MILTON — Hamilton-Wenham’s seniors had been here before, playing in the Division 4 state championship game as freshmen.
Sutton High’s seniors, though, live here and were playing in the state championship game for the fourth straight season.
That edge in experience was apparent in a critical stretch midway through the first half when the Suzies pumped in both goals of a 2-0 victory over the Generals to take the D4 state title Saturday night at Curry College’s Katz Field.
Unbeaten coming in, the No. 2 seed Generals (18-1-4) had a few quality looks at a goal in the second half, but couldn’t get any to go as the top seed from Sutton (17-2) won its fourth consecutive state championship and state record 11th overall.
“I thought we played well. But that’s a really good team over there,” Hamilton-Wenham coach Nancy Waddell said of Sutton. “We just haven’t played that many teams that have the kind of firepower that they do, and I think that caught up to us a little bit.”
Generals goalkeeper Sasha Makogonov faced 10 shots and stopped eight, but Sutton’s ultra-dangerous William & Mary committed striker Ava Magnuson made them pay in the 22nd minute. Addy Jerome sent a clean cross over to Magnuson for the finish, and H-W was squarely on its heels trailing 1-0.
Sutton continued to press the action and doubled its lead at the 30-minute mark on a nifty finish by Jerome.
Throughout the first half, Sutton controlled the ball and the Generals managed just one shot on goal while having lots of difficulty get any touches to their scoring threats up top.
“We didn’t come out all that strong and ended up playing a little more kickball than we would have liked,” Waddell noted.
The final 40 minutes were a different matter. Senior captain Tessa Hunt set the tone for H-W with a nice run up the far sideline right off the opening drop and nearly gained a corner. Some inspired play by midfielder Savannah Gauron as well as seniors Annie Moynihan and Georgia Wilson helped even possession and create some scoring opportunities.
Not enough of those chances were on target, though, and Hamilton-Wenham finished with just five official shots on goal while being shut out for the first time all season. Moynihan narrowly missed one chance that went over the bar and through the football uprights, and Wilson (the Cape Ann League Baker MVP) dribbled by the defense and put a left foot shot on goal that was saved.
Perhaps H-W’s best chance came with about 15 minutes to play when Gauron played herself open in the box and sent a nifty cross that Hunt barely missed getting a head on for what would’ve been a sure goal.
“I though Tessa was getting to that one,” Waddell said.
If Hamilton-Wenham had cracked the seal and made it a one-goal game, anything could have happened. The veteran Sutton team defended as if they know that was the case, taking few chances and making sure to keep the Generals from breaking any long runs or getting any easy looks. It was the kind of savvy, and tidy, approach you’d expect from a program that’s played in four straight state finals.
“We have juniors that played as eighth graders and with the seniors they’ve won, I think, 34 single-elimination games with four state championships,” noted Sutton coach Jenson Shipp. “I’m just very happy for them and everything they’ve accomplished.”
Sweeper Evie Bernard had a tremendous game for the Generals in front of Makogonov, making a defensive save in the first half. Senior stopped Sadie Gamber was also immense, as was defender Caroline Monahan.
The Generals never allowed three goals in a game all season, and this was only the fourth time in 23 games they conceded two; considering arguably their best defender, captain and Division 1 commit Maddy Wood (Bentley) is out injured, that’s a huge credit to the way H-W played defense.
“Looking at the kids we lost from last year and the kids we lost to injury, if you’d told me we’d be in the state championship back in August I would’ve taken that,” said Waddell, whose back line also got great play from Emmy Pitkin and Lilly Giovannucci.
Up top, Dusty Romiza and Madeline Ciaramitaro also gave H-W quality minutes on Saturday.
A large crowd of parents and student fans made the trip from Hamilton to Milton to root on these Generals. After the final whistle, the team made its way over to the stand and got a warm welcome, with Makogonov taking an H-W flag and waving it with pride. It was emblematic for the team’s 12 seniors, who had nothing to hang their heads about after winning 64 games and four CAL titles in their four seasons.
“It’s an amazing group that we’ll miss, for sure,” said Waddell, whose group put together back-to-back unbeaten regular seasons. “To think that in three of their four years, they only lost one game? That blows me away.”