Charlie Breitrose Watertown junior Molly Driscoll celebrates after scoring her fourth goal in the State Semifinal win over Dover-Sherborn.
CANTON — Watertown High School’s field hockey team defeated Dover-Sherborn 6-0 Wednesday night to set up a rematch in the MIAA Div. 3 State Final on Saturday.
The top-seeded Raiders held a 2-0 lead over fourth-seeded Dover-Sherborn at halftime after goals by junior Molly Driscoll in the first quarter and sophomore Caroline Andrade in the second. Watertown came out in the second half going at 100 miles per hour.
Charlie Breitrose
Watertown sophomore Caroline Andrade, number 28, scored the Raiders’ second goal in the State Tournament victory over Dover-Sherborn.
In the blink of an eye, Driscoll hit the back of the net to give the Raiders a 3-0 advantage just 12 seconds into the third quarter. Senior co-captain Maggie Driscoll (Molly’s sister) said the quick goal helped the Raiders find their groove.
“It definitely set the tone for the rest of the second half, showing that we can get those goals quickly,” Maggie Driscoll said.
Charlie Breitrose
Watertown senior Allie Fijux scored a goal in the State Semifinal against Dover-Sherborn.
Senior co-captain Lizzie Loftus, who fed Driscoll the pass on the goal, said the team has worked on getting off to fast starts.
“That’s always been a big thing we focus on — the clock — so we do a lot of practice on how fast we can score,” Loftus said. “Our fastest was always 12 seconds, so we got it in 12 seconds. That was kind of the goal to get on the scoreboard right away.”
Charlie Breitrose
Watertown senior co-captain Lizzie Lofuts winds up to shoot against Dover-Sherborn in the 6-0 Tourney win.
By the end of the third quarter, Driscoll had notched her hat trick, and added one more early in the fourth quarter. Senior Allie Fijux scored the final goal with just under 6 minutes left in the game.
Molly Driscoll gave credit to the entire team for the result, including her four tallies. She knew Watertown was ready hours before the game.
“It started from the second we woke up. We were all texting and getting hyped for this game, and on the bus we kept up the energy,” she said. “Honestly, it was a whole team effort. The whole time people were high energy (and) talking, which boosted everyone’s confidence and morale. That’s what really helped us out there tonight.”
Charlie Breitrose
Watertown senior co-captain Maggie Driscoll charges upfield with the ball in Wednesday’s State Semifinal win.
Loftus said that by scoring four goals Molly Driscoll executed the team’s game plan well.
“That’s Molly’s job, and Molly does it well,” Loftus said.
Charlie Breitrose
Watertown field hockey players celebrate a goal in the 6-0 win over Dover-Sherborn in Canton. The Raiders will play in the State Final on Nov. 19.
Big sister Maggie said Molly has the knack for scoring.
“Obviously, I’m very proud of her, she couldn’t have done it without the rest of us, but still she is really good in front of that circle finishing off those goals,” she said. “And that’s definitely been a strength of hers during her years of high school.”
Charlie Breitrose
Watertown junior Molly Driscoll runs down field bouncing the ball on her stick in the State Semi against Dover-Sherborn.
Watertown Head Coach Eileen Donahue said the team had some quality practices leading up to the State Semifinal. She called the win a team effort.
“I think every player out there gave their all, whether they scored or not. It was the effort on the field,” Donahue said. “I think our relentless focus out there helped us today, especially at the beginning of the game, and our goalie (Brianna Cooper) made some good kick out flares right at the beginning.”
Charlie Breitrose
Watertown senior goalie Brianna Cooper makes a kick save against Dover-Sherborn in the State Tournament.
Watertown improved its record to 21-0, and will face second seed Sandwich (20-0-1) in the State Final on Saturday, Nov. 19 at Norwell High School. Time to be announced.