It seems odd to consider four-time defending champions as underdogs, but that’s what the Hawks are. At least for now, but maybe not for long.
The Hopkinton girls’ soccer team wasn’t able to extend its winning streak, but the Hawks took an early lead against St. Thomas – the first-place team in Division III – becoming just the third team to score on the Saints all season, before losing a well-played game, 2-1, in a rematch of last year’s D-III championship at Hopkinton’s Houston Field on Tuesday.
The Hawks won last year’s D-III championship game, 2-1, but while the Saints have retained their top form (currently at a 10-0-1 record), Hopkinton has struggled at times in its 6-3-2 campaign.
After a 2-0 start to the season, the Hawks went four games without scoring a goal, losing two games and tying two during that stretch.
But Hopkinton didn’t look like a team that’s been struggling to score, netting a goal in the first five minutes of Tuesday’s match.
Junior center forward Lizz Holmes and senior center midfielder Paige Martin worked the ball up the field down the left wing, getting it to junior Katie Brown, who slid the ball to sophomore center midfielder Kennedy Mark in the box for the finish off the cross.
“A great start to the game. We haven’t scored five minutes into a game all season,” Hopkinton head coach Mike Zahn said. “Last year, there were a couple of games where we scored 20 or 30 seconds into the game.”
Returning All-State First Team selection Ella Pottle scored off an assist from fellow First Teamer Maddie Karsonovich in the 13th minute to tie the game and Elizabeth Flynn had the game-winning strike midway through the second half to secure the win for St. Thomas.
Thanks to excellent man-marking from freshman defender Paige Boudette, tasked with staying on St. Thomas’s best player, Karsonovich, all match, the Hawks outshot St. Thomas 7-6 and had a 6-4 advantage in corner kicks.
Hopkinton senior keeper Maddie Carmichael made four saves.
“Even though we lost, honestly, as a coach, this was a win for me,” Zahn said. “We had a defensive plan in place and they did exactly what I asked them to do. The ball went St. Thomas’s way today and we lost, but it’s better that it happens now than in the playoffs.”
A less explosive offense was expected, given the losses Hopkinton had in the offseason (four First Team All-State players graduated, including last year’s leaders in goals and assists). That, combined with illnesses and injuries early in the season, made it challenging for Zahn to find the right combinations in his starting 11.
“Now that we’re halfway through the season I’ve finally found where girls play best,” Zahn said. “Obviously everyone has their good games and bad games, but now that I’ve found my starting 11, more girls are successful. They’re realizing what their role on the field is and they’re sticking to that role. Now that they understand that, they’re gaining confidence. We’re also just playing better. The girls are realizing what they can do.”
Among the players settling into drastically new roles are senior forward-turned-goalkeeper Carmichael and freshman forward-turned-defender Paige Prisco-Nelson.
“She’s a strong, fast, aggressive player and doesn’t let anybody push her around,” Zahn said of Prisco-Nelson. “Playing defense is a good base for a lot of players. You’re seeing everything in front of you and can build off of that.”
Senior captains Carmichael, Martin, Elise Miner (center midfielder) and Lexi Lawler (defender) have also really taken into their leadership roles in the last two weeks. All strong players in their own right, they had been mostly playing off the varsity bench in their four years with Hopkinton, simply due to the high level of talent in front of them.
“They’ve bided their time and learned a lot, and now that they’re halfway through the season they’re really finding their groove,” Zahn said.
The Hawks entered Tuesday’s game with St. Thomas on a four-game winning streak (outscoring opponents 14-3), including two wins against Derryfield during that span, the team Hopkinton beat in last year’s semifinals.
The Saints snapped that streak, but Hopkinton played well enough to prove that the Hawks are better than their record indicates.
“There was a time at the beginning of the season where I thought, ‘Uh oh’ we might be in trouble,’ but it’s better to have some of those losses and weak ties early while you’re working out the kinks,” Zahn said. “Yeah, I want to win, but I’m seeing the progress of the team and we’re progressing quickly. We’re hitting our stride.”