WORCESTER — She comes off the bench for the Acton-Boxboro field hockey team, but sophomore Emma Kearney is a coach’s dream substitute, providing an energy boost and the game’s lone goal in Saturday’s 1-0 win over Longmeadow as A-B captured the Division 1 state title at WPI for the second straight year.
“She comes off the bench because she is a spark,” A-B coach Mae Shoemaker said. “I thought about starting her today because she deserves it, but she is a spark and she walked on the field and it was different.”
The teams played to a stalemate for much of the first half, as Longmeadow proved a worthy challenger to the Colonials’ crown. Kearney entered five minutes into the game and picked up her team’s pace.
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Midway through the half she created the game’s best early scoring chance, firing a ball on net that was kicked aside. The sophomore was undeterred and broke through with 2:40 left in the half, sending a reverse sweep shot on goal from the corner that found the back of the net to give A-B the lead.
“I just kept moving and wanting it,” Kearney said. “It wasn’t really a high-angle shot, but I took it and took advantage of the opportunity.”
A-B kept the pressure on in the second half, and while it didn’t score, it prevented Longmeadow from applying pressure to get the equalizer.
It’s the third title in four years for A-B.
Watertown 6, Auburn 0 — It’s getting to sound like a broken record, but for Watertown, being crowned state champion remains the sweetest sound.
The Raiders captured their seventh straight state title with a win over Auburn, while running their national-record unbeaten streak to an incredible 160 games.
“It never gets old, it’s the same feeling, I love it,” senior captain Michaela Antonellis said. “We are just so lucky to be in this position to never lose a game, that just doesn’t happen.”
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Watertown broke through with 11:12 left in the half when senior Mikayla Paone pushed one past the goal line through a scrum of players.
The Raiders seized the momentum, scoring just two minutes later on a blast from junior Olivia Venezia. Antonellis closed out the first-half scoring, taking a pass from Venezia to give the Raiders a 3-0 lead.
“I’m so proud of these girls, my coaches, and the community that supported us,” Watertown coach Eileen Donahue said. “Work hard is what you have to do, and our team has done that all year. We are a true team in every sense of the word and you saw that here.”