Layton, Clarke Lift Monomoy Field Hockey In State Semifinals; Uxbridge Awaits For Rematch

BRIDGEWATER – The Sharks are heading back to the Division 4 state championship.

After eking out a victory over No. 7 Cohasset in the quarterfinals (see page 37), the second-seeded Monomoy field hockey team secured its return to the state final in dominant fashion, cruising to a 3-0 victory over third-seeded Sutton a state semifinal Tuesday night at Bridgewater-Raynham.

Senior Emily Layton netted a pair of goals, junior Sam Clarke also scored, and freshman goalie Maddie Swett made seven saves for the Sharks (20-0-2). The Suzies finished 21-1-0.

“It’s really exciting,” said Layton, a Harwich native. “We’ve had a really good ride, and it’s definitely all we have worked for. Now we have to keep grinding to make it worth it.”

Monomoy will face three-time defending Division 4 state champion Uxbridge (20-2) in the state final (date and location to be announced). The top-seeded Spartans, who upended the Sharks 4-0 in last year’s championship, cruised to a 5-0 victory over fourth-seeded Frontier in the other Division 4 semifinal.

Unlike Friday’s quarterfinal, Monomoy had the benefit of playing with a lead during Tuesday’s win. Layton opened the scoring with 2:19 remaining in the first quarter when she buried a shot from the top of the circle.

“I was honestly looking for a corner,” said Layton, who will make her commitment to the University of New Hampshire official during a National Letter of Intent signing ceremony Wednesday morning. “I was just trying to hit it into a shin guard, that’s why I ended up flicking it. It worked in my favor.”

Clarke put home a loose ball to give Monomoy a 2-0 lead with 8:48 left in the third. A scrum broke out in front of the Suzies’ net after a Sharks penalty corner, and Clarke was there to score and give the team a crucial insurance goal.

With 13:11 remaining in the game, Layton sealed the win with a rocket at the top of the circle off another Monomoy corner.

“Emily’s clutch,” Monomoy coach Kyle Cappallo said. “She’s one of the most valuable players in the league. Playing that center position in the midfield gives us a lot of weapons as far as being able to break presses with her aerials.

“She’s a huge part of our offensive corner unit and is a great leader on the field. She comes up clutch when we need calls, when we need big tops in the field. She gives us a big advantage and that allows our forwards to take some risks.”

Tuesday’s win was a fitting way for Layton to begin her signing celebration, but the senior said there’s still more that she wants to celebrate this week.

“It’s definitely a good week,” she said. “Hopefully a state championship comes out of it, but a lot of good things are happening this week. A lot of hard work went into it.”

Cappallo said he believes the Sharks are in a better position to try to dethrone Uxbridge after last year’s loss.

“We’re more prepared for this state final than we were last year,” the coach said. “We know who the players are on the team and who we’re going to need to contain to the best of our abilities. It’s not going to be an easy opponent, but Somerset Berkley beat them, so they are beatable. On any given day, any team can win. It just depends on who shows up.”