2024 MIAA Field Hockey Championships: Watertown, Uxbridge Make It Four in a Row; Walpole, Somerset Berkley On Top Again

The 2024 MIAA Field Hockey Tournament began with a total of 137 teams across four divisions, and after playing out over a span of 2½ weeks, four champions stood at the end.

The ultimate winners all were familiar faces. Watertown High School and Uxbridge High School extended recent dynasties, Walpole High School continued to add to its rich championship legacy, and Somerset Berkley High School returned to the winner’s circle.

All four championship games were played Saturday, November 18 at Worcester State College’s John F. Coughlin Memorial Field. Three of the four title games pitted the No. 1 vs. No. 2 seeds - the other featured No. 2 vs. No. 4 - and three No. 2 seeds took home championship hardware.

Here is a recap of the championship games, in the order they were played:

Division 2

Somerset Berkley, the No. 2 seed in the bracket of 35 teams, started off the day with a 2-1 victory over No. 1 seed Norwood High School.

Ryan Crook got the Raiders off to a strong start by scoring twice in the first quarter. Somerset Berkley carried the 2-0 lead into the second half before Shea Larkee got the Mustangs on the board with 15 seconds left in the third quarter.

Somerset Berkley held on from there and added the third championship in program history after previously winning back-to-back Division 1 crowns in 2018 and 2019.

Norwood was denied for the second time in as many years in the state final.

Division 3

Watertown just keeps on rolling. In a matchup of unbeaten teams atop the 37-team bracket, the No. 2 seed Raiders extended their winning streak to 97 games dating back to the 2019 postseason by blanking the No. 1 seed Blue Knights, 2-0.

The defense was the story for Watertown, which did not allow a goal in its five tournament wins and shut down a Sandwich team that had scored a combined 25 goals in its previous four postseason games.

Caroline Andrade gave the Raiders the only goal they needed in the second quarter, and Kylee Master added an insurance tally in the fourth quarter.

The fourth straight title was a state-record No. 22 overall for Watertown under 38-year coach Eileen Donahue.

Sandwich, which also lost to Watertown in the 2021 and 2022 title games, was looking for the program’s first championship since 1987.

Division 4

Uxbridge is a more recent dynasty, but the No. 1 seed Spartans made it four championships in a row by holding off No. 2 seed Monomoy Regional High School, 3-1.

Julianna Casucci became the seventh player in MIAA history to score at least three goals in a field hockey championship game to spark the Spartans. After a scoreless first quarter, Casucci broke through twice to give Uxbridge a 2-0 lead at halftime.

Monomoy cut the lead in half on Samantha Clarke’s goal with 16 seconds left in the third quarter. But the Sharks couldn’t get the equalizer, and Casucci settled things with her third goal with 3:27 to play. That capped a dominant run through the 32-team bracket for the Spartans, who outscored their opponents by a combined 37-1.

Monomoy, which has reached the state semifinals each of the last four seasons, fell short against Uxbridge for the second time in as many years.

Division 1

The day ended with No. 2 seed Walpole picking up its second championship in as many years, and the 14th in program history, with a 2-0 victory over No. 4 seed Andover High School.

Kate Schneider and Sophia Fruci scored in the first quarter and it stayed like that the rest of the way as Walpole knocked off Andover for the second time in as many years, after Andover had prevailed in the title game matchups in 2021 and 2022.

Despite its 14 titles, this was the first time Walpole has won in consecutive seasons since 1998 and 1999.

The 35-team bracket was the only one in which the No. 1 seed did not get through to the championship game.