All good things come to an end: The 7th seeded GHS Fishermen field hockey team lost to the Newburyport Clippers 3-1 on the road in the third round of playoffs. The team, decked out with a close to full senior lineup, ended the season with a 15-4-3 record. 

Lily Pregent was the only goal scorer of the fast-paced game, hitting the back of the net with less than 5 minutes left. While the Fishermen looked to throw another two goals in to bring the game to overtime, they came up short due to the aggressive Clipper defense. 

The Clippers remained on Gloucester’s side of the field of the field for most of the game. However, Gloucester took many good shots on the Newburyport net. Anna Cinelli put multiple shots into the circle, along with Pregent and captain Abby Lowthers.

Captains Ella Costa and Ari Scola made forceful plays in the midfield and backfield, helping save multiple shots on the Gloucester net. Joie Cody was aggressive in the midfield with her steals and jabs, along with her ball movement. Anna Hafey was a life-saver for the Fishermen with her hard drives and saves in the circle. Lexi Carollo made strong hits for both the offense and defense, along with strong stickhandling. Bella Goulart made good blocks and rushes in the midfield, while Jordan Palk held fort in the backfield.

Sophomore goalie Keagan Jewell made many dives and blocks in the net, saving more shots than she let in. She was strong for the Fishermen during defensive corner attempts. The group had multiple chances to score on breakaways and offensive corners, but the Clipper goalie was hard for the team to get by. The Fishermen’s passing game helped them get up the field, but they could not get a few more into the net.

Gloucester and Newburyport met similarly last year. Both teams played each other in Gloucester for the Elite 8 contest, and Gloucester lost that game 1-0. While the Fishermen were hoping to get revenge for their loss last year, they came up just short again.

The season was one of the best seasons the team has had in the past few years, despite the loss. The girls scored a total of 88 goals during their season, and only let 14 go through. Pregent lead the team in goals with a total of 26, with Lowthers behind her with 22. Cinelli was the assists leader with 17, with Costa and Lowthers tied for 13. Scola had 6 goals and 12 assists. They finished 2nd in the NEC with a total of 5 players being awarded as a conference all-star. Costa was one of them, with a total of 3 throughout her career. Next year, the team must evolve, as they will lose 10 seniors. Out of the 11 player starting lineup, the only player left is Jewell. 

“The game yesterday seemed like the fastest game I’ve ever been a part of,” coach Lauren Riley-Gove said in a Facebook post after the game. “75 minutes and whoosh it was over. Newburyport is an extremely talented team. They came out hard. They struck early and instead of running the field like we normally do, we were caught off kilter, and couldn’t quite right the ship in time… I love my girls, I love our field hockey family, and I could not be more appreciative of the beautiful community we have built.”