Another beautiful Fall day at Victory Field brought out some lovely play from the Raiders field hockey team on Oct. 23, as they thoroughly controlled this game from start to finish, winning their final regular season home game 7-0.
Just a minute in a wicked slapper from 15 yards out by Kaylee Master made it 1-0. Less than three minutes later senior co-captain Sophia Setouhi, who was flying around the field on this day, made it 2-0 after some nifty moves. Freshman Lola Venezia finished the first period scoring on a rebound shot that got past the Burlington goalkeeper to make it 3-0 after one period.
Now, it should be said that the Burlington goalie was impressive throughout the half, coming aggressively out of her goalie crease, anticipating plays and trying to cut off angles to potential shots on goal. And it worked to a degree, and when it did, it was cool to watch her moving around ala Bruins Hall of Fame goalie Gerry Cheevers. The problem, the Raiders figured it out in the form of extra passes, shot fakes, and nifty dribbling. And, running all over the place left her a little more vulnerable to shots she might have saved if she just stayed put. Hard call, because clearly, Burlington was not going to be capable of matching Watertown’s firepower on this day.
Watertown kept attacking to start the second period, and when it was over Setouhi and Master each scored their second of the game, and sophomore Ayda Hike scored the final two goals of the afternoon. The second half was what we’ve all seen before. The Raiders, up 7-0, never took another shot on net and worked on passing and spacing while all the time hustling around the field as though it was 0-0. Burlington never registered a shot on the Watertown cage.
Watertown moves to 14-2 on the season, 9-0 and in first place in the Freedom Division of the Middlesex League. The Raiders end their regular season on the road Friday, Oct. 24th at Melrose. On Monday they scrimmage the 2024 Div. 1 champs Walpole at Victory Field. It’s a good chance to continue to prepare for the tournament, and scrimmaging the No. 1 ranked team in the state according to the Boston Globe will certainly present the Raiders with a challenge.
Speaking of the tournament, the MIAA will announce the Brackets on Tuesday, Oct. 28th, and the fate of Watertown’s first round opponent in Division 3 play. It could be a bye, or because Watertown is ranked a bit lower than usual, they might have to play a first round game. Either way, a great season for the girls, and they should be congratulated for bringing it every game once again, and for finishing with an outstanding record. Also, congratulations to Coach Donahue for completing her 40th regular season of coaching. Amazing!! And now, on to the tournament…
——————————————-
1st Period
Watertown 1 Burlington 0 …. Kaylee Master, 14:00
Watertown 2 Burlington 0 …. Sophia Setouhi, 11:19
Watertown 3 Burlington 0 …. Lola Venezia, 1:23
2nd Period
Watertown 4 Burlington 0 …. Sophia Setouhi, 11:59
Watertown 5 Burlington 0 …. Kaylee Master, 7:42
Watertown 6 Burlington 0 …. Ayda Hike, 3:34
Watertown 7 Burlington 0 …. Kaylee Master, 2:02
3rd Period
No Scoring
4th Period
No Scoring
————————————————-
1 2 3 4 F
Burlington 0 0 0 0 0
Watertown 3 4 0 0 0