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MASCAC

Local roundup: Leominster falls in round of 16

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The 16th-seeded Leominster High boys soccer team saw its season come to an end on the road Wednesday, falling 2-1 to No. 1 Concord-Carlisle in the Division 1 round of 16.

The Blue Devils end the 2023 campaign with a record of 12-5-3.

Ashland 1, North Middlesex 0: The 12th-seeded Patriots fell in the Division 3 round of 16 to No. 5 Ashland, ending their season at 12-5-3.

Tahanto 2, Ayer-Shirley 1: Colm Fallon netted the lone goal for the Panthers (13-6-2) in their Division 5 round of 16 loss.

Girls soccer

Nashoba 6, Marlboro 1: Maddie Dempsey had a hat trick for the second-seeded Wolves in their Division 2 round of 16 victory.

Cohasset 7, Lunenburg 1: The 14th-seeded Blue Knights were bested by No. 3 Cohasset in a Division 4 round of 16 game, closing the fall at 13-6-1.

Women’s basketball

Wentworth 62, Fitchburg State 47: The teams traded buckets to open the contest as juniors Morgan Genness  and Rylie Harlow connected on buckets for Fitchburg State, while freshman Samantha Jones notched a jumper for Wentworth.

Junior Maddy Foster  netted a layup for the Leopard to trim the deficit to 13-12 before Falcons junior Kathryn Hart buried a 3 and classmate Stephanie Hart added a jumper to push the lead to 18-12.

The hosts extended the lead to 20-16 as Harlow registered another layup, but the Leopards battled back to reduce the lead 24-23 in the second quarter. The Green and Gold upped the lead to 28-23 on baskets from Stephanie Hart and junior Caileen Hurley before junior Brianna Carroll knocked down a 3-pointer for Wentworth to make the score 28-26 going into the break

Wentworth went on a 10-2 run to start the third frame, led by Carroll’s back-to-back 3s for a 36-29 advantage. Fitchburg State answered back on a Kathryn Hart jumper, but the Leopards closed out the frame on a Amoddio jumper for the 48-38 edge.

The Leopards took the largest lead of the contest at 60-38 with sophomore Reagan Madonia sinking a jumper before the Falcons capped the scoring on a 3-pointer from senior Olivia Almeida and layup by sophomore Aliza Som, but the hosts couldn’t pull even.

The Falcons were led by Harlow’s 14 points, four steals and three assists, while Som added seven points, three boards and three steals.

Men’s soccer

Fitchburg State senior Joshua Atemkeng and freshman Dante Ramadan have been named to the 2023 Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference (MASCAC) Men’s Soccer All-Conference Teams

Atemkeng was named to the MASCAC First Team as a defender for the first time in his career. As a defender and a leader, he stood out this past season by anchoring the Falcons back line.

Ramadan was named to the MASCAC Second Team at midfield. Offensively, he had three points, with one goal and one assist in his freshman season.

Local roundup: Blue Devils bounced by Minnechaug

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The 2023 season came to a close Tuesday for the Leominster High field hockey team.

The 12th-seeded Blue Devils fell behind early and were bested by No. 5 Minnechaug, 3-1, on the road in the Division 2 round of 16.

Down 2-0, Taylor Boulay potted a goal for Leominster to cut the deficit in half, but the Blue Devils couldn’t draw any closer.

Leominster’s season ends with an 11-8-1 record.

Reading 3, Nashoba 2: The 16th-seeded Wolves (6-11-3) were edged in the Division 2 round of 16 by top-seeded Reading.

College volleyball

MCLA 3, Fitchburg State 1: The sixth-seeded Falcons fell in the MASCAC tournament to No. 3 MCLA by set scores of 25-10, 25-22, 23-25 and 25-9.

Stephanie Sardella had a team-high seven kills for the Falcons, while Samantha Mirra chipped in with six.

Women’s soccer

Fitchburg State enior Ashley Porter, sophomore Adrianna Westcott and junior Taylor Senecal each earned recognition on Tuesday as the MASCAC Women’s Soccer All-Conference Teams were announced.

Porter was named to the MASCAC First Team as a midfielder for the first time. This season, in 19 games, she racked up eight points on two goals and four assists, including a game-winner.

Westcott and Senecal were named to the MASCAC Second Team.

Westcott earned the nod from her forward position, marking her first All-Conference honor. She was a key player in the Falcons offense this season after tallying 10 points on four goals and two assists with one game-winner and an impressive .543 shot on goal percentage.

Senecal earned her second All-Conference honor from her defensive position. This season, she held down the back line of the Falcons defense and even had a shot on goal for a 1.000 shot on goal percentage.

Elsewhere, former North Middlesex Regional standout and current Bridgewater State sophomore forward Olivia Robarge was chosen to the All-MASCAC second team. Robarge recorded six goals and two assists for 14 points in 18 games in 2023. The Pepperell resident is tied for fifth in the MASCAC with two game-winning goals and is tied for sixth in goals. She is also eighth among the conference leaders in scoring.

