By STEPHEN MARTELLUCCI
DOVER — On Monday evening, the North Reading High field hockey team traveled south to Dover-Sherborn for the MIAA Division 3 Round of 16 game.
The Raiders sent the Hornets home for the end of the season winning 4-1.
“They are a very skilled team and they are fast,” said Hornets first-year head coach Mikayla Allen. “We put up a good fight in the first half but lost that spark in the second half.”
The Hornets broke the ice as Keely Hannon scored off a corner with 2:32 left in the first quarter assisted by Alyse Mutti.
That lead, however, only lasted 28 seconds as the Raiders’ Avery Bent scored off a corner to tie the game.
The score stayed knotted at one until the third quarter as the Raiders scored the eventual game-winning goal 2:37 into the third as Elyse Bissada found the back of the Hornet net.
Dover-Sherborn then made it 3-1 with 4:44 left in the third on a goal by Avery Hadfield. The Raiders got their final tally with 2:34 left in the game as Drew Hussar scored.
“We were playing like individuals and not a team in the second half,” said Allen, as a majority of the action was in Hornet territory in the second half.
North Reading goalie, Caroline Burton, made 11 saves as her record finished at 12-5-2.
With the loss, the 14th-seeded Hornets ended the year at 12-5-2. The 3rd-seeded Raiders, meanwhile, improved to 16-2-2.
Dover-Sherborn had 10 corners while the Hornets had just three.
On Nov. 2, the Hornets defeated guest Oakmont, 3-1, in the Round of 32 as Allen picked up her first-ever postseason win as a varsity head coach.
Sabrina Mini scored, unassisted, for the game’s first goal with 10:51 left in the first quarter. The Spartans tied the game with 6:25 remaining in the first half as Rachel Simkewicz scored.
Hannon had the eventual game-winning goal scoring with 8:46 left in the fourth quarter off a corner. Ellie Moberg assisted.
Joanne McLoughlin added the insurance goal with 3:07 left. That tally was assisted by Sophia El-Sheikh.
Burton made three saves in goal.
“They put up a good fight and they have a tremendous goalie (Annika Sallila),” said Allen.
North Reading had four corners while the Spartans had none.
“Holding them to no corners made a huge difference,” said Allen.
The 19-seeded Spartans ended the year at 7-10-1 with the defeat.