BURLINGTON – Thunderous “five-in-a-row” chants echoed from the bleachers when the Uxbridge community felt another historic milestone clinched Saturday night, showering the top-seeded Spartans field hockey team (23-0) with praise for a perfect season that ended with a 3-0 win over No. 2 Sandwich in the Div. 3 state final at Burlington High School – their fifth consecutive state championship.
Only Watertown (from 2009-17) had ever won five straight titles in MIAA field hockey history before them, a feat Uxbridge partly accomplished by storming past the Raiders in the state semifinals.
A fourth state final appearance in five years had the Blue Knights (19-2-2) charged up to present the toughest challenge the Spartans faced, too, but goals from three different scorers, and a standout defensive effort, overcame it.
And as a result, senior fifth-year varsity players Kendall Gilmore (Maryland commit), Julianna Casucci (New Hampshire), Amelia Blood (Wake Forest) and goalie Julia Okenquist (Holy Cross) exit how they started their high school careers as eighth-graders.
“It’s amazing,” Casucci said. “Being able to do it with the same girls each year is the most special part. I get to go out with five straight championships, but what’s even more special is who I got to do it with.”
“It feels so special to be with these girls,” added Blood, the program’s all-time leader in assists. “It’s an amazing feeling because we’ve been playing with each other for so long..… How hard we’ve been working just shows on the field.”
Uxbridge head coach Kelly Rosborough found it poetic that amid an intense defensive battle, it was bench player Mia Ouellette who tallied the first goal of the game for the Spartans in the second quarter.
Shots on target were difficult to come by for both teams, with how fast and fierce the action was, but depth delivered a 1-0 lead at the post midway through the frame.
“For one of our off-the-sideline players to come in tonight and score a goal, I mean, that says it all,” Rosborough said. “That’s really exciting for Mia Ouellette.”
It was also seen on the defensive end as first-year starting seniors Morgan Charbonnier and Sydney VanderZicht helped keep shots off Okenquist despite numerous threatening Blue Knights trips.
“I just love that they were ready,” Rosborough said. “And they just showed that they belonged out there. … I’m just really proud of them.”
Sandwich continued to challenge Uxbridge’s offense into the second half, swarming attackers. The Spartans eventually added a second goal on a great feed from the midfield to Casucci for a 2-0 lead with 4:57 left in the third quarter, and junior Aubrey Bouchard (Bryant) iced the game with 2:43 to go in the fourth.
“Staying with each other throughout the whole game just kept us going,” Blood said. “It’s not always one player, I just think it’s so special to see everybody celebrating for each other.”
With the 3-0 win, Uxbridge won every game by at least three goals. That includes win over two teams that won state championships earlier in the day (Walpole, Somerset Berkley), three more that reached the Final Four, and seven that reached the state quarterfinals.
Several coaches claim this year’s Spartans are the best high school field hockey team they’ve ever seen. Having eight Div. 1 commits partly fuels that, but it’s mostly driven by commitment and unity.
Casucci, Blood, Gilmore and Okenquist pioneered it all.
“They changed everything,” Rosborough said. “They were on the field as eighth-graders, confident. They had skills, they had field hockey IQ. And all of that just grew with every year. … Their impact just continued year after year. It’s just so exciting for them to get this finale.”