Framingham State goalie and Nashoba Regional grad Jetta Oskirko was named to the MASCAC All-Conference second team, earning her second all-conference nod. The Lancaster resident split time between the field and goal this fall. In net,, she made 99 saves and posted a .833 save percentage in MASCAC play.

Local Notebook: Resilient Falcons victorious in home opener

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As far as home openers go, Saturday’s game against Anna Maria is unlikely to go down in annals of Fitchburg State hockey as one that should be studied on how to win.

Still, a win is a win and despite play being heavily controlled by the visiting Amcats and facing a huge deficit in shots for most of the contest, the Falcons were indeed able to pick up a victory to kick of their slate of games at the Wallace Civic Center.

It was a showcase of the Falcons’ resolve and put a spotlight on a young netminder, shining in his collegiate debut.

The guests often pinned the Falcons in their own end for decent spans of time and held advantages in shots of 15-5 after 20 minutes and 38-17 after two periods, but the figure that truly mattered was the 3-2 final score as Fitchburg State held its own in the third period and took control in overtime.

Even though they were outshot throughout, the Falcons (1-1-1, 0-0-1 MASCAC) never trailed. Samuel Rennick gave FSU a 1-0 lead in the second and after the Amcats pulled even in the third, freshman Nicklas Millhorn put the Falcons ahead with a power-play marker.

Though Anna Maria tied things midway through the final frame, the Falcons never wavered. Their effort was rewarded with just over a minute left in the extra frame as freshman Kristopher Zapata used an exceptional burst of speed to get around a defender and snapped the game-winner past Anna Maria goalie Matthew Hennessey.

It gave freshman netminder Frederick Soderberg his first collegiate victory and it was certainly deserved. The first-year goalie from Harrison Township, Michigan, stopped 46 shots and kept the Falcons in the game even when the ice seemed tilted against them.

Bernardians put it all together

In a renewal of a Thanksgiving Eve rivalry game on Friday night, the St. Bernard’s football team put together a strong effort in a 38-8 road victory over Lunenburg.

St. Bernard's Jarius Williams had a pair of rushing touchdowns in Friday's win over Lunenburg. (Sentinel & Enterprise File Photo)
St. Bernard’s Jarius Williams had a pair of rushing touchdowns in Friday’s win over Lunenburg. (Sentinel & Enterprise File Photo)

After making their way through a season of close games that they came up on the wrong end of, the Bernardians (2-7) left no doubt in the non-playoff consolation game. After a scoreless first quarter, the guests took a 20-0 lead into halftime after a trio of touchdowns in the second.

They visitors never relented, scoring the first touchdown of the second half and rolling to win No. 2 on the season.

As it had been in the past, the ground game was the key for St. Bernard’s. Keegan Rose racked up 131 yards and a touchdown on 20 carries, while Jarius Williams had 118 yards on 11 touches, scoring twice.

The Bernardians will host Quabbin Regional on Friday night and close the campaign on Nov. 22 with St. Paul visiting on Thanksgiving Eve.

Week 10 football schedule set

While the football postseason rolls on, the non-playoff slate for Week 10 has been announced.

Westboro will visit Doyle Field to take on Leominster, while Fitchburg heads to Assabet. North Middlesex Regional will host Tantasqua, Oakmont Regional faces old rival Gardner and Algonquin Regional will travel to Bolton to play Nashoba Regional.

Rounding out the locals, Lunenburg plays at Narragansett and Ayer-Shirley hosts Worcester Tech.

Local roundup: Blue Knights roll to win over Maynard

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Maddie Salovardos netted a hat trick and Emma Kibbe added four assists as the sixth-seeded Lunenburg field hockey team disposed of No. 27 Maynard, 7-1, Thursday night at McCarron Field in first round action of the Division 4 tournament.

Lunenburg improves to 16-1-2 overall with the win and will host Clinton on Monday. Maynard finishes its season at 10-7-2.

Lunenburg goalie Tegan Arnold was solid in net in the victory.

Dennis-Yarmouth 3, North Middlesex 0: The 25th-seeded Patriots (8-8-2) fell in the opening round of the Division 3 tournament.

College cross country

Fitchburg State sophomore Michael Burns was named to the 2023 Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference (MASCAC) Men’s Cross Country All-Conference team on Thursday afternoon, while classmate Skye Goba earned a spot on the MASCAC Women’s Cross Country All-Conference team.

Burns notches his second consecutive MASCAC MXC All-Conference accolade after guiding the Falcons to a third-place finish at the MASCAC Men’s Cross Country Championships on Friday afternoon with an eighth-place time of 28:58.48 over the 8K layout at Willard Park.

Skye led the Falcons to a fourth-place finish at the MASCAC Women’s Cross Country Championships after placing fourth overall with a time of 29:02.75 over the 5K layout at Willard Park on Friday afternoon.

