'I think we are two good teams': Durfee, Somerset Berkley field hockey finish in a tie

SOMERSET — Durfee head coach Nicole Henrique wasn't sure what to expect from her team heading into Thursday's showdown with unbeaten Somerset Berkley.

The last time the Hilltoppers played a game was an opening day win against Old Rochester some eight days ago.

What Henrique got was a superb defensive effort along with a great goaltending from senior Kailey Hutchinson.

"I think we are two really good teams and we're pretty even,"  said Henrique after a 1-1 tie at Somerset Berkley Regional High school. "This was a game of, 'which team wanted it more?'"

After allowing the first goal of the game to Raider junior forward Karissa Albin, Hutchinson turned away 10 close blank shots to keep Somerset Berkley at bay.

The Raiders (2-0-1) held a 17-4 advantage of shots on goal and in corners (11-0). Despite the disparity in stats, Durfee managed to tie the game in the second quarter on a goal by Kacey Curran on an assist by Toni Freitas.

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"It was frustrating that we could not capitalize on another one," said longtime SBR head coach Jen Crook. "The kids gave it their all. They're getting better every day and they need confidence. We're young up front."

Albin, who hit the post on a scoring chance in the first quarter, said her team just couldn't get their sticks on those free plays.

"We had trouble on top with the receiving," she said. "[Durfee] had a really good defense. I feel if we tried some different corners and a little more deceptive plays, we could have made it work."

But the story of the game belonged to the Hilltoppers defense. Leading the way defensively for Durfee (1-0-1) was junior back Emily Curran. Curran marked Albin for most of the second half on defense.

"I think considering that our last two games got cancelled because of the weather, we played pretty good in our second game together," she said. "There are some things we still need to work on, obviously, but we're doing the best in what we have."

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How it happened

The Raiders took the early lead just under three minutes into the contest. SBR was awarded a corner and took advantage.

Freshman Addie Finlaw passed the corner to senior Reese Swanson, who shot the ball toward the net. Albin was there to redirect it past Hutchinson for the 1-0 lead.

"That was perfect ... a pretty play," said Crook.

Albin nearly made it 2-0 at the five-minute mark but her shot clanged off the post.

In the second quarter, Durfee ramped up its intensity and answered with a goal by Kacey Curran on a nice feed from Freitas.

From there it was the Hutchinson show as she kicked aside numerous scoring chances in close to preserve the tie.

"I think after the first goal it woke us up," Emily Curran said. "We started to play better after that and got back into it."

Streak broken

The Raiders, who also had a cancellation on Monday against Bishop Stang, allowed their first goal of the season after nine scoreless quarters.

They had outscored their opponents with Jordan Theriault in net, 11-0 in two games.

Henrique talks about Emily Curran and the defense

"Emily [Curran] is an animal and I feel like she is everywhere all the time. She is very hard to get by. She is like a wall, which is huge for us. These two teams, I know we know each other well. They came out quick and getting a goal back was huge for us. Then it was a battle for the rest of the game. Defensively, we held our own."

Stars

SBR senior Ava Pontes had a great game both offensively and defensively. Other stars for the Raiders include Finlaw, Reese Swanson, Tatum Swanson, and Meghan Costa. For Durfee, the Currans, Hutchinson, Freitas, Josie Caine and Shakira Cadet each played well.

Next game

The Raiders travel to Fairhaven on Tuesday while the Hilltoppers travel to Brockton on Friday.

Herald News and Taunton Daily Gazette sports editor Steven Sanchez can be reached at ssanchez@heraldnews.com. You can follow him on Twitter at @Chezsports. Support local journalism by purchasing a digital or print subscription to The Herald News today.

This article originally appeared on The Herald News: Durfee, Somerset Berkley field hockey teams battle to hard-fought tie