HADLEY — Maddie Fagan reached 100 career points in the Frontier girls soccer team’s 5-2 win against Hopkins Academy on Tuesday.
Fagan scored the game’s first goal, then floated in an insurance marker for the Redhawks in the second half, which counted as the milestone marker.
“No one was really pressing me so I just took the shot and it went in,” Fagan, a senior, said. “It felt really good.”
Fagan’s second strike was one of four Frontier tallies in the second frame as its offense came to life after being held to one goal through the opening 40 minutes.
“I think they all got excited for Maddie,” Redhawks head coach Lauren Sullivan said. “It’s great that she got her 100th point today. Everyone is really proud of her. I think that they were a little tired today, we had a night game [Monday]. We played hard.”
Kayla Fagan, Skyler Steele and Addy Morrey made up Frontier’s second-half scorers, along with Maddie Fagan.
Previously undefeated, the Golden Hawks’ defeat on Tuesday gave them their first loss through eight games of the 2025 season. Despite that, Hopkins head coach Vincent Catania hopes his team can use the result as a growing opportunity.
“I think it’s coming at a good time because this is the most difficult four-game stretch that we have,” Catania said. “We have Chicopee on Monday, then Wednesday we have Monson, Thursday we have Easthampton, so three important games coming up. Hopefully this lights a fire under us and we learn from it.
“Last year, our first loss came late in the season to Monson,” Catania added. “We’re in a different league, but we scheduled these games on purpose. We wanted to play against better competition, we wanted to be pushed a little bit harder and every time we play a team like this, the standard gets raised a little bit.”
Tuesday’s contest was closer than the final score indicated as the Hawks nearly scored a couple of more goals during the second half, but the ball hit the crossbar instead.
Following Maddie Fagan’s opening goal less than eight minutes into regulation, Hopkins’ Bridget Benoit booted in the equalizer about four minutes later.
The 1-1 score held until about 10 minutes into action in the final frame when Morrey curled one just inside the right post as the ball bounced off Hawks goalie Abril Cabrera’s (seven saves) hands and over the goal line.
Kayla Fagan upped the visitors’ lead to 3-1 with a lengthy strike from the backline in the 55th minute, before Maddie Fagan collected the Frontier’s fourth goal from outside the box.
Hopkins increased its intensity from this point on, earning a pair of great scoring chances that doinked off the post. However, the Hawks kept circling the attacking net and Olivia Earle finally finished off a bid after redirecting in a heads-up cross from Benoit, making it a 4-2 game with just less than 13 minutes on the time clock.
The Redhawks responded with their own push, earning a penalty kick opportunity shortly thereafter (missed high over the net), before Steele slotted in her team’s fifth and final goal with less than two minutes to play.
“It was pretty scary, a few unexpected shots that were close to going in,” Frontier goalkeeper Jazzy Hayes, who turned in a busy performance with 16 saves, said on Hopkins’ push late in the game.
“I think we’re doing really good controlling the corners and I think our outside backs are doing super well finding feet,” Hayes added.
For the hosts, Catania felt the players who patrolled the center of the field, in particular, stood out.
“[Alayna] Bailey, Morgan [Augustin], Ephie [Vissas], Cassie Dion as a center back, a good birthday game for her,” Catania said. “Then especially Earle, they push each other very hard. Not just in practice, but in the game too.”
Up next for Hopkins (6-1-1) is a meeting with Chicopee on Monday, September 29 at 6 p.m.
Frontier (4-2-1) will travel to Kirvin Park in Pittsfield next for a battle with the Generals on Friday. Kickoff is set for 4 p.m.
