LAUREN ST. ANDRE and the LHS field hockey team beat North Brookfield 6-1 in the first round of the Div. 4 State Tournament. The No. 7 Pioneers host No. 10 Georgetown in the Round of 16 on Wednesday at 2:30 p.m. (File Photo)
Meet CAL foe Georgetown in Rd. of 16 Wednesday
By STEPHEN MARTELLUCCI
LYNNFIELD — It was a great playoff opener for the Lynnfield High field hockey team on Saturday afternoon as they blasted guest North Brookfield 6-1 in the first round of the Division 4 state tournament on a brisk, sunny day.
With that victory, the 7th-seeded Pioneers improved to 8-6-5 while the 26th-seeded Indians ended the year at 12-4-3.
The Pioneers took command from the start as they dominated the first half going to the break leading 4-0.
Georgia Milne, Anna Kaminski, and Ava Marotta combined for the six goals while Lana Sutera, Jacqui Carbone and Julia Carbone provided the assists.
The key was that Lynnfield converted four of their eight total penalty corners into goals.
“Overall, the team played well,” said Pioneers head coach Samantha Pindara. “In the state tournament, the exciting part is playing teams that you do not get to see in the regular season. North Brookfield was a competitive team that is very athletic. Their captain, Ty Babineau, was a force and we needed to make major changes in order to get around him and make plays happen.”
Pindara was also pleased with the effort from her midfielders and defenders.
“In the midfield, Ally (Orlofski), Lauren (St. Andre) and Ava (Marotta) played well. Defensively, Jacqui (Carbone), Catherine (Sweeney), Chloe (Thomas) and Jordan (Lavey) controlled the tempo and were crucial in keeping the ball out of the scoring area.”
Pioneer goalie, Charlotte Radulski, had 11 saves.
Lynnfield will now host 10th-seeded Georgetown on Wednesday (Nov. 8) at 2:30 p.m. in the round of 16 game. The Royals edged Northbridge 3-2 in the first round and enter this match at 8-9-2.
Back on Sept. 30, the Pioneers shut out the Royals 2-0 in Georgetown in their lone meeting of the regular season.
The winner of this game will face the winner of the Manchester-Essex vs. Frontier Regional game in the quarterfinals (date, location and time unknown as of press time).
