with a bit of a predicament, but in the end, they chose to remain loyal to the league and participated despite not having a single opponent within their Classic region.
When programs were asked to volunteer to travel to Nantucket for an away game, they lined up for the opportunity to be hosted by such gracious opponents as Nantucket and to use the opportunity for team bonding for what was assuredly more than a typical 90-minute select game.
Used to traveling and the extra hardships that go along with leaving and returning to an island, Nantucket seemed positively thrilled to be representing their half of the bracket. And they traveled incredibly well, in terms of bringing lots of energetic and passionate supporters who did their best to make Fort Devens feel like a home game.
North Reading's dilemma was a somewhat rusty corps of athletes who had spent the week on a school trip to Washington D.C. Having planned this out early and playing all their lead-in games the previous weekend, the North Reading select team looked a little stale as the game began, falling quickly 1-4 to a hyped and enthusiastic Nantucket team.
North Reading woke up and buzzed to life, starting in the second quarter and hitting their full stride in the third as they trailed by two goals at half and tied the game mid third quarter. The momentum, however, shifted one final time back to Nantucket who scored three late goals in the third quarter and turned the heat up in the fourth quarter, winning 13-8 in what was a truly dramatic and emotional game.
A highly anticipated match was the 2 o'clock U15 Division I Championship between two powerhouses: The top-seeded Franklin Select faced-off against the 3-seeded Reading Select. Franklin faced serious challenges in their route to the marquee game of the year. After narrowly defeating Walpole and Hopkinton by five goals and one goal respectively, they proved no match for Holliston in the semi-finals.
Reading took down familiar Northern rivals in Marblehead and North Andover. They met a hot-streaking Newton team in the semi-finals whose Cinderella run came one-goal short against the Reading team destined for their own greatness.
Both Franklin and Reading had finished the regular season undefeated, largely on the backs of two stellar (and stubborn) goal keepers. The heavyweight bout was fast-paced and physical. Franklin asserted their dominance by winning every quarter but the third (in which both teams slowed down the pace and scored one apiece). In the end, Franklin's run proved unstoppable and they hoisted their Championship crown after a 13-5 stint.
In the fourth and final Championship (and for the fourth consecutive match—pitted a northern team against a southern team), the U13 Division II bracket saw two teams of destiny who upset a few folks along the ride. In their first season as a select program, 4-seeded Swampscott/Nahant Select took down perennial contenders Ipswich and Peabody, both out of the Northeast region.
Easton/Sharon Select began the year in the most tumultuous way. Forgetting to register their team, they scrambled to enter the league days before the season began, finding their own opponents, and leaving their mark defiantly and brilliantly along the way. A decent regular-season record gave them the 7-seed and a serious uphill battle to get to the concluding game. In a play-in game, they defeated Shrewsbury. In consecutive games, they took down titans (2-seeded Ashland/Nipmuc and 3-seeded Newton) as a demonstration of gutsy will and gritty determination.
In what was arguably the purest and most technically sound game of the day, the 5th and 6th graders from both Swampscott/Nahant and Easton/Sharon put on a clinic for crisp passing, ball-control, elite level clearing and transition, and was one of the best-coached games of the day as well with passionate and compassionate leaders on both sides of the seldom-used penalty box.
Easton/Sharon began with the edge, leading 2-1 after the first quarter. But Swampscott/Nahant proved to have a bit more endurance and second-half fight taking the lead in the second quarter and never giving it up. Though Easton/Sharon got a second-wind and brought the game to within a few goals in the fourth, the hunger and sheer tactical skill from newcomer Swampscott/Nahant was too strong and their first year in league became a memorable one with a Championship to bring home to Big Blue Country.
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The Scoop / Summer '15 23