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The Winchester High field hockey team (15-7) came into the Division 1 playoffs as the 11th seed, and proceeded to waste no time to knock off the opposition with three straight wins over Brookline (3-1), Central Catholic (3-2) and Algonquin (2-1).
The win over Algonquin in the Round of 8 secured the Red & Black a state trophy, equivalent to the former sectional championship trophy prior to the power rankings era. They were now in the Division 1 Final Four, which started with 33 teams in it at the start of the postseason.
But in the state semifinal game, they were shutout by Walpole (22-0-1, second seed), the eventual state champs, 3-0. For the record, Walpole also blanked Andover (19-3-1, fourth seed), 2-0 in the finale.
Against Brookline (9-7-3, 22nd seed) in the Round of 32, Julia Legere notched the first goal from Sam Gal and Brynn Henning. Sloane McCarthy netted the eventual game-winner assisted by Henning. Gal tacked on the insurance tally from Madison von Mering. All three goals were scored in the first half. Goalie Isabella Bogovich only had to come up with one official save to help secure the first tournament win.
“We did a good job drawing cards on Brookline for five-yard (first half) penalties,” said coach Michelle White.
In the Sweet 16 contest against host Central Catholic (15-3-1, sixth seed), the home team scored first, but Legere tied things up from McCarthy. Gal was credited with the second goal on a penalty stroke, before Julia Fredey produced the winning tally. The Red & Black also won the shots battle, 9-7. Bogovich made one official stop in this game, as well.
“We picked it up and responded with three relatively quick goals after Central Catholic scored the first goal of the game,” said White. “(Bogovich) came up with a few big saves near the end of the game, including one shot from the top of the circle that she blocked with her chest pad to preserve the close win.”
In the Round of 8 trophy game versus Algonquin (16-3-2, third seed), Legere once again scored the first Winchester goal of the game from Gal. She also netted the winning goal from McCarthy.
Despite the loss, Algonquin had the most shots on goal, 14-8. Bogovich denied them on many occasions in net to preserve the victory for her teammates, coming up with 13 big saves.
“(Legere) was able to put in two goals, one at the end of the first half and another one at the beginning of the second, taking advantage of her opportunities to score in this game,” said White. “(Bogovich) made many great saves to keep us ahead on the scoreboard. She was a crucial part in this win with a 92% save rate.”
After the loss to Walpole in the state semifinals, White was not surprised by the team’s success this fall.
“This was a great team, who really came together to make this run to the Final Four happen,” said the veteran coach. “Going into the state tournament, we knew any team inside the Top 12 had a chance to make it this far. The girls worked really hard in practice to prepare for any situation thrown at them, and left everything on the field to get to the state semifinals.”
