By Christopher Tremblay

Last fall, the Norwood field hockey team put together one of the program’s better seasons as the Mustangs went 16-2 during the regular season earning themselves a number two seed in the Division 2 State Tournament. Norwood was able to rattle off five impressive wins in the post-season, outscoring their opponents 20-4 en- route to the State Championship game. Unfortunately, Norwood surrendered a 1-0 lead to Reading and eventually lost the Title game 2-1 in overtime. 

“The ride home from that game was not a fun one and the girls have held onto that moment for a full year,” Norwood coach Alison Doliner said. “They have the motivation from that loss and want to finish the job this year. We’ll be taking it one game at a time as we have put together a tough schedule and do not want to get ahead of ourselves.”

According to the coach, the girls are calling this ‘The Revenge Season’ and want nothing more than to get back to the State Championship game and finish what they couldn’t do last fall.

Leading the surge are the team’s eight seniors, six of whom began playing as freshman four years ago and the other two who joined in on the fun a year later as sophomores. The six who started playing varsity as freshman are: Ava Hines, Emily Spadorcia, Bridget Connolly, Shea Larkee, Bridget Sople and Ava O’Neil. Morgan Naumann and Evan O’Neil came aboard a year later. 

“That freshman class was such a core group of athletes that began playing together at such a young age in the Norwood Field Hockey Program, in addition to playing other sports as well,” the Mustang Coach said. “This group of seniors have played together for three and four years and gave us the building blocks and the strength to rely on. The good, bad and ugly; they’ve been through it all and have the motivation to conclude their high school careers on top.”

According to Doliner, last year was something special; no Norwood high school field hockey team had ever made it into the Division Championship game and it was mainly due to the senior class.

Eight of the 11 starters from the State Runner-Up season will be back on the field this fall for the Mustangs which has everyone excited about the upcoming season. Those eight seniors will be looked upon once again to raise their games and finish what they started this year before they depart Norwood High School.

Ava Hines is the Mustangs’ low midfielder and has played a lot of field hockey during the off-season and is one of the strongest players that will be taking the field for Norwood this fall. According to Doliner, she not only has great vision on the field, but is one that will not back down to anything. She also does an outstanding job sending the ball into the circle to set up the team’s scoring opportunities.

Emily Spadorcia is a speedy player who doubles as an offensive as well as a defensive player. The senior has a knack for getting the ball back from the opposition and moving the team toward the net.

“She has the ability to get her stick on the ball and get it back to us,” Doliner said. “This year, she’ll be a fly on defense as well as a center forward on offense for us. We’re looking for her to help us with our scoring and improve upon her 16 points (5 goals and 11 assists) from a year ago where she finished third in scoring on the team.”

Midfielder Bridget Connolly will be faced with playing on the oppositions strong side. She is a solid player that logged a lot of minutes for the team last year. In addition, she will be the team’s inserter on offensive corners where she will be put in charge of getting the ball in play while getting the team moving in the right direction toward the opponent’s net. The Norwood coach also will be relying on the her to stay cool and never show her frustration on the field despite the situation.

Shea Larkee is an amazing field hockey player and she has proven that by winning the team’s MVP award during her freshman and junior campaigns. She was unable to make it three straight as she was sidelined during her sophomore season due to an injury sustained in gymnastics. Despite being on the sidelines and unable to play with her teammates, Larkee still managed to make as many practices and games as she could, unless she was at the doctor. 

“She is a very special individual and committed to the game,” Doliner said.

Last season, the then junior netted 37 goals during the regular season to break Casey Smith’s school record of 34 goals set back in 2014. Larkee ended up with a total of 45 goals if you include the post-season. 

According to the coach, she will be playing the high midfield position this fall and with her game IQ through the roof, she will be one of the top leaders in the field. The Norwood athlete will be taking her field hockey game to Cornell University in Ithaca, NY, come next season to play on the collegiate level.

Bridget Sople was asked as a freshman how she would feel about playing defense; the first-year varsity athlete gave it a shot and has since owned the position for the Mustangs.

“We were hurting defensively and looking for someone with speed, Bridget was that person and was a very coachable individual,” the Norwood Coach said. “We noticed that she had some strong clears and after taking over the position, she was able to process everything that we asked her to do and then go out and do it. She was definitely a good defensive choice.”

As the team’s center back, Sople anchors the Norwood defense and is a good communicator on the field. The coach also noted that Sople is one of the players that keeps things light at practice, but while she enjoys having fun, she knows when to buckle down and become serious.

Rounding out the seniors who started as a freshman is Co-Captain Ava O’Neil, the team’s back-up goalie to her older cousin. Having seen some action in her freshman season, she was able to take over the position during her sophomore year and help lead the team last year during the team’s magical run to the Championship contest. 

“When in goal she is very athletic and sees the field well,” Doliner said. “She will also give feedback to her teammates and pushes them to be better. Her aggressive play in practice helps us to get ready for playing the top teams with good goalies.”

Morgan Naumann usually plays left wing for the squad and was tied with Spardorcia with 16 points (12 goals and 4 assists) last season. Doliner pointed out that Naumann has a tendency to get in the way of the goalie and redirect many balls into the net.

“Growing up in an ice hockey family, she has great hand and eye coordination,” the Coach said. “She can get a great touch on the ball and has a crazy redirect.”

Evan O’Neil, the team’s left back, plays a tricky position as she is lined up opposite the opposition’s fastest player. In order to become an elite back, she has worked extremely hard on her fitness level and athleticism to be ready to line up against those individuals.

Doliner said that O’Neil has improved her defense by keeping back on the girls she has to cover. In doing so, they have not been able to beat her and she has been able to cause many turnovers by getting her stick low and in the way. The senior has continued to improve her skills each and every year and the coach has fully enjoyed watching her evolution.

Behind the eight seniors, as well as the rest of the Norwood team, the Mustangs are looking to put together another phenomenal season. They know they will be ready once the tournament begins because of the non-league teams that they scheduled during the regular season. Norwood will face the likes of Walpole, the Division 1 State Champions last year; Wachusett, a Division 1 Final 4 team; Canton, a Division 2 Quarter Finals team; and the always tough Wellesley. In addition to the non-league games, Norwood will also have to face off against their Tri-Valley League foes twice each. All but one of the TVL teams advanced into the tournament last fall. 

“If we put it all together, we have a good shot at doing it again,” Dolinar said. “Last year, we were so close and not exceeding was very tough. The girls are more than ready to make it back and finish business this year.”