Field hockey, 10-5-1, was one possession away from defeating Masconomet by a goal Friday when the referees awarded their opponents a penalty corner, according to senior Madison Beatrice. Because time was essentially up, the Tigers simply had to take back possession of the ball from Masconomet to win.

However, a Chieftain forward sent the North Division I Quarterfinal match into overtime by scoring during the next play, and three minutes into overtime, another Masconomet goal ended the game, 2-1.

According to Beatrice, it was unclear whether regulation had ended when the penalty corner was called.

According to senior Bridget Gillis, a captain with junior Lizzie Reid, the game was one the Tigers deserved to win. “The game was over, but the refs decided to let play continue. We were the real winners of that game.”
The Tigers dominated throughout the game, Gillis said. The Tigers were also the first to get on the board, with a second half goal by sophomore Susanah Ming, assisted by senior Bridget McLaughlin.

Beatrice said, “A lot of people were crying and seemed really upset about the lost. It shows that people had the expectation to go further than we did. We were all very committed, and because we enjoyed the season, we didn’t want it to end.”

According to Beatrice, the team’s success this season was largely a result of coach Lauren Baugher. Baugher, who has also coached softball through many winning seasons and State Tournaments, coached field hockey this year for the first time.
“A lot of people were very excited about her being a coach,” said Beatrice, who since freshman year has played softball with Baugher as coach. “That was a huge reason why three of us softball players decided to try out for field hockey.”
Baugher said she saw similar team cohesion on both the softball and field hockey teams she has coached. She also said one of the main reasons she decided to take the coaching job for field hockey was “to bring more comradery and create new traditions.”
Her coaching style was one of conditioning rather than punishing, Beatrice said. “She likes to keep us in shape, but not punish us,” Beatrice said. “This usually shows during games, like our last one, when the other team got tired before us.”

Baugher said, “It was amazing to say the kids improve a lot by the preseason.”