GIRLS HIGH SCHOOL SOCCER: Former Div. 2 power Hingham on brink of first Div. 1 crown
WEYMOUTH -- Once upon a time, in a different division in a whole different playoff format, the Hingham High girls soccer team went all Michael Jordan Era Chicago Bulls on the rest of the state.
Now, five years after that legendary three-peat in Division 2, the Harborwomen are almost atop the Div. 1 mountain.
Olivia Sharkansky scored twice, and Ava Maguire and Maddie Aughe added goals Wednesday night as top-seeded Hingham brushed away No. 5 Newton South, 4-0, in the state semifinals.
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Hingham (21-0-1) will play No. 6 Natick (15-1-5) on Saturday at 3 at Whitman-Hanson in the state championship game. The Harborwomen will be returning to the scene of the lone semi-blemish on their record -- they have won 17 straight games since a 2-2 tie at Whitman-Hanson on Sept. 20.
"Would be the first D1 state championship for Hingham, so it's a big deal," Sharkansky said.
The chance to make history isn't lost on second-year coach Sarah Dacey, who starred at Framingham High before winning three NCAA crowns with North Carolina.
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"I actually was reminiscing tonight, remembering when I was in high school being this far in the tournament," said Dacey, who is 33-1-2 since taking over. "There's something special about November (soccer) -- chilly (conditions), hometown fans. It felt like a home game tonight with (all of) our fans.
"Just super proud of the girls. It's exciting. This is what we've been hoping for all season and here we are. We're on the cusp of doing something special, hopefully, but we can't overlook anyone."
Hingham, which won Div. 2 state crowns in 2014, 2015 and 2016, is seeking its fourth championship in eight years. This would be the third time the Harborwomen went unbeaten -- they were 19-0-4 in 2014 and 21-0-1 in 2016.
"That would be amazing," All-American forward/midfielder Sophie Reale said of a third near-perfect season. "All of our hard work would really pay off."
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With no MIAA playoffs a year ago, Hingham settled for a 12-1-1 campaign that ended with a victory in the Patriot Cup final. The Harborwomen have been a juggernaut ever since the 2021 season kicked off; they've now outscored opponents 98-12 and have posted 14 shutouts, including six in a row. They haven't conceded a goal in more than 480 minutes.
"Being a senior, we take every practice and game seriously, especially (during) this whole tournament (run)," Sharkansky said. "We just come out here and we dominate. From our back line to our forwards, we all just worked toward this common goal of getting to the state championship ever since the first day in August and it's finally here. It's exciting."
Newton South came into this one with an unbeaten record (15-0-6) and glittery defensive stats -- just 12 goals allowed all season (identical to Hingham). The Lions hadn't allowed more than one goal in a game in their previous 17 outings, but Hingham lay siege to the Newton South goal almost from the start.
Goalkeeper Amanda Cosgrove was equal to the task early on, making a couple of fine saves, but the inevitable eventually happened. Reale made a great spin move to shake a defender in midfield and looped a perfect pass that freed up Sharkansky in the right side of the box. The senior finished with a low shot to make it 1-0 with 8:13 remaining in the first half.
"Sarah just tells us to keep running and follow every shot," Sharkansky said. "So Sophie played a ball over and we've been trying to be dynamic with our runs. I followed the ball, the goalie came out and I put it through her legs."
"Shark is one of our best players," Dacey said, "and she doesn't get the credit she deserves, really, because we have so much offensive firepower. But she's just so good on the ball. She's so smooth. She can serve the ball with her left and right foot. She scores touch goals. We just rely on Shark for so many things. She had an awesome game tonight."
Hingham nursed that 1-0 lead into halftime and then exploded for three goals after the break. Maguire punched in a rebound of a Reale shot with 35 minutes remaining, and Aughe did the same with a rebound of a Sharkansky shot off a corner kick with 18 minutes left for a 3-0 cushion. Sharkansky delivered the final blow, converting a feed from Claire Murray on the left side of the box with 6 minutes left.
"No one was on me, so I took a shot with my left foot," Sharkansky said. "I'm not a lefty but it went top right (corner). That was one of my better goals."
Through the first four rounds of the tournament, five different players have combined to score Hingham's 12 goals. Reale has five, Sharkansky has three, Maguire has two, and Aughe and Kelsey Tarby have one each.
"We have so many kids who can score, kids in double-digits (in goals)," Dacey said. "So many offensive weapons, players who are really dynamic and 1-v-1 artists, goal-scorers. The list (of what they're good at) goes on -- incredible ability to hold the ball at their feet and make runs in behind. They do it all."
Now they just need to do it one more time to give Hingham a Div. 1 crown to go with all those Div. 2 ones.
"After this game," Reale said, "I think our team has a lot of confidence heading into the state championship."
This article originally appeared on The Patriot Ledger: Hingham High girls soccer advances to Div. 1 state final vs. Natick
