The Independent – Nov. 5, 2015
By William Geoghegan
BRISTOL — Rhode Island’s pre-eminent field hockey powerhouse had something special brewing this fall. Barrington and Moses Brown were already pulling away in Division I, but the seeds were being planted. East Greenwich was emerging as the team most likely to crash the party, but the first signs of life were being nurtured.
The young North Kingstown field hockey team was getting better – a lot better – and was just fine with the fact that no one seemed to notice. The Skippers were going to be a dangerous team in the playoffs. They had talent and they had nothing to lose.
“This was building,” head coach Julie Maguire said. “I don’t mind being the underdog. It’s kind of nice.”
The longtime coach had led an underdog No. 4 seed to a championship once before, in 2004. Her current team looked like a mirror image. And as all the seeds blossomed in the playoffs, the 2015 Skippers took the same path as their underdog predecessors, following it right to a state title.
Fourth-seeded North Kingstown beat No. 1 Barrington in the semifinals and edged No. 2 Moses Brown 1-0 in Sunday’s championship game at Roger Williams University, capturing the program’s state-best 12th title. Carolyn George’s tip of a Meghann Maguire shot was the only score of the game and all North Kingstown needed to get back on top. The program’s first title since 2008 ended Moses Brown’s three-year reign.
“We were the underdog and we just wanted to upset everything,” George said. “We knew we could beat them. We just had to put our minds to it.”
Confidence often comes with pressure, but the Skippers mixed in a pinch of innocence. The starting lineup features three freshmen and two sophomores. Several seniors provide strong leadership but even they haven’t tasted major success.
The Skippers didn’t have the experience to know what to expect – so they simply expected to win.
“In the past, there was always pressure. We were the defending state champs with the three-year run. We didn’t have anything to lose today,” Maguire said. “They don’t know anything different. They were young and they were improving every game, and that proved to be true.”
Validation began with a 4-0 quarterfinal win over La Salle that included two goals in the first three minutes of the game. Thursday, the Skippers began the upset parade with a 2-1 overtime victory over top-seeded Barrington. A freshman, Katie George, scored both goals.
“We scored two goals in the first three minutes against La Salle,” Maguire said. “They got a little more confidence. Then beating Barrington, they gained more confidence.”
From the opening whistle in Sunday’s championship, the confidence was on display again. North Kingstown looked like the team that had been there before, dominating possession in its offensive end for the first six minutes and generating six penalty corners in the opening half. Moses Brown didn’t have a single corner.
For all their time of possession, though, the Skippers couldn’t generate quality chances, and the teams went to halftime locked in a 0-0 tie. The Quakers made their own push in the second half, but could get nothing past goalie Maddie Maguire and defenders McKenzie Lennon, Meghan Gormley, Annabel Lee and Catherine Lenox.
Overtime loomed when North Kingstown was awarded a penalty corner with 1:20 left. Nothing came of the initial play, but Meghann Maguire got control of the ball in the middle of the field, just outside the top of the circle. The junior midfielder suddenly saw an opening and blasted a hit toward the goal.
According to field hockey rules, players cannot score on shots from outside the circle. Luckily for the Skippers, Carolyn George got her stick on the ball as it careened toward the cage. After a brief discussion, referees confirmed that George had touched it.
The celebration was on, and 58 seconds later, it was in full swing.
“All you need is one,” Julie Maguire said.
Meghann Maguire, one of Julie’s two daughters on the team, grew up around the sport and her mother’s championship teams. In controlling the ball all night and creating the game’s best chance, she sent the Skippers to another crown.
“I just wanted to force the ball in so my teammates could get a tip on it,” she said. “I could see them right in front of the goalie, ready to hit it in.”
George did the honors.
“Meg shot it and I just tipped it,” George said. “I got my stick on it and I just saw it go in. I couldn’t describe how happy I was. Everyone was there and celebrating. It was so exciting.”
The Skippers have now won four more titles than any program in the state. They’ve done it as a repeat champ and as a favorite. And this year – just like 2004 – they stunned the rest of the state, even if they believed it was possible all along.
“It was essentially the same makeup as 2004,” Julie Maguire said. “It’s the same exact team and I could see that coming. I hadn’t shared that with many people, but I could feel it. We were peaking at the right time.”