HOLDEN — Wachusett Regional High’s Hal Lane Field has been a venue that has treated spectators to some remarkable Mountaineer sports victories over the years. It’s now time to add the 2022 varsity field hockey’s Veteran’s Day matinee contest on Nov. 11 to that ever-growing list of fan favorites on the hill.
No. 4 seed Wachusett hosted 5-seed Franklin High on Friday, with the winner advancing to the Division 1 semifinals. With it all on the line, it was a certainty that these two squads would scratch and claw their way up the ladder in this year’s MIAA tournament. Neither side would disappoint, but it was Wachusett who would prevail in a nail-biter, eking out a 2-1 victory. The Mountaineers move on to face top-seed Walpole High at a date and time to be announced as of press time. With the victory, Wachusett upped its seasonal record to 17-3-2.
“This (victory) is exciting. These kids have worked so hard,” said WRHS head coach Kerry Berry. “We had a game plan for today’s game against Franklin, and we implemented it. We broke down a little bit but persevered and stayed strong. I’m so happy for all of them because they wanted it. They knew what they needed to do, and they did it.
“Franklin was fast, and they were strong, and they were right on us anytime we had the ball. Even after we scored twice, they didn’t let up. They were gritty, but I have to say that our girls were grittier.”
“This win feels great. We’ve been working so hard,” added junior center/forward Lillian Chaisson, who scored the first goal less than three minutes into the game. “We all wanted it really badly because we’ve gone this far. We just have to keep it up, keep playing hard and keep the momentum up. It’s really exciting.”
Wachusett would score a pair of first half goals and never look back. Lindsey McGurl scored what would be the game-winner prior to intermission.
“It was a corner (pass), and we’ve been practicing on me getting the post slot, since I’m the inserter,” McGurl, also a junior midfi elder, explained. “It was a deflection off Ella Perry, and I was just at the right spot at the right time and we were able to get that goal.
“It feels really good. We were playing it like it was just a normal game. That way we were able to work together as a team and treat this win as a team and not just an individual thing. We’ve grown as a team through each game, and we don’t look at the next game. We look at it that this is the game.”
“I told the girls that we wanted to score two goals in the first quarter, and they did it,” said Berry as to her coaching approach to the game. “That was huge because if we had to come back, it would have been tough. I would have liked a couple of more goals for insurance, but to come right out and score two goals was huge. Franklin has just one loss (Walpole), and they’re used to being the ones on offense and scoring. Our scoring early probably threw them off their game, which was part of our game plan.”
The game developed into a spirited clash, with Franklin trailing 2-1 as a result of an early second half goal. Mountaineer goalkeeper Julia Kirton was a rock in net stopping shot after shot (10 on the day), including a body-sacrificing save on a one-on-one breakout. Her stoutness in net was of MVP caliber.
“I was motivated to not let it in, so when the ball came near me, I had to put my game face on. I made myself look big and scared them a little bit,” Kirton explained. “In the second half, I was so worried that one goal would make it a tie. I might not have looked so nervous on the outside, but I was so nervous on the inside.”
“Julia has come on so strong in the second half of the season,” said Berry of her junior goalie. “That save on that breakaway was amazing. I’m so happy for her and so happy for us. She had a diving save on a corner right after that.”
Both teams fought mightily until the final buzzer, which unleashed a fan frenzy on-field celebration with hugs, high fives and pictures aplenty. Another game highlight was senior Kathryn Guertin executing an endline inside-the-goal save in the last 90 seconds to help preserve the win.
