GREENFIELD — The Greenfield field hockey is starting to play its best at the right time of year. 

The second-seeded Wave hosted third-seeded Turners Falls in the Western Mass. Class C semifinals on Thursday at Donna Woodcock Field — and the Greenfield offense came to play. 

At the half, the Green Wave held a 5-1 lead before Greenfield proceeded to score three more in the final 30 minutes of action, rolling to an 8-1 victory to advance to a Western Mass. final for the fourth straight year. 

“Lots of good things happened today,” Wave coach Erin Thayer said. “Lots of togetherness, lots of passing, lots of good communication. We’re in the right spot and ready for Monday.” 

The Green Wave (10-7) will face top-seeded Frontier in the final on Monday at 5 p.m. at Holyoke High School. 

After starting the season 1-3, Greenfield will enter the Class C championship having won four of its last five games. Its offense has gotten rolling during that stretch, scoring 19 goals in those five contests. 

Getting a big win in the semifinals only gives the Wave added momentum heading into Monday’s showdown. 

“It was a confidence builder,” Green Wave senior Riley Thayer said. “We all know we have to work hard and we have to want it.” 

The loss ended the season for Turners (4-11-2), which competed for the entire 60 minutes against the Wave on Thursday. 

While it’s never easy to close out the season with a loss, Thunder coach Renee Tela noted how her young team would only learn and get better from it. 

“It was a tough game,” Tela said. “We knew this would be a tough one coming in but we always have hope. We’re a young team. We’ll only get better and learn from this. It was a good last game for our seniors. Ledwin [Villafana] and Ella [Guidaboni] got to shine.”

McKenzie Boswell got Greenfield on the scoreboard to open the game, smashing home a corner that was sent in by Gloria McDonald to give the Wave a 1-0 lead with 2:15 to go in the first quarter. 

The Green Wave took over the game in the second quarter. Henley Gilstrap drove to the right of the Turners goal before cracking a shot that took a deflection off a Thunder stick and ricocheted into the cage 47 seconds into the frame. 

Turners answered just three minutes later, as Villafana drove the length of the field and rocketed a shot that made it to the back of the cage to cut the lead to 2-1. 

Greenfield answered strong to end the quarter. Riley Thayer got a pass out wide, dribbled in and sent a pass across to Boswell, who one-timed it in to put the Green Wave up, 3-1, with 8:27 to go in the half. 

Less than one minute later Greenfield scored again, as Gilstrap found Madi Lemay in front and the freshman slammed it home to add to the lead. With 4:51 to go in the half Gilstrap took a shot from the edge of the circle that found its way into the cage, giving the Green Wave their 5-1 lead at the half. 

Lemay tapped in a cross-crease pass from Riley Thayer to open the third quarter and Boswell added a goal with 3:38 to go in the third quarter off an assist from Riley Thayer. 

Gilstrap finished the scoring with 12:38 to play, tapping in a bouncing ball during a scramble in front of the Thunder goal. 

It’ll be the third straight season Greenfield has played Frontier in a Western Mass. final, with the Redhawks winning the title the last two years. Frontier won both times the two rivals played this fall, but the Green Wave are feeling confident heading in. 

“We’re feeling good,” Riley Thayer said. “We just have to go in, keep our heads high and work hard. We have to give 110 percent no matter what we’re doing and play together.”