WALTHAM – Hustle and heart.
The 18th-seeded Waltham field hockey team (12-4-3) leaned on one another for both Monday night, gutting out a 3-1 Div. 1 first-round win over No. 15 Lexington for the program’s first state tournament win in 17 years – and its first 12-win season since 2007.
A furious second-half rally from the Minutemen (9-7-3) nearly wiped away a two-goal first half lead, but the Hawks kept their composure.
Three different players scored, including a penalty stroke from standout midfielder Mia Kearney in the final 30 seconds to ice it. She, senior captain Miyana Bahl and junior goalie Nina Joannidis (four saves) had their fingerprints all over an intense win, as did fellow senior captains Juliana Fry (assist) and Jenna Mahoney.
With just three seniors, Waltham is off to the second round to play No. 2 Franklin.
“It’s incredible, these girls have worked so hard,” said Waltham head coach Taylor Scafidi. “I think a big part of today was getting them to believe in themselves. … We kept saying, ‘All there is left to do is play.’ Go out there, it’s who shows up today. And they showed up for each other, big time.”
The Hawks knew what was at stake heading into the matchup, and focused on starting strong again against Lexington, who they tied 2-2 in the regular season.
Waltham generated a 7-1 shots advantage in the first half. Goals in each quarter from sophomore Meri Guden and freshman Leah Browne gave it a 2-0 lead, while Bahl and sophomore Avery Donovan each stood out to diffuse almost every attacking bid Lexington presented.
“I just think we really rely on energy,” Bahl said. “That’s a really big thing for us. We think for all the games that we played really well, energy was how we won. … Just helping each other, feeding off each other’s energy.”
Each goal came on corners, a major point of emphasis.
Lexington’s defense denied Waltham the circle for most of the first quarter, but the Hawks just needed one to draw the corner and get on the board. Guden finished off a three-shot frenzy just 5:07 into the game.
Early in the second quarter, a broken corner play was saved by a send toward the middle from Bahl, which Kearney pushed in front, and Browne tipped home for the 2-0 lead.
“We spend so much time working on (corners),” Bahl said. “That was a major theme this year – adapting when things don’t go right. That was huge for us.”
Lexington came out of the break on fire, finally breaking into the last layer of defense through senior forward Olive Glenn and 40-point freshman Charlee Creighton. Creighton centered one threat in front early that Glenn just deflected wide, and Creighton had another impressive move that Joannidis kicked away for a highlight-reel save.
Glenn finally got the Minutemen on the scoreboard with 13 seconds left in the third quarter, but that’s all Waltham allowed.
“They put each other first,” Scafidi said. “They put their teammates first, they made sure they had each others’ back. … Helping each other stay very composed, that’s been a big focus this year.”
Bahl, the Dual County League Foley Player of the Year, was a major standout during the defensive stand.
“She always is, she’s like the rock of our team the last two years,” Scafidi said. “I’m just so proud of her. She shows up when she needs to show up at all times. She never fluctuates.”
Kearney made several big plays in the midfield to limit promising transitions, and Donovan had two signature pass breakups and a bevy of takeaways.
Waltham’s defense allowed just five shots.
“The three of us, including our goalie Nina, work really well together,” Bahl said. “Us just trusting each other is a really big thing. Saying, ‘I got your back, I’m right there.’ Even if it’s not your right position, we’re always just right there.”
Want more insights? Join Working Title - our career elevating newsletter and get the future of work delivered weekly.
