WEST SPRINGFIELD — Samantha Smith made a diving save to the left of the goal to maintain Greenfield’s one-goal lead in penalty strokes and left the game in Ashley Hubbard’s hands.
Hubbard drilled a shot past Frontier Regional goalie Skyla Burniske to give the top-seeded and unbeaten Green Wave a 2-1 victory over the second-seeded Red Hawks in the Western Massachusetts Division 2 Field Hockey Tournament championship, Friday at Clark Field.
“It’s been a long time waiting, it’s been a long time coming,” said Greenfield head coach Erin Thayer. “I’m so proud of them.”
Smith made a big save on Frontier scoring threat Olivia Vecellio to start the penalty stroke round. Audrey Bresciano followed up Smith’s save with a goal.
Another save by Smith allowed Alyssa Garvin to slip one just past Burniske for a 2-0 lead. After Emma Wesoloski got the Red Hawks on the board, Katie Haselton’s shot for the Green Wave was saved. That led to Smith’s save before Hubbard put the game-winner in for a 3-1 win in penalty strokes.
The win was quite fulfilling for the Green Wave (17-0-3), as they had to come from behind to put themselves in position for overtime, and eventually penalty strokes.
Greenfeld was awarded a penalty corner with just under eight minutes left in the second half, and Hubbard slotted a pass to Bresciano, who drilled it in the goal to pull the Green Wave even at 1-1.
Bresciano’s clutch goal gave the Green Wave new life.
“It was perfect timing and it was the perfect spot,” said Smith. “Audrey’s just got such a good hit.”
Heading into overtime, Frontier put the Greenfield defense on its toes. With just under six minutes remaining in the first half of overtime, Vecellio broke away down the field and took a shot toward the left corner of the post, but Smith made a diving save to stop that threat.
Less than two minutes later, Smith may have made the save of the game when Frontier’s Lauren MacDonald had a breakaway shot on goal, but Smith charged the ball and made a kick save that cleared the ball away from Greenfield territory.
“She’s the best goalie in western Mass., as far as I have to say,” said Bresciano.
The sophomore goalie was given high praise by her coach for her maturity.
“Sam was tremendous in goal, the pressure for that is huge,” said Thayer. “However, as an eighth-grader, she did the same thing, same scenario, just two years ago.”
The Red Hawks got on the board first when Vecellio took a whack at a ball that was a slow roller and bounced into the goal with under eight minutes left in the first half.
The victory mark the Green Wave’s first sectional championship since 2006. It also was revenge after Frontier defeated them 3-1 in last year’s final.
“They’re a huge rival,” said Bresciano. “We just came out and we knew we had to beat them.”
Greenfield will face Oakmont in the Division 2 state semifinals on Tuesday at Clark Field.