Waltham 7, Newton South 0: Return engagement

In years past it might have been barely a blip on the radar.

Sometime around the first week of October, or maybe even in the last days of September, the Waltham High field hockey team would earn its eighth or ninth victory of the season and qualify for the state tournament. When you do it year in and year out in a league where most of your foes are overmatched, the playoff bids garner little fanfare and are cause for minor celebration.

This season has been much different for all the Waltham High teams making the switch from the Greater Boston League to the Dual County League. The automatic tourney bids are gone and most of the Hawk squads will be winding down by the end of the month.

But the field hockey squad yesterday ensured it would not be one of them as it extended its string of playoff appearances to 13 seasons with a 7-0 victory over Newton South at Harding Field. The Hawks (7-4-3) have made the tourney every year since turning varsity in 1996, with this year's clincher perhaps the most impressive since the inaugural season.

``I think at first we were kind of worried because we weren't sure if we were going to make it,'' admitted junior defender Colleen Monaghan. ``Coming into the DCL, we weren't sure how we were going to do. So we're really proud that we did end up making it.

``I think our past week we really stepped it up and showed our heart. We knew there was a lot at stake. In past years, we expected to make the tournament. But when we realized it wasn't such a given this year, we knew we really had to take control.''

That control started with a three-goal rally for a tie against Concord-Carlisle last Monday and another late burst to tie Arlington last Wednesday. Needing two more victories this season with four tough opponents left on the slate, the Hawks got the big triumph they needed with a 2-1 win over Chelmsford on Friday. That set the stage for them to seal the deal yesterday at Harding Field against a winless Lions squad.

``A couple of weeks ago (the tourney) popped into my head and I thought that this was going to be strange if we couldn't do it,'' said Waltham coach Denise Nugent. ``I think it is a good accomplishment. I am very proud of them. I am glad we could achieve it.''

With only five seniors on the team, including just three returning starters, it was not the ideal season for the Hawks to make the leap to the powerhouse league. But after some ups and downs the first half of the year, Nugent said she saw something click in the second-half comeback in Concord, which her team has built upon during the 2-0-2 stretch over the past nine days.

``I didn't want to think about it because we had so many other things to think about with our basic skills and having so many younger players,'' Nugent said of the tourney prospects. ``It was a balancing act most of the time. I think the girls handled it well. I'm not saying this wouldn't happen on other teams, but it wasn't like the older, more experienced kids got frustrated or impatient with the younger ones. They were wonderful. The younger ones trying to learn more were like sponges. They were very attentive, and respectful, and appreciative.''

``We all really sucked it up,'' said senior midfielder Brianna Sorrentino, who has played most of the season on a swollen left ankle after suffering what appeared to be a season-ending injury in the first game of the year. ``We had tougher games. But we knew that in order to accomplish what we wanted, it was going to take a lot of heart and determination.''

The Hawks made sure there was no unnecessary drama yesterday as they scored four times in the first half and held a 22-5 shot advantage in the game. Junior Stacy Burns started the scoring five minutes into the game and junior Allie Hickey scored the first of her two goals from senior Dana Centofanti nine minutes later. Centofanti made it 3-0 with a goal off a penalty corner play with 11:16 left in the half and freshman Christine Poillucci notched her first career varsity goal for a 4-0 gap two minutes later.

After a nice South flurry to start the second half, Waltham put the game away with 17:35 to go as senior Laura Marmion and sophomore Emily Marmion combined to get the ball to Hickey for her second goal. Senior Shannon McGrattan drilled a rocket shot across the circle into the back of the goal off a nice pass from Sorrentino with 8:13 to go and Centofanti finished the scoring from Laura Marmion four minutes later.

Junior Natalie Viyaran had some nifty boots to protect the shutout, while sophomore sparkplug Erika Shay had another sharp game up front and senior Jenni Pescotore, Monaghan and freshman Emily Feeney led the defense.

``I think it was a lot of excitement through us and relief too,'' Monaghan said of the tourney-clinching run. ``We knew the next few games after this were going to be really hard so it was good that we won today.''

Waltham finishes the regular season with games against Acton-Boxboro, Lincoln-Sudbury and Westford Academy starting with a home match against A-B tomorrow. The Hawks lost to all three teams earlier this season by a combined margin of 11-1.

``I am really looking forward to the next three games,'' insisted Nugent. ``These are three of our losses and you just want build off that. I'm not a fool. I know those teams are going to be better too. But from my measurement of my team from the first time to the second time around, we will see some improvement and we will see some battles.''

``We can't just settle knowing that we are in the tournament,'' Sorrentino affirmed. ``We can't just slack. We need to step it up even more so we can come back and show them we really know how to play.''