A season ago, the Woodstock High field hockey team suffered a heartbreaking double-overtime loss to Montpelier in the VPA Division III state final. One year later, the Wasps returned to the D-III final and are now basking in championship glory.
Behind a standout offensive performance from senior captain Grace Perreault, who scored four goals, No. 1-seeded Woodstock beat No. 2 Mount Abraham, 5-1, on Sunday at Burr & Burton Academy in Manchester, Vt., to claim the D-III state title.
“Grace had an excellent game; she’s a fast player and plays so well on turf. She kept the ball out in front of her and had some great stickwork,” Wasps head coach Leanne Tapley wrote in a text message on Sunday.
In addition to Perreault’s offense, Woodstock (15-1-1) got a score from junior Lindsey St. Cyr and junior Betta Cirovic added three assists. Tapley also praised senior Joey Palazzo’s defensive effort in helping to thwart the Eagles (12-4-0).
“This team is special,” Tapley wrote. “They have played together for many years and brought in five players from Springfield (High), and they have embraced them. They work hard and were so coachable. I enjoyed coming to practice every day.”
Despite two new goalies this season, junior Camryn Thayer and freshman Sadie Rowlee, both of whom split time during the campaign, the Wasps returned nine starters from a year ago. Tapley pointed to that fact as being a key for Woodstock this time around.
“I think having experienced players on both offense and defense made the difference,” Tapley noted. “In the years past, we’ve had strong players, but this year, we have a strong team.”
Tapley’s strong team struck first in the second quarter after mounting some solid chances in the first frame.
Less than a minute into the second quarter, senior captain Ryann Hughes sent a nice backhanded pass to find Cirovic, who weaved through defenders in the shooting circle and fed Perreault, who was waiting near the goal and finished the ball into a wide-open net.
Less than three minutes later, Woodstock went up 2-0 on another goal by Perreault, who cleaned up a loose ball in front of the net after a shot from Hughes.
The Wasps carried their two-goal lead into the halftime break and continued their offensive dominance into the second half.
While the Eagles showed some fight early in the third frame, Woodstock scored a few minutes into the quarter on Perreault’s third goal. She scored again with a little over two minutes remaining in the third, tipping in a ball sent by Cirovic off a penalty corner.
Woodstock’s 4-0 lead grew to 5-0 a little over a minute into the fourth quarter on St. Cyr’s goal, set up by Cirovic off a penalty corner.
The Eagles scored once in the final frame, but it was too little, too late, setting the final tally and confirming Woodstock as the D-III state champions.
