Patriots Drop Finale, will Rematch with Framingham in MIAA Playoffs

The Patriots lost their last game of the regular season to the Framingham Flyers 15-8 in Framingham last Tuesday.

The game was more competitive than the final score would indicate. Within the first minute of the game the Patriots took momentum with goals from Josie Morrison and Allie Barrett to go up 2-0, followed by a 3-1 lead just two minutes into the game. Framingham came alive however, scoring five straight goals and holding the Patriots scoreless during the next 15 minutes.

Framingham’s ability to stretch out and put a lot of one on one pressure on CC ball handlers really affected the Patriots ability to find open shooters. The Framingham defense took aim at CC’s leading scorer Jill Carlton. Carlton, who leads the Patriots in goals and assists was marked exclusively by a Framingham defender face guarding her. With their leading scorer being marked tightly the remaining CC offense fell victim to forced and unforced turnovers and several scoring opportunities were squandered.

This game was a bit of a revenge match for the Flyers (11-8-1) as the Patriots (12-6), knocked Framingham out of the Division 1 tournament last year.

The first half ended with CC charging back with goals from Barrett and Jessie Castelline (also 2 assists) to bring the score to 7-5, however Framingham picked up two more goals just seconds apart to increase their lead to a 9-5.  Allie Barrett collected her 3rd goal of the game before the half bringing the Patriots to within three at 9-6.

CC Coach Paul Morrison summed up his teams first half performance.“We had some moments of brilliance in the first half and went toe to toe with a very good Framingham team. Greta White came up with some huge saves that should have given us momentum, but on three occasions our players couldn’t come up with rebounds off saves, while Framingham players did and quickly potted the ground balls in for scores.”

The second half proved increasingly difficult for CC as the Flyers defense became more dominant shutting down the Patriots offense for the first twenty minutes of play, the only exception that from an Emma Brandhorst free position goal.  The Flyers scored six consecutive goals before the Patriots scored the final tally of the game. Barrett lead the Patriots with 4 goals. Sophomore Becca Olsen also added a goal for the Patriots.

“Framingham year in and year out is one of the best programs in the state, and that is a credit to their Coach Stacey Freda. I didn’t realize it but that was their first non-league win of the season, and that is because they play a brutal non league schedule. I would say that our nonleague schedule at Concord Carlisle was by far the most challenging in recent memory, and we stood up to it pretty well. The team is upbeat for this tournament because we know what tough games are like. We hung tough in 5 of our 6 losses, and I keep telling our players that the next progression for our program will be to steal a win against a team that we are the underdog to.”

The Patriots, the Dual County League Small Champions, will get that chance in the first round of the MIAA Division 1 North Tournament on Tuesday at PM when they play the Framingham Flyers at Doug White Field. CC will host the game as the eighth seed, while the Flyers are ranked ninth.