in our midfield freshman Annie Fratolillo and junior Emily Fratolillo who work tirelessly to keep the ball transitioned from our defense to our offense.”
The girls will host Weston High on Friday, September 22nd at 4 p.m.
“I’m excited to see what this team does this season. We have a young team that has the competitive drive needed to play against strong teams in the TVL. I think if they are willing to put in the work, we can see success well into the tournament season”, said Malmquist.
