by Adam Aucoin
The outcome was never in doubt when the Hudson girls varsity soccer team took on the Fitchburg Red Raiders on October 16. The Hawks would go onto win this game 8-0, improving their record to 2-12 and dropping the Red Raiders to 0-13 on the season.
The Hawks would start off the game with possession of the ball, and they seemed to start communicating well. You could hear them helping each other out on the field and communicating where to go with the ball. Unlike previous games, it seemed that they were in control of the game.
Despite Hudson being in control of the game early, it seemed like both Hudson and Fitchburg were playing slow and tentative. Neither team was aggressive, and someone had to start making a difference in this game. That difference came when senior Kara Knights took a shot near the Fitchburg goal and put it past the goalie to make the game 1-0.
After that goal, the Hawks never looked back. They seized control, and there was nothing that was going to stop them. Junior Audrey DiBuono made a run to the net and took a shot, and it went over the net. Senior Fernanda Dourado also took a shot, and it went off the post. The Hawks were having no problems finding scoring chances.
Senior Paige Kane then took a shot close to the goal and put it past the Fitchburg goalie to make the game 2-0. Junior Kaylee Cummings followed that up with another goal to make the game 3-0. Fitchburg just couldn’t get control of the ball in this game. The goalie would make a save and punt it out to the middle of the field, but it would be a Hudson player who would recover the ball. It didn’t matter what the Red Raiders did, the Hawks were just flat out better. The Fitchburg coach was visibly upset with her players.
Hudson’s Fernanda Dourado would score a goal to make the game 4-0. It was clear at this point that the Hawks were on their way to victory. The Hawks would finish off the half strong, continuing to control the ball. The Red Raiders did not get one shot on goal during this half. Freshman Juliana McCabe would add a goal at the end of the half off an assist by senior Shayna Diedrich.
“We started to pick our heads up and talk to each other on the field,” senior Paige Kane said. “We worked on passing the ball from defense to midfield to the offense to get goals instead of booting the ball up the wing and hoping it gets to someone.”
The second half was no different than the first half. Hudson continued to play much faster than Fitchburg, and they never gave up control of the game. They continued to communicate well. Seniors Marisa Duplisea and Kara Knights showed great senior leadership helping the other girls out on the field.
Hudson would get some more good scoring chances with good drives by Duplisea and DiBuono. The Hawks kept control of the ball and Fitchburg would get very little scoring chances. Duplisea would add a goal for Hudson to make the game 6-0, and Kane added a pair of goals to make the game 8-0, giving her a hat trick for the game. The Hawks went on to win by the score of 8-0.
“We played with more confidence,” Duplisea said. “We weren’t afraid to keep the ball at our feet rather than just kicking the ball as soon as we received it.”
The Hawks record may not be where they want it to be, but games like this surely will give them hope for the future.
