Post publication updates:
Melrose ties Burlington 2-2 (Oct. 20)
Melrose falls to Woburn 2-0 on Senior Night (Oct. 16)
Melrose defeats Wakefield 6-0 (Oct. 13)
Melrose defeats Peabody 7-0 (Oct. 10)
Melrose defeats Arlington 1-0 (Oct. 9)
Published October 10, 2025
Melrose does the unthinkable in field hockey loss
By JENNIFER GENTILE
MELROSE—Normally, there wouldn’t be much to brag about in a heavy 12-1 loss for any high school team, but not if you’re the MHS varsity field hockey program, who did the near-unthinkable on Monday, Sept. 29 against an impossibly tough rival.
The Melrose varsity girls scored against Watertown, three-time reigning state champs (and 22 all time state champs) who, until just a few seasons back, had a 103 game winning streak going. The Raiders of Watertown are one of the most decorated field hockey teams in the country who recorded two separate winning streaks between 2008-2017 (124 & 184).
For Watertown, coached by legendary Eileen Donahue, anything less than perfection doesn’t fly. Losses are rare for the Raiders, who also nearly pulled off scoreless seasons in 2021 and 2022 when they only allowed one goal the entire fall.
Due to their alignment in the Middlesex Freedom League, Melrose has the good luck to face Watertown twice a season, and in our many years of reporting, any score besides 6-0 is rare. So Monday’s 12-1 lopsided loss seems “off.” But it has to feel great for this squad who did what no other Melrose team has done in at least a decade. They found the net.
The goal came courtesy of Melrose’s Caitlin Sestito, set up nicely by teammates Anna Sullivan and Zoe Blackburn, who took the initial shot. Melrose head coach Olivia Cameron was proud of the effort after the game. “It was such a great moment. Truly a team effort. Anna worked the ball up the middle and made a place to Zoe, who took the ball with great speed. She had a great shot on net and Caitlin was there to put it away on the rebound.”
As for the disproportionate score, a 12-1 outcome is rare for Coach Cameron to see in high school action, but perhaps a response to Melrose’s pluck.
“The 12 goals were truly something that I never think should happen in this league,” Cameron says. “I think our goal [against them] was irritating, but our overall energy of seemed to really push Watertown to keep scoring. We had fun out there while keeping it competitive and they found that intimidating, to a point where they felt like they couldn’t pass it around, and they had to continue to score.”
If anything, the pile on reflected Melrose’s mentally cool play. “We were a strong and levelheaded team, and we came out so much stronger mentally and physically after that game,” says the coach. “I’m so proud of how the girls handled it. At the end of the day, each coach must make decisions for their team. We are excited to play them again at the end of the season.”
The two teams will rematch on Oct. 24, the regular season finale.
At press time Melrose (2-5-3) remains in position of playoff contention thanks to their power ranking (No. 30) so there is hope they will return to a post season, and perhaps match the efforts of last year’s team who not only hosted a playoff game, but won it. To get there, coach Cameron would like to see more offense generated. “We’ve been working a lot on confidence when it comes to ball handling. And stick skills, taking the ball with speed, working with each other and spreading out and shooting when we have the chance.”
Just this past Tuesday, Melrose battled to a 2-2 tie against Wilmington, with goals courtesy of Zoe Blackburn and Sophie Hulbert. Melrose is anticipating more of that.
On defense, Melrose has been led by goalie Charlotte Taylor and a collection of defensive players. Says Coach Cameron, “Charlotte has been a great addition to our team. We also have a great group of defensemen that consist of Lindsay Minton, Saoirse Uzgiris, Brynn Baker, Callie Bolduc, and Lauren Oldham. We also have Elsie English who is a lower midfielder who is also very dominant.”
The Middlesex Freedom League has been a competitive journey for Melrose this fall, as evidenced by a tough, scoreless draw against Stoneham on Sept. 25.
“That was a tough game for us,” notes the coach. “We came out excited even though it was down pouring, but I felt there was frustration that we weren’t scoring .We took a lot away from that game in terms of how our energy on and off the field can impact our game.”
Looks like that energy revealed itself against Watertown.
As Melrose approaches the tail end of their regular season, they hope to grab more wins to improve their playoff chances. They have a big week coming up with Arlington on tap along with Peabody, who they host on Friday at 4:00 p.m. at Pine Banks Park.
Says the coach, “We’re looking to come out on top this week. The pressure is on even more since we’re already in October, which is crazy. It’s flying by, but we are having fun and getting better each day.”