Oxford girls take it to the top

Plenty of dedicated practice, extensive conditioning and simple gutsy play in tight games were key factors for the success enjoyed by Oxford’s under-16 Girls Soccer Team in the Massachusetts Youth Soccer League.

For the second straight year, the U-16 girls captured the Central Massachusetts MAYS Championship, held June 10 at the Sutton Field Complex in Uxbridge, and it went on to the championship round of the state tournament before suffering its only loss of 2007.

To gain the Central Massachusetts championship, the team defeated Webster 4-2 in overtime play. Winning the championship provided an automatic invitation to the annual Massachusetts Tournament of Champions, a three-day weekend event hosted June 22-24 at the University of Massachusetts at Amherst.

In initial tournament play, Oxford defeated Pembroke 4-0, followed by a same-day second victory against Woburn by a 2-1 margin. The final match of the preliminary round on Day 2 saw Oxford battle Lynn to a scoreless tie, leaving the ladies in Orange with an undefeated record that propelled them into the Final Four matchups on Sunday. In the semifinal game, Oxford defeated Danvers 2-1. Later that day, Oxford went head to head with Westfield, losing the state finals in a heartbreaker in the final minutes, 4-3.

Members of the 2007 championship team included Morgan Boin, Bonnie Bousquet, Johanna Burke, Caitlyn Corey, Cheyenne Cusson, Briana Durgin, Rebecca Howe, Alison Laforce, Arianna Masley, Kayde McCarthy, Emily Mercier, Jennifer O’Malley, Courtney Principe, Lena Siotis, Becca Yoder and Heather Williams.

The U-16 Girls were Oxford’s sole female club that reached the MAYS Central Massachusetts Tournament finals. The team was also Oxford’s only youth soccer team to qualify for the Massachusetts Tournament of Champions. The U-16 girls season boasted an overall 9-1-3 record and a reputation for strong defense and smart play. “The girls played with a lot of intensity, focus and heart. When the team needed smart, heads-up play, they delivered in spades. It was awesome to see how the extra conditioning they did at practices paid big dividends in the closing minutes of regular games and overtime play when the competition tired and fizzled out,” said Joel Masley, who coached the team along with Brian Williams. “We coaches and the girls’ parents are certainly very, very proud of how far they progressed this year and how they played in the state tournament. Given that there are well over 100 U-16 Division 2 Girls Teams, very few teams make it to the regional level finals, let alone the state championships among all those tough teams representing well over a dozen leagues across the Commonwealth. We are extremely proud of all our players.”

The girls were recognized for their achievements by the Oxford Board of Selectmen during a recent board meeting. Shortly afterward, the New England Revolution invited the Oxford team to its “Evening of Champions” at Gillette Stadium. All team members were invited at halftime to come onto the main playing field, where they were acknowledged for their accomplishments.