BURLINGTON – Senior captain Alaina Manuel’s head didn’t quite hit the top netting of the cage.
But as she emphatically jumped up and down inside of it late in the fourth quarter of the Div. 4 state final Saturday afternoon at Burlington High School – celebrating the second goal she scored of No. 2 Dennis-Yarmouth’s 2-1 win over No. 5 Frontier – it came awfully close.
The joy of the program’s first state title since winning Div. 2 in 2018 glowed all the way down a mostly young roster, a lasting image of the heart and hustle the Dolphins (18-5) used to score the game-winner with 2:18 left in a 1-1 game.
Manuel’s celebration was the poster of it in her final game with the program.
“This doesn’t feel real that we won and I scored both the goals,” Manuel said. “I wouldn’t have been able to do it without everyone on the team. … We’ve been dreaming of this moment since the beginning of the season.”
“It feels amazing,” added junior captain Jenna Richard. “Last year we (made it to) the (Div. 3) Final Four game, and we knew we wanted to come back further. And this is our last year with two of our best players, honestly, and we just wanted to go out with a bang.”
Frontier, playing in its first state final in over 20 years, showed the defensive grit it needed to upset No. 1 Monomoy in the state semifinals by limiting Dennis-Yarmouth’s shots on goal. Kate Walker, Amelia Bouchard and Elsa Brown were especially strong on defense, while Brooke Charest finished with eight saves.
Both of D-Y’s goals came on corners, both finished off by Manuel. Frontier’s Ashlie Galenski scored at the post just four minutes after Manuel scored the first goal in the third quarter, but couldn’t respond to the second.
Richard’s initial shot was saved by Charest, which got to junior forward Brooke Chicoine at the left wing. Charest got a piece of it for another save, but Manuel cleaned up the rebound for the win.
“We’ve been practicing corners every day, the last 15, 20 minutes (of) every practice,” Richard said. “We really need to take advantage of them during game time because those are really good scoring opportunities.”
“You know, 95 percent of goals are scored between the penalty spot and the end line,” said Dennis-Yarmouth head coach Leslie LaFronz. “If you know the stats, you know how to prep. So we just want to get the ball in the box and hope someone got their stick on it.”
It was the third game in a row the Dolphins needed to gut out, coming off a stunning fourth-quarter rally in the state semifinals to beat No. 3 Cohasset in overtime.
“You can’t teach (heart),” LaFronz said. “It’s never going to be easy. You want something, you’ve got to work for it. We tried to make training as difficult as possible. … I think we had the right mindset. And (Frontier) played (a semifinal) the same time as us. They’re two great opponents. So, it’s exciting.”
Final shots on goal were 10-3 in favor of the Dolphins, and corners were a 9-1 advantage. Midfield and defensive play impressed – anchored by junior captain Leah Woodward, senior captain Brooke Woodward and Richard.
