Here is a summary of this week in Old Rochester Regional sports.
Boys’ Lacrosse: The Old Rochester boys’ lacrosse team (ranked 7th) played Bishop Stang (ranked 10th) in the first round and lost 13-8. Although they played a tough game, Stang’s attack was able to place the ball in the back of the net. With the normal Bulldog goalie absent, Jacob DeMoranville stepped in for his first varsity appearance. At the start of the game, he was unable to save the Stang offense’s shots, but by the end he had 15 saves. Despite being face-guarded by Bishop Stang’s best defenseman, Landon Goguen had five goals. Patrick Saltmarsh, Alex Lorenz, and Kyle Gillis each scored once. Unfortunately, Old Rochester will lose eight seniors next year: Goguen, Saltmarsh, Charles Tirrell, Andrew Riggi, Nick Rego, Gavin Fox, Justin Shay, and Tim Dix.
Girls’ Tennis: The Lady Bulldogs (ranked 3rd) cleanly swept away the Carver girls (ranked 14th) with a 4-1 win. At first singles, Delaney Pothier won the latter two sets after losing the first of the sets. Danielle Nutter won at second singles. Continuing their undefeated season, the duo of Emma Collings and Kinsley Dickerson won first doubles. Minutes after the first doubles team finished, the second doubles team of Delaney Soucy and Grace Filoramo defeated their Carver counter partners. With this win, Old Rochester advances to the second round.
Boys’ Tennis: Old Rochester (ranked 2nd) won 4-1 over Hanover (ranked 15th) in the first round of the state tournament. Every Bulldog player won, with the exception of the first singles player Sam Pasquill. Playing at first singles is a daunting task because you are continuously facing the other team’s most talented player. Pasquill has handled this well all season, with only two losses. The first singles player from Hanover was superior, which resulted in a loss for Old Rochester. However, all other matches earned the Bulldogs wins. Old Rochester allotted Hanover three points between all other matches. Alex Bilodeau and Jahn Pothier completely eliminated their competition by not allowing Hanover one point at either second or third singles. Josh Lerman and Maxx Wolski won first doubles along with Caleb Jagoda and Ray Williams who succeeded at second doubles. The Bulldogs moved on to the quarterfinals where they faced Cohasset (ranked 7th) and won 5-0. Pasquill, Bilodeau, and Pothier took care of business in the singles arena, winning all three matches. Both doubles teams of Wolski and Lerman and Jagoda paired with Williams earned wins. This was a huge win for the Bulldogs as Cohasset beat them twice in previous year’s state tournaments.
Girls’ Lacrosse: Due to poor field conditions, Old Rochester played their first round of state’s game against Ursuline Academy at the Tabor Academy field and won 20-14. The first half was a scoring game for both teams. The Bulldogs alternated shots with their competition. However, after halftime, Old Rochester came to play and managed to create a gap between themselves and Ursuline. Madison Cooney had five goals. Emily Hiller earned four goals along with Ava Ciffolillo. Ali Hulsebosch managed to get three goals while Katherine Tracy had two and Taylor Lee and Megan Shay each had one. Goalie Gate Tenerowicz had 10 saves. After the win, the Lady Bulldogs moved on to play at Falmouth High School where they won 20-9. Ciffolillo had five goals and Cooney had four goals and four assists. Tracy and Lee both earned three goals and Mackenzie Good added one. The mechanism that kept the Old Rochester offense together was senior captain Emily Hiller. With three goals and six assists, Hiller showed her ability as a leader to force the offense to work as a team. The Bulldog defense of Julia Barrett, Mary Butler, and Caroline Thomas worked hard to cut off the cutters and defend the net. With senior captain and vocal leader Molly Lanagan out of the game, Barrett filled her shoes and acted as the glue that bonded the Old Rochester’s defense. Tenerowicz had seven saves. The Lady Bulldogs move on to the semifinals against Cohasset.
Softball: After making the state tournament for the first time in eight years, the Lady Bulldogs softball team beat Dennis-Yarmouth 8-6 in the first round. Avery Soares pitched a solid game, striking out nine players, allotting for only six hits, and walking four. Despite a slow start, Old Rochester picked up their speed and began to hit better and run faster. Sophie Hubbard led the offense going 3-for-4 and earning two RBIs. Alex Sheehan went 2-for-3 with one walk and one RBI. Captain Olivia Labbe was 2-for-4, and had two RBIs. The Bulldogs have had ups and downs in their season, but they really came together to play hard and as a team in this game. Old Rochester will progress to the second round, but they still await their opponent.
By Alexandra Hulsebosch