Hockomock Sports

Hockomock League soccer teams have qualified for the MIAA State Tournament.

Division I South
#6 Oliver Ames (13-2-3) will host the winner of #11 Franklin/#22 CM on 11/4 at 6 p.m.
#11 Franklin (11-2-5) will host #22 Catholic Memorial on 11/2 at 2 p.m.
#13 Milford ( 10-3-5) will host #20 Taunton on 11/2 at 2 p.m.
#20 Taunton (9-7-2) will travel to #13 Milford on 11/2 at 2 p.m.
#21 King Philip (6-5-5) will travel to #12 Wellesley on 11/2 at 3 p.m.
#25 North Attleboro (7-7-3) will travel to #8 Greater New Bedford VT on 11/2 at 2 p.m.

Division II South
#12 Canton will host #21 Norwood on 11/2 at 6 p.m.
#17 Sharon will travel to #16 Norton on 11/2 at 3:30. 

Hockomock League soccer teams have qualified for the MIAA State Tournament.

Division I South
#1 Franklin(16-0-1) will host the winner of #16 New Bedford/#17 Sharon on 11/4. Time TBD.
#6 Oliver Ames (14-3-1) will host the winner of #11 Durfee/#22 Brockton on 11/4 at 4 p.m.
#10 North Attleboro (11-4-2) will host #23 Weymouth on 11/2 at 2:00. 
#17 Sharon (9-6-4) will travel to play #16 New Bedford on 11/2 at 2:00

Division II South
#4 Canton (14-1-1) will host #13 Dighton-Rehoboth on 11/3 at 6:30.

Seven Hockomock League field hockey teams have qualified for the MIAA State Tournament.

Division I South

#6 Oliver Ames (15-3-2) will host #11 Falmouth on Friday, November 2nd at 6:00
#7 Franklin (11-1-6) will host #10 Mansfield (12-4-2) on Saturday, November 3rd at 4:00
#13 North Attleboro (10-7-1) will travel to #4 Hingham on Friday, November 2nd at 2:30
#15 King Philip (8-6-4) will host #18 Barnstable on Thursday, November 1st at 2:30

Division II South

#5 Canton (12-1-4) will host #12 Dedham on Saturday, November 3rd at 4:00
#8 Foxboro (11-2-5) will host #9 Cohasset on Friday, November 2nd at 2:30

By Ryan Lanigan, Editor-in-Chief

FRANKLIN, Mass. - Sophomore Tim Larowe scored a header off a corner in the first half and Franklin held on to down North Attleboro, 1-0.

Larowe's header came in the 17th minute off a corner from Santiago Leal. The sophomore went near posted and flicked his header to the far post to beat North keeper Matt Lougee.

Senior Zach Scafati almost doubled the Panthers lead in the second half. The versatile forward beat his defender and then got around Lougee, only to see his hard angle shot come up short at the near post. 

Franklin goalie Jesse d'Entremont didn't face any serious threats to come up with the shutout.

The Panthers ended the season 11-2-5 and North Attleboro at 7-7-3.

NORTH EASTON, Mass. - Sophomore John Cerce buried a rebound in the 56th minute to nab a point for the Oliver Ames Tigers, in a 1-1 draw with neighboring Brockton. 

The Boxers, who will complete in the Division 1 South MIAA Tournament, struck first on a sliding finish in the 49th minute. 

Junior captain Lucas Araujo's free kick from 35 yards out went on frame but the Boxer's goalie was able to handle it clean and the rebound popped out to the feet of Cerce. Cerce calmly buried it before any defenders could contest him.

"It's a great game," OA skipper John Barata said of the last game before the tournament. "It's a hard fought game. That's a very, very skillful team as you saw. I think it's a very good way to jump into the tournament. That's a good hard fought tie, and I think we'll be ready to go."

Oliver Ames finished at 13-2-4. 

FRANKLIN, Mass - It wasn't a situation the Lady Panthers had been in often, but they fought through it to salvage their unbeaten season.

Kristi Kirshe scored from 8-yards out with just over 9 minutes left in the game to help the Panthers tie Walpole 2-2, and help them finish undefeated at 16-0-1.

"We were fortunate to get the tie, I think," Franklin head coach Tom Geysen said. "We didn't play very smart tonight. We got caught up in the kick and run style [Walpole] plays.  When you get down 2 to 1, and there has been a lot of pressure on these kids the whole season long, they showed a lot of character coming back." 

Senior Taylor Cogliano put the Panthers ahead in the first half off a rebound from the goalie. Walpole's two goals came within the last 4 minutes in the first half. 

Here are Sunday's scheduled Hockomock games.

Boys Soccer
North Attleboro, 0 @ Franklin, 1 - Final - Tim Larowe scored off a corner for the winner.
Brockton, 1 @ Oliver Ames, 1 - Final - John Cerce scored off a rebound for OA.
Sharon, 2 @ Hingham, 3 - Final

Girls Soccer
Walpole, 2 @ Franklin, 2 - Final - Kristi Kirshe scored with just over 9 minutes left for the tie.
Taunton, 0 @ Coyle Cassidy, 2 - Final

By Josh Perry, Managing Editor

ATTLEBORO, Mass - North Attleboro rallied from a goal down in the final 20 minutes to secure a 2-1 victory on the road at Attleboro to retain the Blue Red Cup.

