Frontier Regional field hockey edges South Hadley in semifinals
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SOUTH HADLEY - Frontier Regional finally got over the Mount Holyoke College hump.
Kacey Roberts scored one goal in each half as the Red Hawks defeated South Hadley 2-1 in the Western Massachusetts Division 2 Tournament field hockey semifinals Tuesday night.
"Our past two semifinals appearances, we left here in a different state. We are very excited to be able to advance to the finals Friday," Frontier coach Missy Mahar said.
The Red Hawks lost to the Tigers 2-1 in the 2009 semifinals and 1-0 to Smith Academy in the 2010 semis, both at MHC, before earning their first win Tuesday since the new turf field was built.
"It feels really good to win," said Roberts, a three-year starer. "We've been playing really well as a team, working strong as a unit. It feels really good to get past this and go to finals."
No. 1 Frontier (17-0-2) advances to its first championship since winning back-to-back titles in 2004 and 2005. The Red Hawks will take on North Division rival and No. 2 Smith Academy (11-6-2) in the championship game back at Mount Holyoke on Friday at 11 a.m.
"It's going to be anybody's game," Mahar said. The Falcons "are definitely a strong team and pretty equivalent. It's going to be a tough game on Friday."
Roberts got her team on the board in the sixth minute when Emily Williams sent a long cross into the circle from the right sideline. No South Hadley (No. 5, 9-8-2) defender could get a stick on it before Roberts found it and blasted it into the left side of the box.
"I just kept my stick down waiting for it," Roberts said. "I watched it all the way to make sure it got past other people's sticks and just shot it in."
Roberts doubled the lead early in the second half when she emerged from a scrum in front of the net and converted the shot with 23 minutes, 38 seconds remaining.
"I'm so proud of her," Mahar said. "She's done nothing but excel in the program from sophomore year up. And to have this be her last year as a senior and to see how she's come to be just a total field hockey player is something that I'm really proud of her. She played a wonderful game tonight and watching her on turf is something special."
South Hadley goaltender Liz Menard played a terrific second half to keep the game close, finishing with five of her seven saves after halftime.
"I have to cite Liz down in goal and Megan Pinciak on defense were very solid and kept us in the game," Cole said. "They did great."
South Hadley had its chances to even the score before Roberts' second tally but never got a good look at Frontier goaltender Gwen Thayer (zero saves) until late in the second half.
The Tigers cut the deficit in half with 2:29 remaining off a long possession that began with a corner. South Hadley's Juliette Chenier sent ball into the circle from the right side and the Tigers had numerous touches on the ball. Frontier failed a clear attempt and Olivia Szydziak finally took control on the right post and scored.
"They have a lot of heart and soul," said South Hadley coach Tara Cole, whose team won the Division 1 title last year with a mixed gender roster and dropped back to D-2 this season with an all-girls one. "We pride ourselves in the program on not giving up. It's 60 minutes of hockey and every second counts. To cut it down to one with only a few minutes left and to have a few solid chances at the end is a testament to the fact that they understood what it meant to have an opportunity to play Frontier and to play in the semifinals."
The loss marked the final game for South Hadley seniors Hannah Pancione, Megan Pinciak, Michaela Rasschilla, Lyndsay Conner, Szydziak and Chenier.
"I've been proud to have worked with them and I'm proud to call myself their coach," Cole said. "It is because of the contributions they've made to this team, they have started to create a legacy here" at South Hadley.
Jim Pignatiello can be reached at jpignatiello@gazettenet.com.
