Field hockey: Addie Harrington scores twice to propel Frontier past Greenfield, 2-0 (PHOTOS)

Greenfield's Henley Gilstrap and Frontier's Abbi Grover battle for the ball at Donna Woodcock Field Monday.

Greenfield's Henley Gilstrap and Frontier's Abbi Grover battle for the ball at Donna Woodcock Field Monday. STAFF PHOTO/THOMAS JOHNSTON

Greenfield's Riley Thayer handles the ball while defended by Frontier's Ashlie Galenski on Monday at Donna Woodcock Field.

Greenfield's Riley Thayer handles the ball while defended by Frontier's Ashlie Galenski on Monday at Donna Woodcock Field. STAFF PHOTO/THOMAS JOHNSTON

Frontier's Macy DeMaio handles the ball while defended by Greenfield's Laura Stebbins on Monday at Donna Woodcock Field.

Frontier's Macy DeMaio handles the ball while defended by Greenfield's Laura Stebbins on Monday at Donna Woodcock Field. STAFF PHOTO/THOMAS JOHNSTON

Frontier's Addie Harrington (11) scores the opening goal of the game against Greenfield on Monday at Donna Woodcock Field.

Frontier's Addie Harrington (11) scores the opening goal of the game against Greenfield on Monday at Donna Woodcock Field. STAFF PHOTO/THOMAS JOHNSTON

Frontier's Rowan Reilly possesses the ball while defended by Greenfield's Laylah Goulston on Monday at Donna Woodcock Field.

Frontier's Rowan Reilly possesses the ball while defended by Greenfield's Laylah Goulston on Monday at Donna Woodcock Field. STAFF PHOTO/THOMAS JOHNSTON

Greenfield's Gloria McDonald sends the ball up field against Frontier on Monday at Donna Woodcock Field.

Greenfield's Gloria McDonald sends the ball up field against Frontier on Monday at Donna Woodcock Field. STAFF PHOTO/THOMAS JOHNSTON

By THOMAS JOHNSTON

Staff Writer

Published: 10-07-2024 8:14 PM

GREENFIELD — The Frontier field hockey team continues to roll.

The Redhawks suffered a 1-0 loss to Longmeadow on Sept. 10, but since then, Frontier has yet to be beaten. Entering Monday’s contest against rival Greenfield on an eight game unbeaten streak, seven of those contests being wins.

That unbeaten streak extended to nine, as Redhawk Addie Harrington scored in the first quarter and added a goal in the second quarter to give Frontier a 2-0 lead at the half. That lead stood until the final whistle, as the Redhawks walked away with a 2-0 victory at Donna Woodcock Field.

“We talk about coming out from the start, playing with urgency and scoring early,” Frontier coach Missy Mahar said. “We want to try to put a team on their heels. Teams can’t hang onto relentless pressure. If you’re constantly pressuring them, you’re going to get a corner or get a call. Teams can’t hang onto that. We’ve been on the flip side over the years. The relentless pressure this team can keep and sustain allows them to win games.”

The win streak has put Frontier (10-1-1) in a position to challenge for a Suburban League title. After falling to the Lancers earlier in the season, the Redhawks responded with a 2-0 victory over Longmeadow the second time around last week. It was Frontier’s first win in 23 years against the Lancers.

The Redhawks are 7-1 in the Suburban League with two to play while the Lancers are 6-1 with three to play, meaning if Frontier wins its final two league games, it will finish with at least a share of the league title.

Mahar credits the work her players have put in to the success this season.

“The girls are working hard and collectively as a team, especially this past month, has seen a ton of growth on the field,” Mahar said. “They’re trusting one another, they’re learning each others style of play and they’re putting it all together. It’s beautiful to watch. When they pass well, they do a lot of nice things.”

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Monday’s loss ended a three-game win streak for Greenfield (6-5), which has started to play better as the season has progressed. The 2-0 loss was an improvement over the first time around against Frontier, a 5-0 defeat in South Deerfield, showing the progress the Wave have made in the first month of the season.

“I’m really proud of the improvements we have made since the first few games of the season,” Greenfield coach Erin Thayer said. “The girls are playing hard. I’m excited to keep watching them grow throughout the rest of the season. We’ll see where it takes us.”

Harrington opened the scoring in the first quarter off a corner, smashing in a pass sent in by Ashley Taylor to give the Redhawks the early lead.

In the second quarter, Amelia Bouchard drove the ball up and sent a pass into the circle to Harrington, who buried the shot to give Frontier its 2-0 lead at the half.

Taylor appeared to give the Redhawks a 3-0 lead in the closing seconds of the third quarter after knocking in a shot on the rush but a penalty negated the goal.

Kayden Viencek made 10 saves for Greenfield while Kyra Richards made two saves for Frontier.

With a ton of depth, Mahar is able to rotate players in and out of the game to keep fresh legs out there at all times. That allows the Redhawks to play their aggressive style, putting constant pressure on the opposition defense.

“We can get those fresh legs coming in and keep the same tempo and pace of the game,” Mahar said. “That’s what you want. You want the person to be able to come in, keep the tempo and pace going while bringing the intensity up. We have a bench that can do that. Hats off to them. I always tell them I wish I could play everybody because of how hard they work at practice. They’re so coachable and their work ethic is great.”

While on the unbeaten streak, the Redhawks have had to dig deep to pull out some victories. That mental toughness is something Mahar hopes can show itself in the upcoming postseason.

“They have a lot of grit,” Mahar said. “They’ve been in games where they’ve been down and came back because they’re not sitting on their heels. They believe in the team and believe they can win. They have a lot going for them and I’m really proud of them.”

If history has shown us anything, this won’t be the last Frontier-Greenfield matchup of the season. The two rivals have met each of the last three years in the Western Mass. finals and as of Monday, the Redhawks and the Green Wave are the top two seeds in the Class C field.