DANVERS – Westwood field hockey head coach Heather Joyce, due for her second child on November 13, told her team amid a 4-6-2 start that if it reached the Div. 2 state final, she’d give him the middle name “Flahive” – after the team’s home turf.
Now a week away from her due date, Joyce thinks the girls are messing with her.
A thrilling defensive grind Thursday night ended 22 seconds into overtime with sophomore Ellie Harrington’s game-winning goal, propelling the 10th-seeded Wolverines (12-6-2) to a 1-0 second-round win over No. 7 Masconomet.
Westwood often regressed back to the scoring struggles that plagued it early in the year, but it quickly flipped the switch in sudden-death overtime to secure its eighth straight win.
The Wolverines advance to their first Div. 2 state quarterfinal appearance since 2022, set to play No. 2 Nashoba on Saturday at 4 p.m. Masconomet threatened several times to advance itself, but its unbeaten season ends at 17-1-2.
“I didn’t go into labor, so that’s good … they were seeing how far they could push it,” Joyce said. “Finally (we scored). I didn’t feel like we were ourselves tonight if I’m being honest, and I was kind of frustrated. We, I thought, kept getting in our own way. So then, to see them kind of unleash (in overtime), it was so nice to see because that’s how they look when they’re not frantic (and play on instinct).”
Sound passing and communication anchored numerous promising transitions into the attacking 25 for Westwood, but a scrappy Chieftains defensive effort held it without a shot on goal all second half.
That changed very quickly into overtime, though, as senior Bridget Hughes maintained possession just outside the circle despite heavy defensive pressure – carrying it from the left wing to the right before delivering a strong send across her body to the backdoor post.
Harrington got the touch Westwood missed all game, tipping in the game-winner.
“I was just kind of waiting for it to come. I could trust my team to get (the ball) to where it should be,” Harrington said. “I had a good feeling it was going to play out like that. … It feels really good, especially because we were the lower seed.”
“The little moments, we weren’t executing (earlier),” Joyce added. “I’m glad that we executed the little moment (at the end).”
Frustration built a bit for the group, not finishing several opportunities it felt it could’ve executed in the second half.
The Wolverines weren’t overwhelming the Chieftains with pressure, as Masconomet generated numerous breakouts for promising transitions into the attacking half behind star scorer Ava Gauvain, Mia Marques and midfielder Genevieve Clapp. Hannah Mitchell, Savannah Stevens and Ella Mossey were solid on defense to prevent any damage in the circle, too, and get those transitions started.
But Westwood knew it had chances to jump ahead, needing just one more touch in a game that very well could have gone the other way. Players understood the urgency and carried that into overtime.
“I think everyone was just like, ‘We need to change a few things up,’” Harrington said. “Just keep getting shots up, keep having confidence because if you lose it, then you’re definitely going to lose the game.”
Smart passing and communication were at the forefront of the pressure Westwood kept applying, even getting four shots on goal in the first half that Masconomet’s Sabrina Cafarelli made good plays on to save.
Sometimes that progression up the field left room to run in transition for Masconomet, which it exploited with several bursts. But a standout showing from sophomore Ciara Shevory and the whole defense – in front of goalie Moira Kenneally (two saves) – won many one-on-one battles to limit what the Chieftains could do.
“I’ve got some good defenders, we’ve got some really talented players,” Joyce said. “Of course it helps that we have (Kenneally) in net. We’re able to do that because we so trust (Kenneally). She makes the saves, she’s smart in there. … Having a goalie you can trust, that gives the confidence to the defense and the rest of the team as well.”
Joyce feels the pressure is off her group as it heads to the state quarterfinals as the underdog. Harrington sees confidence among teammates against an unbeaten Nashoba.
Westwood feels good about where it’s at.
“Team bonding, getting to know everyone more (has gone into the streak),” Harrington said. “We changed our lineup, I think that really helped. And we all just kind of got a lot closer toward the end, and I think that’s helped us connect on the field a bit more. … We all just had confidence in ourselves and trusted everyone else.”
