Riding High, Oliver Ames Field Hockey Looks to Upset Sandwich Sunday

After a dominant performance on Friday night against No. 11 Falmouth in the first round of the MIAA Div. 1 South Sectional Tournament, the Oliver Ames field hockey is taking advantage of an extra hour of sleep Saturday night and setting it's sights on a new challenge: the No. 3 Sandwich Blue Knights.

The Tigers will travel to Sandwich for a 1 p.m. game Sunday. The Blue Knights boast a 17-2 overall record, and a perfect 10-0 record at home.

"They play on grass, so we are back practicing on our grass field and working on our stops and trying to set up our corners on grass which is a lot different than on turf, but we’ll be ready for them because we practice on a grass field anyways," Oliver Ames head coach Janice Sundell said. "I think every game is going to be tight. I really didn’t expect to win by as much as we did last night. I know Sandwich, in their last game they only beat Falmouth 1-0 so I feel really confident that we can play with them."

The 14-3-2 Tigers will look to have a similar performance they had Friday night when an energized offense scored three first half goals. Alecia Alleyne, Missy Krim and Jackie Healy all scored for OA.

"That’s always one of our goals is to get the first goal and get on them quick so that we can build our confidence and go from there," Sundell said.

Sundell will look to Healy to hold down the Tiger defense, along with freshman goalie Cassie Gazin, who recored her 12th shutout of the season on Friday.

A win Sunday will be a step forward for OA, which lost in the second game of the playoffs to field hockey powerhouse Walpole in each of the last two years. No. 1 seeded Walpole is in a different bracket than the Tigers this year and wouldn't share a field with OA until a potential South Sectional Finals game.

With a win Sunday, the veteran Tigers team would compete in the South Sectional Semi-Finals.

"I think having 13 seniors on our team is exceptional," Sundell said. "Most of them get playing time and they’re a great bunch of kids."

The Oliver Ames boys' and girls' soccer teams will also take to the field Sunday in a double header at Muscato Stadium beginning at 4 p.m.

After receiving a preliminary round bye, the No. 6 girls soccer team will take on No. 22 Brockton at 4 p.m. Brockton defeated No. 11 Durfee in the preliminary round Friday. The Lady Tigers finished the regular season 14-3-1 overall and 12-3-1 - good enough for second in the Davenport Division.

The boys also received a preliminary round bye with a six seed. They will take on No. 11 Franklin at 6 p.m. Franklin defeated No. 22 Catholic Memorial Friday. The Tigers finished the year with a 13-2-4 overall record and a 12-1-3 overall record in the Hockomock League. Oliver Ames won the Davenport Division.