No. 4 Ipswich had its hands full with visiting No. 13 Lynnfield in the Division 4 round of 16 on June 5, but unfortunately for the Pioneers, an upset wasn’t in the cards. Truth be told, both teams had their hands full sitting out a 90-minute lightning delay, but a nine-goal second half did the trick for Ipswich in a 17-10 win.
Lynnfield started strong and led 2-1 in the first quarter until the lightning delay. But even still, the Pioneers still were in it, tied 5-5 after the first quarter and trailed by two, 8-6 at the half. After that, however, the Tigers’ defense ramped up, holding the Pioneers to just four second-half goals.
“It was definitely disappointing to lose but the girls kept up with this team for most of the game,” head coach Christina Serra said. “It was definitely anyone’s game until halfway through the fourth quarter when Ipswich pulled away. We made some mistakes and lost a few draws which ultimately ended with multiple goals for Ipswich.”
“Even so, this is the best game we have ever given Ipswich in my three years of coaching the team. Although we lost, it was like a win for us especially considering we lost one game 22-1 last year to Ipswich.”
Hayden Valiton (ground ball, caused turnover) led the offense with five goals, while Ava Damiani had a goal and three assists. Jordan Calichman scored a goal and notched two assists, while Taylor Valiton (ground ball, caused turnover) also had a multiple-point game with two goals. Hannah Ozanian (ground ball) also scored.
Hayden Valiton and Clara Caulfield had a team-high nine draws each. Caulfield also had a strong defensive game with three caused turnovers and three ground balls, while Casey Flynn had three ground balls. Maeve Wertz (ground ball) and Calichman had three and two ground balls, respectively. Kayla Santo (ground ball, caused turnover) also contributed.
The loss marks the end of the high school careers of six seniors – captains Flynn and Maddie Mastrangelo, Sophia Fiorentino, Sophie Bergeron, Keely Briggs, and Quinn Lavery.
With the loss, the Pioneers finish the season 10-12 (1-1 tournament). Ipswich upset top-seeded Weston, 12-11 Monday afternoon in the Final Four at Reading Memorial High School. Ipswich will play for a state title on June 13 against No. 3 Cohasset, which defeated Norwell 11-9 on Monday.
