Coaches often speak in cliches. Kids gave it their all… Every game is a big game… We learned a lot about ourselves tonight… and so on. All those cliches would be true after tonight’s non-league game between Somerset Berkley and Watertown at Victory Field. Watertown came into the game as four-time defending Division 3 Champs, 6-0 in 2025 and on a 103 undefeated streak spanning more than five seasons. Somerset came into the contest with one loss and a title, having won the Division 2 State title in 2024. Something had to give on a warm and muggy third night of Fall. What everyone in attendance was treated to was an exciting and hard-fought high school athletic contest, one that reminded one and all why athletic competition can be so cool, so fun, and so heartbreaking.
Is it really fair to characterize tonight’s loss as heartbreaking when you haven’t lost in 103 straight games? Sure. Competition is competition, streak or no streak, and Watertown’s squad left it all out there on the field tonight. By the end of the game, co-captain’s Ava Lamacchia and Sophia Setouhi were fighting leg cramps, for example. And you know what, the challenge of this evening seemed to me to be simply wanting to beat a Div. 2 squad who was clearly a quality opponent. Somerset showed their skill-level in the first period, dominating play, clogging passing lanes, and tilting the field to the tune of seven penalty corners. Watertown didn’t allow Somerset to score on any of the seven attempts, largely thanks to the play of freshman goalie Natalia Keuchkarian. Freshman Keuchkarian, only a month into her journey playing field hockey, much less goalie, made a number of sparkling saves to keep the score 0-0.
That was until 23 seconds remained in the first. A Somerset player was tripped inside the arc and awarded a penalty stroke. Think penalty shot in soccer, but even more advantageous to the field hockey shooter. The ball is placed at the 7-yard line — it might as well be placed inside the goal. Most shooters have a huge advantage, and the Somerset player sent a wrist shot high, stick-side for a goal, and a 1-0 Somerset lead after one period.
Somerset kept up the pressure in the early moments of the second, and took a 2-0 lead with a goal six minutes in. Down 2-0 at home is not a familiar place for the Raiders, and sophomore Avangeline Anderson did something to change that. She scored a pretty goal, stick handling one way and than crossing over and placing a shot just inside the post to make it 2-1 just a minute later. Somerset scored less than a minute after that though, immediately wiping out the good feelings Watertown had gained from making it a 2-1 game. But, just to let us know this game was far from over, Setouhi and Sydney Prestash converged on the Somerset goal off of a pretty move by Setouhi to make it 3-2 with just 90 seconds left till halftime. It was unclear if Setouhi’s shot went in or Prestash needed to stuff the rebound in the cage, but either way, what a period and what a half.
Both teams came out sluggish in the third, but then Watertown strung together it’s best stretch of play all night. They controlled the tempo and the passing lanes and looked in charge, even while still behind a goal — until 7:45 of the third — thanks to a highlight goal by senior Setouhi, either her second or “1.5” goal of the night. I missed who made the pass for Watertown, and I’m sorry about that because it was a great pass and worthy of recognition. The pass from the Raiders own 35-yard line was a rocket and hit a streaking Setouhi in stride in Somerset territory. Sophia put on the jets, deked the charging goalie as she neared the cage, and placed a shot falling away into a mostly empty net. Goal of the night, and perhaps the season — and, it tied it at 3!
Many Watertown field hockey games are relatively “boring” mostly because they are so much better than the opponent. Tuesday night, with 15 minutes to play, it was anyone’s game and it was edge-of-your-seat action. Unfortunately, Somerset, after a lackadaisical third period, came out putting on the pressure to start the fourth period. A goal just a few minutes in gave Somerset the lead once again, 4-3. But, there was 11 minutes left for Watertown to tie it again. The problem was, Watertown seemed fatigued. Trailing, and trying to catch up, is tiring — which was the story of Watertown’s night up until then — and so Watertown looked tired. And as a result, they just couldn’t put any pressure on the Somerset goalie. And the next thing you know, the buzzer had sounded and Somerset stormed the field, rightfully ecstatic at winning- and oh, by the way, ending Watertown’s streak.
Watertown’s has nothing to hang their head about. It hurts these girls to have the streak end on their watch, but streaks are meant to end. There’s so much season left before the tournament, and who knows what’s in store for this young team. The lineup includes two Freshman, four Sophomores, three Juniors and two Seniors. The goalie has played the position for less than a month and if not for her tonight, especially in the first period, Watertown might have been blown out. Odds are Watertown will be a better team in October thanks to this game tonight, regardless of the outcome. So cliche, but so true. Watertown doesn’t often get (or need) to learn from defeat, but this was one of those rare occasions when it might accelerate the learning curve.
Regardless, it was a fun night of competition full of ups and downs, and great plays by both teams. Watertown moves on to league play for the next ten games, starting Thursday, Sept. 25 at home versus Wakefield.
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Scoring Summary
1st Period
:23… Somerset 1, Watertown 0
2nd Period
8:48… Somerset 2, Watertown 0
7:10… Somerset 2, Watertown 1… Goal, Avangeline Anderson
6:36… Somerset 3, Watertown 1
1:30… Somerset 3, Watertown 2… Goal, Sophia Setouhi/Sydney Prestash
3rd Period
7:45… Somerset 3, Watertown 3… Goal, Setouhi
4th Period
11:15… Somerset 4, Watertown 3
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1 2 3 4 F
Somerset 1 2 0 1 4
Watertown 0 2 1 0 3