Oakmont stickers reach state final

Oakmont Field Hockey captain Marisa Dunn admires the State Division 2 second place trophy while surrounded by coach Leanne Roy and teammates after the Lady Spartans lost in the title Worcester State game to Watertown 1-0 on Saturday, Nov. 21, at College. The girls battled hard during the championship Lahtinen battles Watertown’s Lyndsey Daley. Later in the game, Oakmont’s Kristen Connolly passes the ball up nship game, Oakmont junior Chelsea ith Okt’KitCll thbll field while Watertown’s Kaylee MacNamara attempts to break up the pass during the game. “Team.”

It was the word the Oakmont girls’ varsity field hockey team ended their final practice of the year with last Friday.

It was the word they spoke to begin their state final game on Saturday.

“This is always something you talk about at the beginning of the season as you are making goals,” said coach Leanne Roy, after Friday’s practice. “To make all of those goals is awesome.”

JOURNAL PHOTOS/JEFFREY W. BOUDREAU “I don’t think words can express the feelings,” said Lauren Laserte, a co-captain and senior. “It’s bittersweet. The whole season has been working to this point.”

The girls battled hard Saturday as they fought for the Division 2 state championship, but lost to Watertown’s Raiders, 1-0, Saturday afternoon at Worcester State College.

Oakmont’s Kelly Dunn put one in the net with 5:23 left in the second half but the goal was called back because a corner was whistled just beforehand. A second ball the Spartans put into the net with 4:45 left was called back because it was kicked in.

“These girls are great, they played hard,” Roy said, after Saturday’s game. “They realized they could come out of their comfort zone.”

She said the two near goals at the end of the second half should go a long way to helping the team know they can compete at the state level.

“It showed them that they could do it. They know they could have done it. It just wasn’t our day,” Roy said. This is Roy’s second year coaching the team.

During the course of the season the team has improved and stuck together, she said.

“We knew they were going to be strong and they were going to have strong hits,” said Watertown’s coach Eileen Donahue.

Saturday, Watertown earned its 10th state title since 1986 – the school won its last title in 2002. The game was Oakmont’s first state title game since 1984, when Rockport High School took the title.

The Spartans entered the state finals with a record of 16-1-3 and had won the Mid-Wach B championship. The team won all four games in the district tournament, taking the Central District championship and beating West Champion Smith Academy in the state semifinals.

“We are making it to a place most teams have never been. If you aren’t having fun, you aren’t doing it right,” Roy said.