Persistence pays off for Old Rochester junior with first varsity goals in win

Ed Collins
·4 min read

LAKEVILLE — Scoring goals is no easy task when it comes to playing field hockey.

Especially on a grass field, where every little bump, nook, and cranny is amplified and gaining control of the ball can be infuriating.

Field hockey is a tough sport and you have to stay with it. Players have to work, work, and work and then start all over again when one of the many whistles blows and the ball quickly goes the other way.

Old Rochester's Lily Johnson is in her third season with the Bulldogs. By all accounts, she's a hard-working player who is a team player.

Old Rochestercelebrates the goal scored by Lily Johnson. (16)
Old Rochestercelebrates the goal scored by Lily Johnson. (16)

On Wednesday, Johnson broke through to score the first two goals of her varsity career in a 2-0 South Coast Conference win over Apponequet.

"It was a close game, but we really wanted to win," said Johnson, a junior forward who's been playing field hockey since the sixth grade. "We played with a lot of energy. We passed the ball and moved it pretty good."

For Old Rochester head coach Lauren O'Brien, Johnson's breakout day has been in the making for a long time.

Apponequet's Shay Saltzman tries to control the ball.
Apponequet's Shay Saltzman tries to control the ball.

"Lily is a player who's very coachable and she has a lot of grit," O'Brien said. "She had to earn her minutes as a starter and she's come a long way the last couple of seasons. She's a very capable player with good speed and stick skills. She had a good day today and it was satisfying to see all of her hard work pay off."

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ORR got off to a good start against the Lakers, generating five penalty corners in the first quarter.

Old Rochester's Lauren Rapoza pokes the ball free from Apponequet's Cynthia Morales.
Old Rochester's Lauren Rapoza pokes the ball free from Apponequet's Cynthia Morales.

"We came out attacking and we carried the play on offense in the early going," O'Brien said. "We kept working to find the back of the cage and we made a couple of offensive switches at halftime that got us going in the second half."

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The Bulldogs, who are coming off a 10-8-1 season, returned a lot of familiar faces and a strong defense this season. They had to replace Standard-Times Field Hockey Player of the Year Maggie Nailor, last season's SCC Most Valuable Player who's now a freshman midfielder at Worcester State University, but they have the potential to something special this year.

Old Rochester's Sofia Irish presses the attack with Apponequet's Kristine Joyce playing a tight defense.
Old Rochester's Sofia Irish presses the attack with Apponequet's Kristine Joyce playing a tight defense.

"We've been able to problem solve and we're starting to find the right combinations on the field," O'Brien said. "We're working on becoming a goal-scoring team. The kids are hungry to do that. We already have a great defense in place. We want to have an offense that matches the intensity we play with on defense."

Junior Molly Dupre has been solid in net and senior Gabby Berg, a SCC All-Star last season, has been an anchor on defense the last couple of seasons.

Apponequet's Emilia Keane restarts the play for the Lakers and looks to make the pass before Old Rochester's Tessa Winslow is able to break it up.
Apponequet's Emilia Keane restarts the play for the Lakers and looks to make the pass before Old Rochester's Tessa Winslow is able to break it up.

"We have a lot of confidence in our defense, which has a lot of experience playing together," O'Brien said. "We know that if we can keep games close and pop in a couple of goals, we can be competitive with anybody."

WHAT IT MEANS: Old Rochester improved to 2-3-0 overall and 2-2-0 in the SCC. ... Apponequet dropped to 1-5-1 and 1-4-1. ... Both teams return to action on Friday. Old Rochester plays a 3:30 p.m. league game at Case in Swansea. Apponequet hosts Middleboro for a 4 p.m. non-conference matchup.

Old Rochester's Lauren Rapoza looks to push the ball past Apponequet's Hannah Procaccini.
Old Rochester's Lauren Rapoza looks to push the ball past Apponequet's Hannah Procaccini.

OLD ROCHESTER STATS: The Bulldogs finished with 10 shots on net. ... They were awarded five of their nine penalty corners in the first quarter. ... Dupre turned away five shots to notch her first shutout of the season.

APPONEQUET STATS: The Lakers put five shots on net. ... They finished with seven penalty corners - three in the first half and four after the intermission. ... Sophomore goalie Allison Arruda made eight saves.

APPONEQUET COACH CINDY CUTHBERTSON: "We're a young team and (ORR) came out really strong on the attack in the first quarter. We were happy it was a scoreless game at halftime. We had some second-half scoring chances that slipped away, but the kids never stopped playing hard. We're getting better. We just have to find a way to score some goals."

This article originally appeared on Standard-Times: Old Rochester beats Apponequet in field hockey