Seniors Come Up Big As OA Girls’ Soccer Defeats Stoughton

After notching their first -to- wins of the season, outscoring their opponents 10-5 in the process, the girls’ soccer team couldn’t contain Oliver Ames Tuesday night on the road.

The last time these two teams met, , scoring with only 2:51 left to play. But, there was no need for last-minute dramatics in the rematch, as Stoughton fell behind early and lost 5-0.

OA girls' soccer coach Britt Sellmayer couldn't have asked for a better Senior Night. And, he couldn't have asked for a better start for his seniors.

Just 20 seconds into the game, senior midfielder Emily Grotz brought the ball up the sideline and found senior captain Kristina Simonson, who put the ball into the back of the net - her first of three goals on the night.

The goal set the tone for the Tigers in the 5-0 Davenport Division victory over Stoughton at Muscato Stadium.

With the win, OA improves to 11-2-2 overall, 11-1-1 in the Hockomock League and 6-1-0 in the Davenport Division. With the loss, Stoughton drops to 5-9-2 (1-9-2, 1-4-1), and is eliminated from postseason contention.

Stoughton coach Gary Muello said it was difficult to face a team like the Tigers on Senior Night in front of their home crowd. He gave credit to his team, though, for playing all 80 minutes.

"Our girls are growing," he said. "We’re learning still. We’re a very young team and we tried hard. They didn’t give up, so I’m proud of them for that."

After scoring the early goal, the Tigers didn't find the net again until the final minutes of the first half when sophomore midfielder Kate Holloran fed Simonson for her second goal of the evening.

The senior striker scored again one minute into the second half with an assist from senior midfielder Kayla McKinsey. Two minutes later Simonson was involved in another goal when she fed fellow senior Michaela Simoneau to make the score 4-0.

"She’s got it all," Sellmayer said of Simonson. "She can strike the ball with both feet. She can attack you; she can take people on. She’s got a good touch. She’s worked really hard for four years to develop her game and I’m proud of her."

The Tigers added their final goal with 10:30 left in the game when junior Corinne Hurlihy found the net after a nice save by Stoughton sophomore keeper Rachel Berkowsky.

Sellmayer found it fitting that on senior night, seniors accounted for four goals and three assists for the Tigers.

While the Black Knights have been eliminated from tournament play this year, Muello said Berkowsky will be one of many younger players to lead Stoughton in the future.

“Rachel’s a great keeper. She’s going to be a strong keeper in the next couple of years. She’s still learning, too.  A lot of these girls are still learning,” he said.

Stoughton will travel to on Friday and will take on Canton next Tuesday, before playing in a Hockomock League crossover game with a Kelley-Rex Division team to finish out the season.

The Tigers will look to avenge their only league loss of the season this Friday when they travel to Canton to take on the undefeated Bulldogs. While both teams have clinched tournament berths, the winner could likely walk away with the league title and an advantage in the MIAA seedings.