As the only team in the Division 2 South state tournament with a record under .500, the odds were already against the Dedham High field hockey team before yesterday’s preliminary round game against Foxboro.
Add in the loss of starting goalie senior Sarah Mosca, who was unable to play because of the flu, and the No. 17 Marauders were an even longer shot to advance.
Dedham and backup goaltender sophomore Kayleigh Brambell fought valiantly and were even with the Warriors in the second half before finally relenting to No. 16 Foxboro 2-1 at Foxboro High School. The Marauders finish the season 6-12-1 in their first season under coach Leigh Shea while the Warriors will visit top-seeded Harwich on Friday in the first round.
“Overall, I think we did great this year,” said Shea. “We started the season 2-7 and in our last nine games we were 4-4-1 and actually a couple of those losses we though we could’ve won as well. So it’s just been a constant improvement. … There’s been a lot of growth overall.”
Foxboro (7-5-7) carried the play at the start and got on the board first when senior captain Hiliary Carlson found junior Kristen McMullen right in front and she got one past Brambell for a 1-0 lead 6:43 into the game.
The Marauders capitalized on a corner to tie the game at the 19:22 mark. Junior Meaghan Dwan passed over to senior Kelly Celata just inside the top right side of the circle and the Bay State Conference All-Star fired a blistering shot past Foxboro senior goalie Callie McLaughlin and rattled the back of the cage.
The Warriors had numerous chances to take the lead before halftime with four corners in just a 2:30 span but Brambell was up to the challenge turning each one away to keep it tied at halftime. Foxboro had five corners in the first half while Dedham had just one.
“Talk about pressure,” said Shea. “(Brambell) came in and stepped up and played big time. She was the J.V. goalie and never played in a varsity game and her first varsity game was a tournament game.”
“I think we kind of came out flat and Dedham had some great opportunities and dominated a good part of the game,” said Foxboro coach Melissa Bordieri, who like Shea starred at Northeastern during her playing days. “I think it was definitely a 50-50 game. The score was pretty indicative of how it went – back and forth, back and forth. They are a solid team and I knew they would be a solid team because of the tradition that they have there.”
The Warriors finally capitalized on one of their corner opportunities early in the second half. Junior Meghan Fay fired a hard shot that Brambell initially made a nice stop on, but Carlson was there to finish off the rebound and make it 2-1 with 23:14 remaining.
“Eventually something is going to fall if you keep giving up corners,” said Shea. “I thought we played great in the second half and kept the pressure on but we just couldn’t capitalize with a goal.”
Down a goal, the Marauders cranked up the offense and dictated play but could not slip one past McLaughlin. Dedham had four corners in the second half while Foxboro had just one. The Warriors were able to keep possession over the final four minutes and not give the Marauders a chance to even the score.
“Dedham is a good team, a quick team,” said Bordieri. “I knew they were going to be quick and definitely aggressive and they didn’t disappoint. They have a good goalie too. She had a couple of really good saves.”
Dedham should be setup well for Shea’s second season as the Marauders graduate seven seniors but return many starters. Dedham will bid adieu to Mosca, Sarah O’Hanlon, Christina Moccia, Becky Cormack, Celata, Casey More and Julia Hasenfuss.
“I think it’s a great experience to be in the tournament,” said Shea. “There’s nothing like being in the tournament and I’m really excited for next year.”
