The leaves are falling, the weather has cooled, and its business as usual for the Nashoba Regional field hockey team. And what does the latter mean? With focus and determination, the Wolves are gearing up for another run in the postseason.
Nashoba had an outstanding postseason trek last year, advancing to the State Division 2 championship game, where it lost to third-seeded Westwood, 1-0, in a seven-on-seven, sudden-victory overtime at Burlington High School. The fourth-seeded Wolves hung tough all game.
Nashoba is competing in the Central Mass Athletic Directors Tournament this week. The competition matches teams from all divisions, The Wolves will then participate in the Division 2 state tournament.
The Wolves, who graduated 11 seniors from last year's squad, enter this season's playoffs on a roll, and are unbeaten and unscored upon since October 7. During this span, Nashoba has blanked Oakmont Regional, Westboro, Ashland and Marlboro. The Wolves dueled Algonquin Regional to a 0-0 tie.
Though currently playing at a high level, Nashoba's athletes know there is still work to do.
"We're coming off a really good regular season and we look forward to the playoffs," senior captain Abigail Zacchini, a midfielder, said. "Now, we're getting ready for the playoffs and have been focusing on goal scoring, even though we've been successful putting the ball in net. Problem is our game scoring has actually been pretty low. So, you work on things like finishing in the circle.
"Defensively, we're playing pretty well," Zacchini added. "A big key to our defense has been our goalie, Josie Sarno, a freshman. She has been outstanding."
Zacchini is active on the field. Playing out of the midfielder slot, Zacchini, moves around a lot, with the ball and without it. The bulk of her on-field responsibility involves ball distribution.
Senior captain Ali Vanasse eyes down the Wolves' lineup and sees a focused squad that is balanced and well-conditioned.
"It's been a good season and we've done well as a team," Vanasse, a forward, said. "We work hard, we bond, we communicate well, and we hope to continue with all that in the playoffs."
"We're also a well-conditioned team and we run a lot at practice," Vanasse added. "You need to be in your best shape at this time of the year."
Vanasse, a key cog in the team's offense, noted that Nashoba has basically been solid all year. This includes winning some games by substantial margins and also gaining victory by one or two goals. Execution and a commitment to team play are constants in the Wolves' game plan, Vanasse stated.
"We're playing well, and the talent is there, but it is different this season," senior defender Sofia Jacobsen, a captain, said. "We lost those 11 seniors, and they were all great players. This year, we're a little younger with seven seniors. But we have players who participated on last year's team, so we've got good post-season experience going in. A lot of girls have stepped up and done a good job for us this year."
Jacobsen, a game-long hard worker on defense, added that off-season activities have helped in the long drive to the playoffs. For Nashoba, this has included a successful effort in a Leominster Summer League. Among other things, summer league field hockey helped the younger players get more acquainted with Nashoba field hockey, and the upperclassmen they would be playing with come fall.
Senior captain Tatum Dyment, a midfielder/forward, is both a distributor and scorer, and is basically all over the place. She has fond memories of last year's team, and its talent. Those memories help fuel this year's squad.
"Everybody is stepping up, everybody is contributing, everybody is working hard," Dyment said. "Last year's team could score and defend. This year, we have to keep working on improving our game at the offensive end. That's a big part of our preparation for the playoffs."
"And we want to continue the strong tradition of field hockey at Nashoba," Dyment added. "As younger players, we always kind of looked up to Nashoba field hockey, especially as we started to get more involved with the game ourselves. We knew about the winning tradition and the championships. We're trying to keep the tradition going. Nashoba field hockey is really, really cool."
Other team members: seniors Bella Cosentino, Emily Cote, Avery Frommer, juniors Larissa Oliveira, Sofia Smith, Grace King, Kayla Flanagan, Alice Homer, Lauren DiTullio, Kierlan Bailey, Kaycie Vitkofsky, sophom*ores Gracie Reisner, freshmen Nora Farrell, Chloe Hughes, Nashoba is coached by Jaime Mariani. She is assisted by Chris Orlandella, Lore Innamorati and Ashley Wing. The team managers are Naomi Cohen and Hayden Merrill.
North Brookfield overcomes obstacles to compete
Resilient is one adjective that accurately describes the North Brookfield field hockey team, a hard-working collection of athletes that have put together a solid all-around season, despite a litany of nagging type injuries and unexpected illness.
"It has definitely been a challenging year," long-time coach Shiela LeBlanc said. "We carry 12 players on our roster, but with injuries and illness, we have played short-handed. A lot of our opponents have played down to our number, although there was no obligation to do so, whatsoever."
Despite the obstacles, North Brookfield begins this week 11-3-1 and has qualified for the state field hockey tournament.
Senior captain Ty Babineau, a team member since the seventh grade, has been steady and strong. Babineau leads North Brookfield in scoring and provides strong leadership, both on and off the field. Freshman Sophia Giangrande has been a key contributor as well and has evolved into an effective scorer. Giangrande is a third-year player.
Babineau was at his best during a recent win over Burncoat High, knocking in four goals. Jeremiah Holmes scored three goals, while Bree Hutchison punched in a pair.
LeBlanc noted that North Brookfield has a good mix of talent and that includes several veterans from last year's team. This has helped offset the youth factor. Junior Shannon Toomey returns to anchor the defense from the goalie position. She is supported by several standouts, including Jake Standrowicz, Dayton Ford and Amanda Oliver. Becca Smith, Mia Socha and Tyler Warner round out the defense.
Newcomer Holmes has proven to be a valuable asset thanks to his hustle, heart and all-around ability. LeBlanc added that North Brookfield has two other first-year players. These athletes are Hutchison, a sophom*ore, and seventh grader Brooke LeBel. "These three have basically been thrown into the fire," LeBlanc said.
North Brookfield has five boys on its roster.
"Without them, there would be no team," LeBlanc said. "With such small numbers in the school, we would not be able to field one team or another."
Quaboag's John O'Neill celebrates 40th season
Congratulationsto Quaboag Regional field hockey coach John O'Neill, now coaching his 40th season. O'Neill was honored after a recent game against Tantasqua Regional. The Cougars have been annual threats to win a District or state championship throughout O'Neill's lengthy tenure. In addition, numerous graduates of Quaboag's field hockey program, under O"Neill's leadership, have gone on to play the sport in college.
Contact Craig Holt at sports@telegram.com.
