Charlie Breitrose
Watertown senior Sydney Poulin and the Raiders take on Oakmont in the State Final on Saturday.
When the Watertown High School field hockey team takes the field for the MIAA Div. 2 State Final Saturday it will be both in familiar and unfamiliar territory.
Read the preview bellow. Follow the action from WPI live here beginning at at 10:30 a.m.:
Game over – Watertown wins 5-1! Nine straight titles!
3 minutes left: Watertown running the clock out.
7:46 left: Timeout Raiders. They have a corner coming up. They raucous Oakmont crowd has been taken out of the game
11:34 left: Leitner scores on a penalty stroke. Poulin brought the ball 3/4s of the way down field, past a few defenders. The goalie stopped her but Oakmont committed the offense. 5-1 Raiders
13:25: injury timeout for Oakmont player. She walked off looking ok.
15:44 left: Oakmont scores on a corner. 4-1 Watertown. Goal Maddie Moran from LeDue
18:13 left: Sydney Poulin scores her second on a counter attack. Unassisted. 4-0 Raiders
24 minutes left.: another corner just misses for Raiders
25 minutes left: Watertown corner goes wide
28:22 left 2nd half: Maddie Leitner makes it 3-0 Watertown on corner. Assist to Allison Kennedy.
Halftime: Watertown 2, Oakmont 0. Game closer than score. The Spartans have had some good chances. Kennedy has stopped them. Like last year Oakmont is bringing all their field players up on corners. They almost scored that way.
6 seconds left: injury timeout. She looks ok
1 minute left: Raiders almost score on corner.
2:43 left: Goal Watertown! Poulin scores unassisted. 2-0 Raiders
3:45 left: timeout Oakmont.
4 minutes left: Watertown corner snubbed by Oakmont defense.
10 minutes left: save by Watertown goalie Joanna Kennedy. Another 2 on corners. 1-0 Watertown
11 minutes left: Poulin shot saved by Oakmont goalie.
16:31 Sydney Poulin appears to score but was called back.
22:57: Watertown scores off rebound from a corner! 1-0 Raiders. Gabby Venezia from Olivia Lampasona.
25 minutes left first half: Raiders have had 2 corners, no score
10:32 am Teams being introduced.
The Raiders (21-1) have been in Worcester for the state final the past eight years, winning each time. This year’s appearance, however, come’s in the post-streak era, with Watertown’s national record unbeaten run of 184 games ending in the second game of the year.
Since that time, Watertown has gotten back in gear and have not lost or tied since the Winchester game. The road to the final has been more challenging this season. Watertown won by just one goal in the North Section final last Saturday against Manchester-Essex and against Dennis-Yarmouth in the State Semifinal on Tuesday.
Beating the Raiders means beating Watertown’s Jonna Kennedy, the goalie who has played for the Team USA Under 17 team and is heading to Boston College next year. She has not allowed a goal in four State Tournament games plus the last seven regular season contests. Belmont scored in the 6-1 Raiders’ win on Oct. 5.
Watertown senior Sydney Poulin has scored in the last tournament games three games, including the lone tallies in the North Final and State Semifinal. Senior Lauren Petrillo, juniors Gabby Venezia and Olivia Lampasona and sophomores Allison Kennedy and Brianna Williams each have one goal in the tourney.
Oakmont proved a tough opponent last season, tying Watertown late and falling on a goal with under 9 minutes left in the game to clinch the 4-3 victory. Watertown field hockey coach Eileen Donahue called Oakmont “a very, very strong program.”
The Spartans (17-3) have been talking about a rematch with the Raiders since the Central Section Final when senior Madelyn Moran said she wants to take on Watertown, according to the Worcester Telegram.
The Vermont-bound player has lead Oakmont this season. She four goals in the tournament. Spartans’ freshman Irini Stefanakos also has four tourney tallies, including a hat trick against Greenfield in the State Semifinal.
Watertown’s Road to the Final
North Section Quarterfinal: 3-0 over Swampscott
North Section Semifinal: 3-0 over Wilmington
North Section Final: 1-0 over Manchester-Essex
State Semifinal: 1-0 over Dennis-Yarmouth
Oakmont’s Road to the Final
Central Section Quarterfinal: 1-0 over Lunenberg
Central Section Semifinal: 2-1 over Hopedale in double overtime
Central Section Final: 2-1 over Quaboag
State Semifinal: 7-1 over West Champ Greenfield