Words like “dynasty,” or “juggernaut” or “legendary” get thrown around probably too often in the sports debate world, especially when we’re trying to pump up our favorite athletes and teams.
Hey, guilty as charged.
But in this particular case, even those lofty adjectives may not do it justice.
Actually, hold that thought, we’ll get back to it later. Lets talk first about the nuts and bolts of the story, here.
Saturday night, the Newburyport field hockey team will be playing in the first state championship game in program history. The No. 2 Clippers (21-1-0) have earned the right to compete for the Division 3 crown, and will take on No. 1 and two-time defending state champion Watertown (21-0-0) at 5 p.m. from the turf field at Worcester Polytechnic Institute.
So to start, remember that.
These Clippers have gone where no other group in the program’s storied and proud history have ever gone before.
“It’s really exciting,” said senior captain Josie Palma. “Obviously it was insane coming off the (semifinal) win, and it being the first time ever going to a state championship game. I think everyone’s just really looking forward to playing on Saturday. We’re really excited to go out there and prove what Newburyport field hockey can do.”
But just who is Newburyport field hockey this year?
Well, it starts with a strong, 12-person senior class that have been playing field hockey together for quite some time now, and who just last year helped the program make it to the Division 3 Semifinals. So in back-to-back years, it’s been back-to-back Final Four runs.
“We knew that this senior class was something special in terms of their leadership and their ability on the field,” said Newburyport coach Shannon Haley, who has compiled a 37-5-2 record over two years with the program. “This group is going to hold a special place in my heart for a long time. They’re great leaders, they bring such a great energy, and they’re just overall great kids.”
But what about those individual pieces?
It’s more than fair to start up front, where Newburyport features a ton of speed at the forward position with Delaney Woekel (23 goals, 8 assists), Morgan Valeri (18g, 10a) and Olivia Wilson (16g, 2a) being the team’s top scorers. When any combination of those three need a breather, you could expect to see one of Lauren Brennan, Ella Loomes, Lucy Cameron, Lilly Pons, Olivia Kreuz and Ruby Field step in.
Moving back to the midfield, Palma controls that area along with a fellow senior captain in Rita Cahalane, who was named the CAL Kinney MVP earlier this fall. Junior Ciara Geraghty (9g, 12a) has stepped up big time in the scoring department this year, and senior Emma Cowles is a strong two-way player who also handles the majority of the team’s corner entries.
Then out back, the Newburyport defense has allowed just 9 goals all year with 15 shutouts. A returning Daily News All-Star in Katie Conway leads that unit along with a fellow captain in Emma Keefe, and the Clippers have received a huge boost this year with the growth and improvement of sophomore Riley Lombard. and when it comes to the all-important corners, Keefe is often the one receiving the entry pass, and already this postseason has 2 goals and 2 assists off them.
Which, when working in harmony, has allowed sophomore goalie Cody Saboliauskas to shine in the cage.
And how’s this for a winning pedigree?
Brennan, Woekel and Bridgette Mellet are two-time defending tennis state champions, and Cahalane, Palma, Pons and Reese Bromby won a Div. 3 title with the lacrosse team last spring. So these athletes know how to win.
“Just knowing how to mentally go into it,” said Palma. “We know how to deal with the nerves of the game. For the state championship game with lacrosse I was super nervous going into it, but once you step onto the field you’ll be fine and all of the nerves will go away. So trying to tell everyone that, and that once you start playing, it’ll all work out.”
But, fortunately or unfortunately depending on who you’re rooting for, we have to go back to the first few paragraphs of this article.
All of those lofty words, they apply to Watertown.
When it comes to the goal standard of field hockey — in the entire country!! — yes, the Raiders are right up there.
David (Newburyport), get ready to meet Goliath.
“We just need these kids to be confident and believe in themselves,” said Haley. “They’re ranked No. 2 in the state for a reason, and they made the state championship game for a reason. We just need to believe in ourselves, respect our opponent, and play our game.”
Truly, what numbers don’t leap out of the page when researching Watertown?
With legendary — and this certainly is the appropiate time to use that word — coach Eileen Donahue and her 750-and-counting wins overseeing it all, the Raiders have won a ridiculous 20 state championships and, at one point, broke the national record for most consecutive wins at 124. Now, the Raiders current winning streak is “only” at 74 — needing to go back to 2020 to find their last loss — but they did just break another national record this year and are still currently building on it with their 41 straight shutouts (previous record: 32).
Before beating Sandwich, 1-0, in Wednesday’s semifinal, Watertown’s closest game this year was 5-0 against St. Mary’s.
Rachel Egan scored the Raiders’ lone goal in their semifinal win, but the name to watch is Molly Driscoll. The senior is the program’s all-time leading scorer, and is committed to Boston University where her older sister, Maggie, is currently a freshman on the team.
So what’s the key to even scoring a goal here for the Clippers?
“I think we really need to utilize the speed we have on attack,” said Palma. “Delaney, Morgan and Olivia Wilson are all so fast, and I know being in the midfield we just try to get it up to them as fast as we can to try and get a breakaway.”
But hey, game’s aren’t played on paper.
The task will be a momumental one, but this is a group of Newburyport players who know how to win, too. Crazier things have definitely happened in the world of sports, which is why we all love them so much.
So bring some extra stones for the slingshot, Clippers.