Come the latter rounds of the state tournament, margins between opponents are razor-thin.
Such was the case in central Mass. on Tuesday, as the 13th-seeded Greenfield field hockey team saw the 2023 season reach its conclusion in overtime. Host Sutton, the No. 4 seed in the MIAA Division 4 bracket, finally cashed in on a fifth consecutive penalty corner opportunity of 7-on-7 OT, earning a spot in the quarterfinal round.
Allison Dasilva netted the game-winning goal with 4 minutes, 50 seconds remaining in overtime as the Suzies survived for a 2-1 victory in the Round of 16 in Sutton.
“It was a tough day of field hockey for us,” Greenfield head coach Erin Thayer admitted. “We couldn’t get out of our way. We just didn’t play well.”
The Green Wave (11-6-3) actually took a lead in Tuesday’s tourney tilt. Freshman Grace Laurie, who scored some big goals for Greenfield over the final few weeks of the season, lit the lamp in the first quarter to stake the visitors to a 1-0 lead. Laurie carried the ball down the field into a 1-on-1 situation, and found the back of the cage.
The Suzies (15-3-2) tied it in the second quarter, and the game stayed 1-1 into overtime despite a flurry of late Sutton corners to close regulation. The home team finished with 13 corners on the afternoon.
Dasilva’s OT winner deflected off a stick and snuck past Greenfield goalie Ainslee Flynn to send the hosts into the quarterfinal round.
Sutton will play the winner of Wednesday’s Round of 16 game between No. 5 Joseph Case and No. 12 Frontier in the quarterfinal round. Case and Frontier were scheduled to play Tuesday but poor field conditions, which also plagued the Greenfield-Sutton game, postponed action a day.
The loss was the final game for Greenfield seniors Flynn and Kelly Baird, who Thayer said will be difficult to replace next season.
“Ainslee’s been my starting goalie since eighth grade so those are definitely big shoes to fill,” she said. “And Kelly was a solid defender for us all season so to graduate two solid defensive positions on the field, that’s going to be a big loss for us.”
Still, a young Greenfield team found itself in several difficult, high-pressure environments this season and Thayer hopes that’ll pay dividends in 2024.
“We had the opportunity to make a run,” Thayer said. “That pressure can be a lot for a young team but hopefully it only sparks them to want to make it past that next year.”
Girls on the Run 5K set for Nov. 19
Girls on the Run Western Mass. will host its 5K event on Sunday, Nov. 19 at Western New England University, and the run is expecting 2,500-3,000 people. Girls on the Run is a physical activity-based, positive youth development program that uses fun running games and dynamic discussions to teach life skills to girls in grades 3-8. During the 10-week program, girls participate in lessons that foster confidence, build peer connections and encourage community service while they prepare for an end-of-season celebratory 5K event.
This fall season, Girls on the Run has 720 participants in 52 sites around all four western Mass. counties, with 220 volunteer coaches that bring the curriculum to life. Participants learn many important life skills throughout the lessons.
This 5K is the culmination of a 10-week, 20-lesson social emotional program, bringing together all participants, coaches, running buddies and families. The run starts at 11 a.m. but the group warm up will begin at 10:30 a.m., with participants arriving for fun events at 9:30 a.m. The event starts with activities, a group warm up and more. Participation in the 5K event is open to the public and all proceeds from the event will benefit Girls on the Run WMA.
Registration cost is $25 for adults and $10 for youth under 12 and includes an event shirt. Early arrival is suggested. Registration opens at 9 a.m. Girls on the Run WMA is also looking for volunteers for this event. For more information about the event, how to register, and volunteer opportunities, visit www.girlsontherunwesternma.org.