Eric McHughThe Patriot Ledger
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WEYMOUTH − There's not much argument about the best day in Norwell High soccer history. That would be Saturday, Nov. 20, 2021, when both the boys and girls teams claimed Division 3 state championships with back-to-back victories at Medway High's Joseph P. Hanlon Field.
If things break right this Saturday, that magical day will have company atop the Clippers' list of accomplishments.
After last season's repeat bids went awry, both Norwell teams find themselves back on the championship stage following Tuesday's sweep of a Div. 3 semifinal doubleheader at Weymouth High. The boys knocked off an underdog, beating 26th-seeded Dighton-Rehoboth, 2-0, behind second-half goals from Ronan Blake and Bret Amorosino. In the nightcap, the girls KO'd top-seeded Medfield, 2-1, getting goals from standout freshmen Hannah Morse and Kelsey Tuttle, the latter snapping a 1-1 tie with just under six minutes remaining.
The third-seeded Norwell boys (19-2-2) will be aiming for the program's second state crown when they face No. 4 Pembroke (18-2-1) in an all-South Shore state final (site, time TBA).
"I want another ring," said Blake, a part-time starter on the 2021 team.
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"We are not afraid to talk about it," second-year Clippers coach Michael O'Dea said of his team's championship aspirations. "It's not a taboo. It's a clear goal all year long. To be here in this position, to get an extra couple of days with this team to keep them together and keep them fighting for the ultimate goal is brilliant. It's all we could ever hope for or ask for and all we've worked for."
The fourth-seeded Norwell girls (22-1-1) await the winner of Wednesday's semifinal between No. 2 Dover-Sherborn (17-3-1) and No. 3 Hanover (20-0-1). Hanover, the defending state champ, handed Norwell its lone loss this season, winning 1-0 back on Sept. 8.
The girls are seeking the program's third state crown. The Clippers won in 2018 and then followed the boys onto the turf at Medway in 2021 and beat Dedham, 2-1, to put a capper on the school's most memorable day, soccer-wise.
"Boys and girls, we're going for a repeat (of 2021)," said goalkeeper Belle Pettit. "It'd be crazy, an awesome experience."
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Pettit also was in goal for the 2021 final. That day was an extra-special one for her family as older brother Alec got the win in the net for the boys against Belchertown, starring in a penalty shootout after a 2-2 tie.
"It's surreal" to be back in the same position, Pettit said. "Being a senior, it's what we wanted. We always want to end on a high note. It's awesome we made it this far."
Both Norwell teams are white-hot right now. The boys are 19-1-1 in their last 21 games, while the girls are on a 22-game unbeaten run (21-0-1).
The boys had a slightly easier time Tuesday, although they had nothing tangible to show for an opening 40 minutes in which they dominated possession. The breakthrough came less than two minutes into the second half when Blake picked the pocket of a D-R defender, avoided the goalkeeper and finished into a vacated net.
"He didn't seem too composed (on the ball) and I decided to capitalize on it," Blake said of the sequence.
"We love to possess; that's what we do," said senior midfielder Zach Bello. "That's our team. But you gotta finish somehow. If we couldn't get it done in possession, we had to do it out of possession, and we're good at that too."
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Bello set up Norwell's second goal, swinging in a free kick for sophom*ore Bret Amorosino to head in at the left post in the 56th minute.
"He's brand new, but we've had high expectations for Bret," O'Dea said. "He's been the ultimate team player. He's been doing it all year long. That's his second or third goal in that same vein. He has a nose for goal, an energy, a motor."
Predictably, the Norwell girls relied on their terrific freshman class for both goals. Morse netted her team-high 21st of the season − and fifth in four playoff games − in the eighth minute, pouncing on a rebound of shot by classmate Allyson Kelley (she has 10 goals herself) for a 1-0 lead.
"We're really close friends and we always encourage each other to do better," Morse said of the freshmen's impact. "We've played together since we were really young. We've always been competitive with each other and are always (trying to) make each other better."
Sidney Heavey equalized for Medfield (19-2-1) less than five minutes into the second half, but Tuttle came to the rescue late, unleashing a blistering shot from the top of the box that flew into the upper right corner of the net. It was her 10th goal of the season, and her first of the playoffs.
"I don't even know what happened," Tuttle said. "I just got the ball and I shot it. It happened so fast. It was an amazing moment."
Tuttle had missed two prime scoring chances before that, sailing balls over the crossbar from close range off crosses swung in from the right wing.
"I was really frustrated with myself because I know I should have capitalized on that," she said. "That goal felt so good."
It was a night of good feelings for Norwell soccer. Now Saturday could bring a second double celebration just two years after the first one.
"That would be unreal," Blake said of again winning boys and girls state titles on the same day on the same field. "Definitely a moment to remember."
