WATERTOWN – Second-ranked Manchester Essex was overwhelmed by an avalanche of Uxbridge speed, intensity, confidence, and goals on the field hockey pitch Tuesday as the Spartans won big, 6-0. 

The third-seeded Spartans, who remain unbeaten at 19-0-2, are now headed to the Division 4 state finals with a chance to be crowned champions. 

“The players prepared and focused themselves and they took their game to the next level,” Spartans’ head coach Kelly Rosborough said this week. “You could feel their excitement as the game clock went off and they rushed to each other to embrace and celebrate.”

The Spartans’ top two offensive players opened the scoring about six minutes into the game when freshman forward Ellie Bouchard hit the back of the net off a feed from senior captain Chloe Kaeller for an early, 1-0 lead. Uxbridge then scored on penalty shot from midfielder Amelia Blood after a Manchester defender booted the ball off the goal line with her foot with less than five minutes left in the first quarter. 

That was only the beginning of the onslaught as the Spartans “scored from the field, on rebounds, and executed offensive penalty corners,” Rosborough said. “We contained, outplayed, outhustled, and never looked back.”

The Uxbridge onslaught continued in the second quarter led by Kaeller, who assisted on a goal from forward Kendall Gilmore. The Spartans took a 3-0 lead into

Manchester Essex could not keep up with Uxbridge senior captain Chloe Kaeller and the rest of the Spartans all game. Submitted photo by Lisa Kaeller

halftime. 

Rosborough said their dominance in the game is a credit to her squad’s commitment to a total team effort. “The whole team was all in on team offense and team defense,” she said. “They had each other’s backs and worked so well off each other.”

Bouchard and Kaeller both scored goals in the third quarter, while Kaeller netted another one with about four minutes left in the game to wrap-up the scoring for the Spartans. Uxbridge not only controlled the game on the scoreboard, but also in the game stats, as well. The Spartans outshot Manchester 18-3 and they had 16 corner opportunities compared to Manchester’s two.

Rosborough said several of her players had outstanding performances in the game. “Honestly, it was truly a team win with all players on the field doing their job and performing for their team,” she said. “Our defensive unit, goalkeeper Jessica Lutton and backs Grace Boisvert, Morgan Ouellette, and Sam Jones stepped up to the ball and pressured Manchester Essex’s forwards. Our midfield unit made up of Amelia Blood, Gracie Nummela, and Bailey Dzasiven were up and down the field to support both offense and defense. All were playmakers and shut down their high skilled mids.

“The offensive unit made up of Ellie Bouchard, Chloe Kaeller, Julianna Casucci, and Kendall Gilmore were all a force attacking down the sidelines and creating passes to attack into the offensive circle,” she said.

Uxbridge will play fourth-ranked Ipswich, who knocked off Seekonk (29), St. Mary’s of Lynn (13), previously unbeaten Sutton (5), and the top-seeded Monomoy Regional in the semifinals. The championship game is set for 11:00 am on Saturday at Woburn High School. 

Rosborough said her team will continue to prepare the same way for the championship game. “We will prepare no differently than we have all season,” she said. “[We will] stick to the basics, fine tune set plays, and come out with a team mentality … Just stick to our plan and keep playing their best field hockey.”

Making it to the finals with the chance to bring home the title has the coaching staff and Uxbridge school community feeling good. “It’s a special feeling for this team and our program,” Rosborough said.