HOLYOKE — Frontier and Greenfield’s field hockey captains chuckled when the officials asked them to introduce themselves before the Western Massachusetts Class C final. The teams met twice this season and have regularly played three games a year for recent memory.
Their previous two matchups this fall ended in scoreless draws.
Frontier coach Missy Mahar and Greenfield coach Erin Thayer promised each other no overtime before the first tip off Monday.
“You try to come at a different angle. We know Greenfield’s strengths, they know our strengths,” Mahar said. “You try to find a way to penetrate into that circle and find a different way.”
No. 1 Frontier had more avenues in a 2-1 victory, the Redhawks’ first title since 2019. No. 2 Greenfield had won three of the previous four titles. The teams have split the last seven and nine of the last 10.
“The last time we were in Western Mass., our seniors were freshmen,” Frontier sophomore Ashley Taylor said. “So we needed to get it back for them.”
They did it with two goals in the second half.
Taylor scored to tie the game in the third quarter and in the fourth, senior Rebecca Wallace-West came up with the goal of her life.
Frontier sent the ball into the circle with eight minutes remaining in the contest. It kicked around off multiple sticks, and with Green Wave goalie Ainslee Flynn sprawled out from making a save, the ball made its way onto Wallace-West’s stick, who stick-handled and blasted the shot into the cage, putting the Redhawks ahead with eight minutes remaining.
“Rebecca is a nonstop hard worker. When she gets the ball on her stick, she’s going 110 percent,” Mahar said. “She’s giving it her all, so to see her finish that opportunity and get the goal, I’m excited for her.”
Frontier fended off the Greenfield attack the remaining eight minutes — including stopping two Green Wave corners in the final two minutes — to hang on and take the Class C title with a 2-1 victory.
“We did not play up to our potential in the second half,” Greenfield coach Erin Thayer said. “They were going to balls and they were literally running us over because we were on our heels. We weren’t doing the things we needed to do to win the game. To know that we’re better than that is definitely frustrating.”
Greenfield’s Ivy Rae ended 142 minutes and 42 seconds of scoreless field hockey between the Green Wave and Frontier when she found the cage in the second quarter.
The teams played two scoreless ties during the regular season.
McKenzie Boswell assisted the play, which gave Greenfield a 1-0 lead with 8:12 to halftime.
“We knew it’s not over. We’ve got two more quarters left, that’s a lot of game left,” Taylor said. “We’ve got to put it all there.”
Taylor knotted the game at 1 with 2:18 remaining in the third quarter. She slid the ball into the cage after Lila Roche sent it in to the circle.
The Redhawks thought they went ahead in the closing seconds of the third quarter when the ball went in the cage, but the goal was waved off after hitting a Frontier foot.
“I think it gave them some confidence. Once they were getting down to the circle, making Ainslee come out, and Ainslee had beautiful saves, it was giving them confidence they could penetrate the circle and create something,” Mahar said.
Flynn made nine saves and stifled Frontier often when they approached her. The Redhawks generated seven corners compared to three for the Green Wave.
The season isn’t over for either team, however. They were ranked right behind one another in the latest Division 5 state power ratings. Frontier was No. 8 and Greenfield No. 9, setting up another potential rematch depending on how the bracket breaks.
“This gives the girls confidence that they can come back and put the ball in the net. That’s been our struggle the last few games is finishing,” Mahar said. “Having this opportunity and coming back from a goal deficit, scoring two goals against a great team, I think that’s a good confidence builder for them going into states.”