Two familiar foes will meet in the 2024 MIAA Div. 3 Field Hockey State Final. Watertown seeks its fourth straight title, and each of the previous three crowns came at the expense of their opponent Sandwich Saturday at Worcester State.
Follow the action from the State Final with live updates on this page. The game begins at noon on Saturday.
The Rivalry
The Raiders have once again established a multi-year unbeaten streak, going 21-0 this season and have not lost in 96 games heading into Saturday’s final. The run began in the Pandemic shortened season of 2020 (which took place in early 2021). In the fall of 2021, Watertown won its 19th State Championship with a 1-0 overtime victory over Sandwich in a final played at Hanover High School.
The following year, the two teams converged in the final again, this time at Norwell High School. Watertown once again emerged victorious, defeating the Blue Knights 2-0.
Last year, the two teams clashed in the semifinal played in Hingham, in which the Raiders won a close game, 1-0. Watertown went on to win its 21st State Championship with a 4-3 over Newburyport at WPI.
2024 Tournament
Watertown, the second seed in the Div. 3 bracket, has shut out each of its four opponents in the State Tournament, so far, and several players have had multi-goal games. In the first game against Falmouth senior Caroline Andrade had a hat trick and senior Victoria Dicker scored twice. In the Round of 8 against Bedford only two players found the back of the net, but senior co-captain Rachel Egan scored five times and Andrade collected a hat trick. In Tuesday’s State semifinal, Egan scored a pair of goals and sophomore Kaylee Master netted a hat trick against Dennis-Yarmouth.
Sandwich also rolled through the State Tournament, and the season, entering the final with a record of 24-0. The Blue Knights have an experienced team, including five players who started in the 2022 State Final when they were in ninth grade, according to a report by the Sandwich Enterprise.
The top seed in the Div. 3 tournament only allowed one goal on the way to the Final, and has a collection of multi-goal scorers, too. Alivia Barnes had a hat trick in the Round of 32 against Groton-Dunstable, and Khloe Schultz scored 3 against Foxborough in the Round of 16. In the Round of 8 against Dover-Sherborn, Sadie Clarkin scored three times and Quinn Jordan twice. Both Jordan and Schultz scored twice in the State Semifinal against Medway on Tuesday.
The field hockey State Final returns to Worcester State after more than a decade. In 2021 and 2022 the field hockey finals were held at neutral sites, but not in a central location, and there was no tournament in 2020. Last year, and before the pandemic, the championship was decided at WPI. For many years before that the final was held at John F. Coughlin Memorial Field. The Raiders raised the championship trophy four straight times at Worcester State from 2009-12.
The link for tickets to Saturday’s final is https://gofan.co/event/2260122?schoolId=MA14766
WATERTOWN FIELD HOCKEY TITLES
State Championships: 1986, 1988, 1989, 1990, 1992, 1994, 1997, 2001, 2002, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2021, 2022, 2023.
WATERTOWN FIELD HOCKEY STATE FINAL HISTORY
2023 Watertown 4, Newburyport 3
2022 Watertown 2, Sandwich 0
2021 Watertown 1, Sandwich 0 (2OT)
2017 Watertown 5, Oakmont 1
2016 Watertown 4, Oakmont 3
2015 Watertown 6, Auburn 0
2014 Watertown 5, Auburn 0
2013 Watertown 1, Auburn 0
2012 Watertown 1, Oakmont 0
2011 Watertown 3, Oakmont 1
2010 Watertown 1, Auburn 0
2009 Watertown 1, Auburn 0
2002 Watertown 2, Greenfield 1
2001 Watertown 3, Nipmuc 2 (OT)
1999 Greenfield 2, Watertown 1 (OT)
1997 Watertown 2, Greenfield 1 (2OT)
1996 Bellingham 4, Watertown 3
1994 Watertown 5, Quaboag 0
1992 Watertown 3, Nauset 1
1990 Watertown 2, Bellingham 1 (OT)
1989 Watertown 5, Sandwich 0
1988 Watertown 1, Quaboag 0
1986 Watertown 2, Milton 1