Perfect ending
Watertown High School field hockey shuts out every opponent to complete 23-0 season and win its sixth straight Division 2 state title
November 17, 2014
WORCESTER — Perfection is not something easily attainable in sports. Injuries, bad luck, and strong opponents will always come your way. But with one final display of utter dominance, there’s only one word that can describe the 2014 Watertown High field hockey team:
Perfect.
The Watertown High field hockey team was picture perfect in 2014: The Raiders defeated Auburn, 5-0, on Sunday, Nov. 16, 2014, to complete their season at 23-0 — shutting out every opponent along the way
On a cold day at Worcester Polytechnic Institute, the Raiders took on the Rockets of Auburn in a rematch of last season’s Division 2 state title game, when Watertown pulled out a 1-0 victory.
Sunday’s game was not as dramatic, however, as senior Emily Loprete recorded a hat trick and fellow seniors Allie Doggett and Rachel Campbell added goals as Watertown completed a 5-0 rout to lock up its unprecedented sixth consecutive state championship.
The Raiders did not allow a goal all season in finishing 23-0 and extending its unbeaten streak to a monumental 138 straight games.
Watertown High cocaptains Allie Doggett (left) and Emily Loprete pose with the Division 2 trophy after the Raider defeated Auburn, 5-0, on Sunday, Nov. 16, 2014, for the state title. Doggett, Loprete, and their senior classmates completed their WHS field hockey careers without ever suffering a loss.
“It’s pretty insane,” said Loprete. “There’s no real words to describe it. But with all the hard work we put in, I really believed we could do it again.”
“It’s crazy,” added junior Michaela Antonellis. “That’s three [state titles] for me, six in a row for the team… It’s absolutely insane.”
Watertown dominated Sunday’s game from the start, throwing numerous shots on goal in the opening minutes. It took just six minutes for the Raiders to open the scoring, when Kourtney Kennedy set up Doggett. Campbell doubled the lead five minutes later, and Kennedy assisted on Loprete’s first goal of the game to put the Raiders up, 3-0, just 15 minutes in.
Assisted by Campbell, Loprete buried her second goal of the game before halftime, and the Raiders went into the break with a commanding 4-0 lead.
Despite only adding one more goal in the second half — Loprete’s third on Kennedy’s third assist — the Raiders were absolutely dominant throughout, tallying 35 shots and earning 13 corner opportunities. Raiders senior goaltender Maddie Rocklin had more to do than usual, turning away all three shots Auburn could muster.
When all was said and done, the Raiders had won, 5-0, and clinched their sixth straight Division 2 state championship.
“We were really focused on us this game,” said Doggett. “We were more focused on what we had to work on, rather than the other team.”
It’s time to celebrate for the Watertown High School field hockey team, which defeated Auburn, 5-0, on Sunday, Nov. 16, 2014, at Worcester Polytechnic Institute, to complete its season 23-0 and extend its unbeaten streak to 138 games.
“Well they’re obviously a good team, if they made it to the state title game,” said Watertown coach Eileen Donahue with a smile, “but we were focused on not letting them down our end, and always focused on making sure you work your hardest.”
Donahue has now totaled an unbelievable 15 state titles.
“Every [state championship] is just as special as any other,” she said. “Even though allowing no goals through an entire season is pretty ridiculous.”
In an unbelievable season on the defensive side, the Raiders record 23 consecutive wins while outscoring their opponents by a total of 114-0.
The 2014 Division 2 state field hockey trophy is brought back to Watertown by the Raiders field hockey team on Sunday night, Nov. 16, 2014. The Raiders defeated Auburn, 5-0, to complete their season 23-0 and extend their unbeaten streak to 138 games.
By any standards, the Raider season was absolutely perfect.
“No goals allowed… Leaves me speechless,” Antonellis said. “It’s the whole team, from offense to defense.”
“It’s a lot of hard work and determination,” said Doggett, “from the coaches all the way down to the players. It’s everyone giving 100 percent every day.”
With one final victory, each of the Raiders seniors finished their high school field hockey careers without a single loss. Loprete, who just signed her letter of intent to play at Holy Cross next fall, reflected on the achievement.
“It’s an insane feeling,” she said. “It just makes everything worthwhile. All the hours we practice, everything.”
“It’s unreal,” added Doggett, who also recently signed her letter of intent to play collegiately at Boston University. “There’s no words for it. It’s just crazy.”
The Raiders’ 138-game unbeaten streak is the second longest in the US high school record books, behind only the 153 consecutive games compiled by the Vikings of Eastern High School in Voorhees, N.J. from 1999-2005.
For Donahue, there isn’t a big secret to her successes.
“It all comes down to how hard we do things,” she said. “We always keep things in perspective and don’t take anything for granted.”
“She’s the best,” Doggett said of her coach. “She works really hard for us.”
–Nov. 16, 2014–
