Pats battle in quarterfinal loss to Cumberland

Meghan Mascola
Posted 10/30/14

The Pilgrim High School field hockey team fell to the Cumberland Clippers 5-1 on Tuesday night in the quarterfinal round of the Division II playoffs, and though the scoreboard reflected a landslide …

This item is available in full to subscribers.

Please log in to continue

E-mail
Password
Log in

Pats battle in quarterfinal loss to Cumberland

Posted

The Pilgrim High School field hockey team fell to the Cumberland Clippers 5-1 on Tuesday night in the quarterfinal round of the Division II playoffs, and though the scoreboard reflected a landslide win, the Pats were competitive all night.

Pilgrim’s head coach Stephanie Shields believed that the final tally was not indicative to the determination that her team demonstrated on the field.

“I think the score definitely doesn’t show how well we played at all,” Shields said. “We had a lot of opportunities and chances to score.”

The Pats finished the regular season with a 7-8-1 record, landing them the No. 7 seed and a match-up against the second-seeded Clippers.

It was always going to be a tough task for Pilgrim, and Shields also could not ignore the Clippers impressive 13-2-1 record in the regular season and their obvious strengths.

“They execute their corners incredibly well, which is where they got all of their goals from,” Shields said.

In their first playoff appearance since 2009, the Pats confidently played like they had something to prove in the opening minutes of the game. Though the Clippers quickly took possession of the ball, Pilgrim fought back and managed to create several scoring chances and continued to stay on the attack throughout the first half.

While the clock ticked away, both teams were battling near the attacking circle, leaving Cumberland’s goalkeeper Michaela Simanski to make one dashing save after another. Finally after a Pats’ shot to the post and a corner hit, the Clippers made a push up the field and into the attacking zone. Cumberland’s Nicole Rochefort put a shot past Pilgrim goalie Alex Pouliot for the first goal of the game.

In the second half, Cumberland took possession early and had several good scoring chances on penalty corners, but within minutes the game was tied at one on a goal from Pilgrim’s Loren Saucier.

The even score did not last long, however, as Cumberland regained control of the ball and scored again just a minute later, this time by captain Lindsay Sheehan, and assisted by Karin Dion.

The Clippers continued to establish their dominance and added another goal to their tally with just 15 minutes left of play. The goal was scored by Caroline Squizzero, with the assistance of Rochefort.

With the score at 4-1, Pilgrim called for a timeout, hoping to re-group.

With just under ten minutes left in the game, Pilgrim’s chances were already fleeting when the Clippers made another push to the attacking circle, which resulted in their final goal of the game. Dion scored, assisted by Cassidy Simanski.

The Pats continued to push through the final minutes of the game and did not show signs of defeat, a trait that made Shields proud.

“I thought our girls left it all out on the field and didn’t give up or back down at all and I couldn’t be happier and more proud of them in this game.” Shields said.

Throughout the season, the Patriots fought hard and battled through a series of injuries to create a record that they could take pride in and gained momentum leading up to the playoffs.

“It was up-and-down at some points, but I think in the last week we played great and that helped going into this game, even though it ended in a loss,” Shields said.

With their return to the playoffs behind them, Shields and her returning players are looking forward to what improvements next season will bring. Shields said the team will be focused on scoring and building another strong defense.

Noting that many of their hardworking defensive players will not be returning to the team next fall, Shields said “We definitely have some holes to fill but I think if we just keep practicing hard and we continue the same thing, I think we will have success.”

As for Cumberland, the Clippers will take on the Chariho Chargers at East Greenwich High School on Thursday at 5:30 p.m. in the D-II semifinals.

Comments

No comments on this item Please log in to comment by clicking here