WATERTOWN – Head coach Jen Crook felt losing by seven goals on Saturday to four-time reigning Div. 4 state champion Uxbridge was a tough pill to swallow for the No. 6 Somerset Berkley field hockey team.
Three days later, it responded by handing four-time reigning Div. 3 state champion Watertown its first loss since 2019.
With Julie Pacheco’s go-ahead goal less than two minutes into the fourth quarter, Somerset Berkley showed composure to shake off Watertown’s game-tying, two-goal rally, and snap its 103-game win streak with a 4-3 victory. Addie Finlaw scored twice, while Jen Crook’s son, Ryan Crook, had an assist as part of a major impact he had from the midfield.
As far as rebounds go, this was big for the reigning Div. 2 state champions.
“(We’re) very excited, we talked about (the win streak) on the bus,” Jen Crook said. “We knew what was at stake. But I’m glad we came out to play tonight, we really got it (handed) to us Saturday. So this was great to rebound the way they did today and I’m very proud of how they played.”
“(The key) was just to realize that even though it was a really tough loss, we know Uxbridge is a really good team,” Finlaw added. “(This win) really boosts our confidence, but I think it’s just getting us excited to try to get back to where we were last year.”
It’s only fitting that Pacheco’s game-winner came on a rebound, since that was the symbol of a game like this.
Somerset Berkley got off to a fast start, putting offensive pressure on the Watertown defense right away with six first-quarter corners. Its ability to quickly carve its way down the field – anchored by Finlaw, Ella Vaught and Ryan Crook – helped it build a 3-1 lead midway through the second quarter.
Watertown took momentum back by rallying with two goals, forcing a 3-3 tie heading into the final 15 minutes.
But Ryan Crook dribbled through heavy traffic to gain the circle with a pass to Finlaw, whose shot went off the pads of Watertown freshman Natalia Keuchikarian (eight saves) right to Pacheco. She gathered it calmly for the go-ahead tally with 13:03 left.
“Fourth quarter, we realized we have to pick it up,” Finlaw said. “It’s only 15 more minutes, and it’s either you win, you tie or you lose. And we prefer to win, obviously.”
Despite the loss, Watertown head coach Eileen Donahue felt this was her group’s best showing of the year – showing a toughness and tenacity to rally.
She took the loss with grace, denying any notion of being upset about losing the streak.
“That was the furthest thing from my mind,” Donahue said. “The main focus was for my team to be competitive, and that’s been a focus with us in our previous six games. … What a competitive game, it was awesome.”
She continued: “We should build on this. … yeah, we made mistakes. And we’ve got to build off that.”
Sophia Setouhi scored the second and third goals for Watertown in the rally, showcasing her blazing speed off of clean set-ups from Aisling Brennock out of the midfield.
Finlaw scored the game’s first goal on a stroke in the final minute of the second quarter, and Emma Cormier tipped in the second goal for a 2-1 lead. Ava Anderson cut that deficit in half in the second quarter, but Crook helped flip the field in less than a minute after to help set up Finlaw’s second goal for a 3-1 lead.
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