DANVERS — Westwood field hockey head coach Heather Joyce, who is due to welcome her second child on November 13, shared a heartfelt promise with her team amid a challenging 4-6-2 start to the season. She told her players that if they reached the Division 2 state final, she’d give her baby boy the middle name “Flahive,” after the team’s home turf.
Now, just a week away from her due date, Joyce suspects her team might be toying with her.
On Thursday night, a thrilling defensive battle ended just 22 seconds into overtime when sophomore Ellie Harrington scored the game-winning goal. Her decisive strike propelled the 10th-seeded Wolverines (12-6-2) to a 1-0 second-round victory over No. 7 Masconomet.
Westwood’s offense had struggled throughout the season, often regressing to the scoring difficulties that plagued them early on. However, the team flipped the switch at the perfect moment during sudden-death overtime to secure its eighth straight win.
With this victory, the Wolverines advance to their first Division 2 state quarterfinal appearance since 2022. They are set to face No. 2 Nashoba on Saturday at 4 p.m.
Masconomet threatened several times to extend their undefeated season, but it ended at 17-1-2.
“I didn’t go into labor, so that’s good. They were seeing how far they could push it,” said Joyce with a laugh. “Finally, we scored. To be honest, I didn’t feel like we were ourselves tonight; I was kind of frustrated. I thought we kept getting in our own way. So then, to see them kind of unleash in overtime—it was so nice because that’s how they look when they’re not frantic and just play on instinct.”
Throughout the game, Westwood showed smart passing and strong communication, leading to several promising transitions into the attacking 25. However, the scrappy Masconomet defense held them without a shot on goal throughout the entire second half.
That changed instantly in overtime. Senior Bridget Hughes maintained possession under heavy defensive pressure, carrying the ball from the left wing to the right before delivering a strong cross to the backdoor post. Harrington was there to tip in the game-winner—Westwood’s elusive first goal of the night.
“I was just kind of waiting for it to come. I could trust my team to get the ball where it should be,” Harrington said. “I had a good feeling it was going to play out like that. It feels really good, especially because we were the lower seed.”
Joyce added, “The little moments earlier, we weren’t executing. I’m glad that we executed the little moment at the end.”
Frustration built as the Wolverines failed to finish several opportunities they felt they could have converted in the second half. Westwood wasn’t overwhelming Masconomet with pressure, allowing the Chieftains to generate numerous breakouts and promising transitions behind star scorer Ava Gauvain, Mia Marques, and midfielder Genevieve Clapp.
Defensively, Hannah Mitchell, Savannah Stevens, and Ella Mossey stood firm, preventing any damage in the circle and helping initiate counterattacks. But Westwood knew it needed just one more touch to gain the upper hand in a tightly contested game that could have easily gone either way.
Players understood the urgency and carried that mindset into overtime.
“I think everyone was just like, ‘We need to change a few things up,’” Harrington said. “We just kept getting shots up and having confidence because if you lose that, then you’re definitely going to lose the game.”
Smart passing and communication were at the forefront of Westwood’s pressure, which included four shots on goal in the first half that Masconomet’s goalkeeper Sabrina Cafarelli managed to save.
Occasionally, those offensive surges left space for Masconomet to exploit in transition, which they did with several bursts. However, a standout performance from sophomore defender Ciara Shevory and the entire defensive unit, anchored by goalie Moira Kenneally—who recorded two saves—won many one-on-one battles to limit the Chieftains’ chances.
“I’ve got some good defenders, and we have some really talented players,” Joyce said. “Of course, it helps that we have Moira in net. We’re able to do that because we so trust her. She makes the saves and is smart in there. Having a goalie you can trust gives confidence to the defense and the rest of the team as well.”
Joyce feels the pressure about being underdogs is off as the Wolverines head to the state quarterfinals. Harrington shares confidence among her teammates despite facing an unbeaten Nashoba squad.
Westwood feels good about where it stands.
“Team bonding and getting to know everyone more has gone into the streak,” Harrington said. “We changed our lineup, and I think that really helped. Toward the end, we all just got a lot closer, and I think that’s helped us connect on the field a bit more. We all had confidence in ourselves and trusted each other.”
https://www.bostonherald.com/2025/11/06/westwood-pulls-off-overtime-upset-over-masconomet/