The Rocketeers (11-4-2) created the best chances throughout, but found themselves trailing 14 minutes into the second half to an Erin Woodhead bullet from 30 yards out. It was only the Bombardiers (6-11-1) second shot on goal in the game.

The goal seemed to rattle North for a few minutes and Attleboro had its best spell of pressure in the game, although it struggled to create any clear cut chances. The Bombardiers pressure lasted fewer than 10 minutes before North were back on level terms.

Senior captain Jamie Grinavic’s cross was deflected into the path of Katherine McGwin, who hit the ball first time on a half-volley into the bottom corner past the outstretched arm of keeper Beth Clifton. North continued to press for the winner and, just two minutes from time, they found it.

Junior defender Laura Patruno swung in a corner that swerved past the fingertips of Clifton and directly into the net for an “Olimpico.”  The goals by McGwin and Patruno were the first of the season for either player.

North Attleboro coach Bill Wallace, whose team has qualified for the postseason for the first time since 2007, was disappointed that his team gave up the opening goal, but thrilled at the Rocketeers reaction and comeback.

“From a tournament perspective, that’s the kind of game we want to play. We don’t want to fall behind and give up the first goal, but at least we know that we won’t panic and change our style.”

In addition to the Blue-Red Cup, the game was also senior night for the Bombardiers and to mark the occasion senior midfielder Makayla Medeiros was able to start the game and get one kick before being subbed out. Medeiros has suffered three ACL tears in her high school career and had not played this season.

Coach Steve Santos spoke after the game about the respect he has for Medeiros, “There was no better way to kind of appreciate what she’s done. She could have hung them up and not been here, but she’s been at practice every day and she comes out to the games and cheers us on. She’s like my assistant coach, she’s my right-hand woman.”

North Attleboro had far more possession in the opening half as Attleboro soaked up pressure and looked to hit on the break, through balls over the top to Woodhead. Brooke Maher had North’s best shot but was robbed by Clifton, who finished the game with 7 saves.

Attleboro was tenacious defensively, in particular Abigail Oliver who earned the MVP plaque and a handshake from Wallace following the game. Midfielders Brianna Laplume and Lily Medeiros were also effective in screening the back four.

North were led by senior Jamie Grinavic, who thought that she had put the Rocketeers ahead with six minutes to go only to have the goal called back for a very tight offsides decision. Right-sided midfielder Nicole Chretien was outstanding and provided a constant outlet and numerous dangerous crosses into the box before suffering a foot injury in the final 10 minutes.

Grinavic is confident that the Rocketeers have a great chance to be a threat in the postseason.

“We’ve been practicing so hard. We’re really coming together as a team and I think that’s going to help us go really, really far in the postseason and I’m so excited to go further.”

North Attleboro celebrated the 2013 Blue Red Cup victory in front of a large crowd, but as sweet as the win may be - there are bigger games looming on the horizon for the Rocketeers.

Attleboro did not qualify for the postseason, but has been competitive all year long in the very deep Hockomock League. Santos spoke of his pride at the effort his team gave all season.

“They played their hearts out, but unfortunately sometimes the ball bounces against you in soccer. It’s one bad bounce from losing the game and unfortunately we were on the wrong side. We hustled hard, we fought hard, we never quit and there’s nothing more you can ask for as a coach.”

Name: Nikee Reed
School: Milford High
Position: Setter
Height: 5'2"
Position: Setter
Favorite Subject: Journalism

Why do you play the sport of volleyball?
I was introduced to volleyball at a young age. I used to dance, and my brother started to play volleyball for the high school. Watching him play made me want to try it out. Years after starting, I quit dance to play volleyball full time. Now I play year round. It's definitely a team sport. Unlike basketball or soccer where one player can score on their own, we rely on the other five players on the court. It's really cliche, but we're a family. We'll always be a family. But that's what it takes to be good. 

Why is 2012-2013 going to be a good year for Milford High School?
As a first year team in the Hockomock, there's a lot of new competition. We get to make our mark this year and bring everything we have to the table. No one knows how we play. It's great to have a fresh start.
 
What is your favorite Milford volleyball memory so far?
I can't say I really have a favorite memory. Since freshman year these girls have been my second family. I've watched them grow up year after year and I'm so proud of everything they've become. I owe a lot to my former coach Linda Zacchilli and the seven seniors on the 2011-2012 team, Chrissy Fraga, Brittany Hill, Lizzie Flumere, Carina Filosa, Reba Barrows, Kendall Lindsey, and Jill Glynn. As the only starter that wasn't a senior, these girls made everything so much easier for me. They calmed my nerves and made me a better player. I could never thank them enough. 

If I had to pick a favorite game, it would be our last game of the season. Even though we lost in the first round of playoffs to Medfield, we played our hearts out. I'll never forget that.

What were your emotions when you played your first varsity game?
I was definitely more nervous than I had ever been. The court is like my stage. I knew I had to go out there and do what I do best, and that's play volleyball. My dad reminded me that I just had to breathe and play my game. No one could psych me out better than myself. I knew I just had to go out and play hard. 
 
What makes playing for Milford High School so special?
We're a different school when it comes to sports. We're not a school that takes pride in one team. Each and every one of us athletes wears the red and white proudly. We're not just here to play. We're here to represent. 
 
When you’re not practicing, what are you usually doing?
I'm usually playing more volleyball or hanging around. I'm a typical teenager. I spend my weeknights doing homework and my weekends with my friends. I love being out.