MIAA field hockey: Frontier topples Saint John Paul II, moves into Div. 4 Round of 8 (VIDEO)

SOUTH DEERFIELD — The third-seeded Frontier Regional field hockey team moved past 19th-seeded Saint John Paul II with a 7-0 win in the MIAA Division 4 state tournament Round of 16 on Tuesday afternoon.

Through two games, the Redhawks have outscored their early-round opponents, 13-0. Frontier advanced to the Round of 8 where it faces a rematch with sixth-seeded Quabbin Regional on Sunday at 2 p.m. back in South Deerfield.

The Redhawks beat the Panthers, 3-1, on Oct. 9. Shelly Zalneraitis coaches the Panthers and has over 400 career wins at Quabbin. Under her watch, the Panthers have never missed the postseason. Her resume includes a 2023 upset of Cohasset in the Round of 8.

“It was a close game,” Frontier coach Missy Mahar said. “It was 1-0 at the half. They are well-coached. [Zalneraitis] has been with them for 30 plus years. They have three really solid girls, two on the forward line and one on the midfield. They have solid players all around them too. They work as a unit and push the ball.”

The speed of Saint John Paul’s Kaitlin Chun produced some early opportunities for the Lions, but Brooke Charest was there to make the saves for the Redhawks. Chun’s speed seemed to surprise the Frontier midfield and defense. The Lions made the trip from Hyannis.

“She countered very quickly,” Mahar said of Chun. “It challenged us to get into position. At times, she beat us. It was a good lesson moving forward into tournament that we are going to see players like that.”

Michaela Sloan scored two goals for the Redhawks. The balanced scoring sheet saw three players with multiple goals. Brynna Fahey and Haly Doucette-Kaplan also scored twice. As the games get closer deep into the tournament, a refined scoring touch could mean the difference in a close game.

“At any given moment anybody can be in that position,” Sloan said. “As a team, it’s not about one person. Collectively, if we work well together, we can get that big goal. It could be one opportunity and one shot. We have to make it count.”

Addie Harrington collected a rebound and scored to give Frontier a 1-0 lead in the first quarter.

The Redhawks scored three goals in the second quarter to pull away. Fahey found the net off a rebound with nine minutes, 33 seconds left in the frame. Harrington then sent a cross to the far post to Doucette-Kaplan for the game’s third goal.

Bella Orrell set up Haly Doucette-Kaplan with 58 seconds left in the second quarter to give Frontier a 4-0 lead going into halftime. Brynna Fahey scored again in the third quarter with an assist coming from Harrington. Amelia Bouchard and Riley Tine registered assists on Sloan’s fourth quarter goals.

Charest made three saves to record the shutout. Frontier had 21 shots, compared to three for the Lions. Frontier forced 20 penalty corners and surrendered only one.

Girls soccer

Hopkins Academy 5, Mahar 1 — Mackenzie Matthews scored, but the 29th-seeded Senators lost to the fourth-seeded Golden Hawks in the MIAA Division 5 state tournament Round of 32 in Hadley. Jaya McBroom made 16 saves for Mahar.

Ephie Vissas and Olivia Earle had two goals each for Hopkins. Vissas added three assists for the Golden Hawks. Morgan Augustin also found the net in the victory.

Hull 7, Franklin Tech 1 — The third-seeded Pirates were too much to handle for the 30th-seeded Eagles in the MIAA Division 5 state tournament Round of 32 at Finlayson Field in Hull. The Pirates had a 3-0 lead before pulling away in the second half. Libby Harper had three goals for Hull.

“The kids played really hard,” Franklin Tech coach Jay Butynski said. “I was really proud of their effort.”

Sheyenne Ballentine made several dynamic saves in the game, making 26 stops altogether for the Eagles. Faythe Sobieski scored on an assist from Kaelyn Mclean in the 79th minute for Franklin Tech.