Local roundup: Falcons rally to top Rams

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The Fitchburg State field hockey defeated Framingham State, 3-2, Wednesday in Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference (MASCAC) action from Elliot Field in a contest that saw a program record fall.

Senior goalkeeper Jenna Morse turned aside seven shots to earn the win as the Falcons (3-8, 2-4 MASCAC)  erased an early deficit. The save total pushed the Leominster resident’s career stops at 387, breaking the Falcons’ record.

Framingham State opened the scoring at the 7:09 mark of the first quarter when freshman Ashley Malmquist collected a loose ball in front of the cage and deposited a shot into the lower right corner for her fifth goal on the season.

Fitchburg State knotted the score at 1 with eight minutes remaining in the first half as sophomore Autumn Tibbetts, of Lunenburg, received a feed from classmate Sophia Yates and proceeded to find the back of the cage for her team-leading fifth score of the year

The Falcons grabbed the lead four minutes later as junior Alexis Raymond settled a loose ball at the top of the circle and blasted a shot into the left side of the cage for her first marker of the campaign to put the Falcons up 2-1 going into the break.

Following the intermission, the Green and Gold pushed the lead 3-1 in the 36th minute as sophomore Samantha Yates converted a penalty stroke, beating Rams keeper Kaitlyn Tello for her first tally of the season.

The Rams cut the deficit to 3-2 at the 51:58 mark when junior Kaylee Beck redirected a shot into the far side of the net for her fourth goal of the year.

Morse was able to make a couple key saves down the stretch as Fitchburg State held on for the 3-2 victory.

Fitchburg State held an 18-13 advantage in shots, while Framingham State finished with a narrow 7-5 edge in penalty corners.

Women’s volleyball

MCLA 3, Fitchburg State 0: The Falcons (7-9, 1-2 MASCAC) fell by set scores of 25-9, 25-21 and 25-19.

Jessica Greco finished with 14 digs to set a new Fitchburg State single-season mark with 262. Stephanie Sardella racked up eight kills, along with three aces and four digs, while Emily Gelinas dished out 16 assists and added seven digs in defeat.

High school field hockey

Wachusett 3, Nashoba 1: Kayla Flanagan scored for the Wolves (4-8), while goalkeeper Val Michel was outstanding in net, recording 15 saves.

Golf

North Middlesex 39.5, Marlboro 14.5: Shawn Amari carded a 1-over 36 at Northern Spy Golf Club to lead the Patriots (11-3). North Middlesex also topped St. Bernard’s, 35-19.

High school volleyball

Monty Tech 3, Worcester Tech 2: The Bulldogs picked up a road victory by scores of 25-17, 16-25, 25-20, 15-25 and 15-6.

Bailey Tetreault notched 18 service points, six assists and three kills in the win, while Deanna Smith chipped in with nine service points, six kills and five digs.

Local roundup: Falcons grounded by Bears

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The Fitchburg State field hockey dropped a conference contest to Bridgewater State, 5-2, on Friday evening.

The Falcons got on the board first in the second quarter when Autumn Tibbetts found teammate Sydney Alto on the left side of the goal for her first goal of the season.

Fitchburg’s lead wouldn’t last long. Just six minutes later, Brianna Gagnon would beat Jenna Morseon a quick touch on a fast-break opportunity that was set up on a pass by Raegen Perry.

The second half started with constant pressure from the Bears. They eventually broke through the Falcons defense on a deflected shot by Jordyn Perry from Abbie Zuber for a 2-1 lead.

The Bears tacked on another in the fourth after being awarded a penalty stroke. Zoe Bergeron made it a 3-1 game after scoring just over the Morse’s right shoulder.

Fitchburg came back just over a minute later to cut the deficit to one on a goal off of a penalty corner by Sofia Yates from Alexis Raymond..

The scoring continued in the fourth quarter with Bridgewater extending the lead to two with a rebounded shot and goal from Perry before adding insurance goal with under a minute left on a score from Lexi James after receiving a perfect pass from the right corner by Bergeron.

Morse finished the contest with 11 saves on 16 shots.

High school field hockey

Monty Tech 5, Fitchburg 1: Hailey Mahoney potted four goals for Monty Tech.

Peyton LaVigueur scored Fitchburg’s lone goal off a feed from captain Alisha McCall.

Nashoba 5, Shrewsbury 2: Lauren DiTullio recorded her first varsity hat trick for the Wolves, while Hannah Dwight had a goal and two assists. Meg Hourihan also scored in the victory.

Golf

Monty Tech 161, AMSA 183: Mike Cannon, Brett Cherubini, and Luke Albero shared medalist honors with matching 4-over 40s at Gardner Municipal Golf Course as the Bulldogs improved to 11-1.

Volleyball

Monty Tech 3, St. Bernard’s 0: The Bulldogs won by set scores of 25-17, 25-19 and 25-11.