SAUGUS — For River Rival Region field hockey teams, the potent Cape Ann League can be a bumpy ride. However, when the state tournament rolls around, all that regular season adversity can become quite the invaluable commodity.
Such was the case yesterday at Saugus' Stackpole Field, when the No. 11-seeded Newburyport Clippers (10-7-3) strolled in and upset the No. 6-seeded Saugus Sachems (12-4-3), 2-0, in the first round of the EMass. Division 2 North tournament.
"Going into the tourney, we knew that playing such tough teams in the CAL would really give us a good shot coming into this game," said junior Mackenzie Maguire. "It would also take a lot of spirit and for us to just not let up, but we knew that playing in our league was great preparation."
The Clippers opened by forcing consecutive offensive corners, and though feckless, they would serve as confidence builders.
Led by juniors Jackie Doherty, Mary Orlando and Courtney Selvage, the Sachems did a nice job of clearing the attack, but Newburyport midfielders like junior Haley Johnson, sophomore Kelsey Crowley and sophomore Molly Rowe continued to press forward.
Following another pair of Newburyport corners, the Clippers struck.
Surging in from the right side of the striking circle, swift passes from freshman Paige Hefferan to junior Cassandra Davis enabled a cutting Rowe to smash home what would ultimately be the game-winner with 17:11 left in the first half.
Smelling blood in the water, the Clippers stole away the Sachem midfield pass. The Sachems cleared their own zone, but succeeding a rocket pass from senior Rachel Notargiacomo to Davis, a scrum in front of the Saugus net prompted another Newburyport penalty corner.
Saugus' first year goaltender, junior Amanda Luongo (6 saves), deflected the first shot, but again, quick interior passing by the Clippers facilitated a Rowe assist to sophomore Julie Manning with 11:33 remaining before halftime.
"We moved the ball well, we used each other, and we were smart enough to know when to make the pass off and when to send it through," Hefferan said. "Our offense was moving the ball better today. They were talking, and our defense is always strong.
"We have really built up a strong defense, and our passing on our corners was impeccable today; we did a great job of passing inside for shots."
Though the Newburyport defense held strong in the second half, Saugus appeared to relinquish any lingering momentum on offense. The Clippers will play at No. 3-seeded Lynnfield (15-2-2) — a team which beat the home-advantaged Clippers, 1-0, a September 29 — on Friday.
"I think we just need to keep ourselves pumped up when the second half begins and just keep that momentum and enthusiasm going," said senior Amelia Manni. "We're pretty good about turning it on in the second half, but we need to maintain our energy and focus on the task at hand."
Beyond the need for unswerving intensity, sophomore goaltender Jordan Bensley (4 saves) is cognizant that a proper mind-set needs to be in place.
"For this game, I was pumped; we all were," Bensley said. "I take every game as it comes and just look at it as a new challenge. But if I don't come in positive, then it's not helping anyone out. We have just as much firepower as any team in the tourney; we just have to keep positive. It's a mental game."
Saugus coach Barbara Guarente was proud of her team and is optimistic about the future.
"We came further than we expected," said Guarente, who praised the play of her three senior captains (Hembly Rivas, Katelyn DeSimone and Angela Montano). "We had a new goalie this year in Amanda Luongo. We threw her into quite the experience, and she did a great job with it. We have the entire team returning for next year. We can only get better."
The Clippers accrued more penalty corners (9-6) and outshot the Sachems, 12-5.
