Uxbridge wins fifth straight state championship with shutout over Sandwich

BURLINGTON Thunderous five-in-a-row chants echoed from the bleachers when the Uxbridge district felt another historic milestone clinched Saturday night showering the top-seeded Spartans field hockey unit - with praise for a perfect season that ended with a - win over No Sandwich in the Div state final at Burlington High School their fifth consecutive state championship Only Watertown from - had ever won five straight titles in MIAA field hockey history before them a feat Uxbridge partly accomplished by storming past the Raiders in the state semifinals A fourth state final appearance in five years had the Blue Knights - - charged up to present the toughest challenge the Spartans faced too but goals from three different scorers and a standout defensive effort overcame it And as a conclusion senior fifth-year varsity players Kendall Gilmore Maryland commit Julianna Casucci New Hampshire Amelia Blood Wake Forest and goalie Julia Okenquist Holy Cross exit how they started their high school careers as eighth-graders It s amazing Casucci declared Being able to do it with the same girls each year is the majority special part I get to go out with five straight championships but what s even more special is who I got to do it with It feels so special to be with these girls added Blood the campaign s all-time leader in assists It s an amazing feeling because we ve been playing with each other for so long How hard we ve been working just shows on the field Uxbridge head coach Kelly Rosborough revealed it poetic that amid an intense defensive battle it was bench athlete Mia Ouellette who tallied the first goal of the match for the Spartans in the second quarter Shots on target were hard to come by for both teams with how fast and fierce the action was but depth delivered a - lead at the post midway through the frame For one of our off-the-sideline players to come in tonight and amount a goal I mean that says it all Rosborough announced That s really exciting for Mia Ouellette It was also seen on the defensive end as first-year starting seniors Morgan Charbonnier and Sydney VanderZicht helped keep shots off Okenquist despite numerous threatening Blue Knights trips I just love that they were ready Rosborough declared And they just revealed that they belonged out there I m just really proud of them Sandwich continued to challenge Uxbridge s offense into the second half swarming attackers The Spartans eventually added a second goal on a great feed from the midfield to Casucci for a - lead with left in the third quarter and junior Aubrey Bouchard Bryant iced the match with to go in the fourth Staying with each other throughout the whole contest just kept us going Blood noted It s not perpetually one contestant I just think it s so special to see everybody celebrating for each other With the - win Uxbridge won every contest by at least three goals That includes win over two teams that won state championships earlier in the day Walpole Somerset Berkley three more that reached the Final Four and seven that reached the state quarterfinals Several coaches claim this year s Spartans are the best high school field hockey association they ve ever seen Having eight Div commits partly fuels that but it s mostly driven by commitment and unity Casucci Blood Gilmore and Okenquist pioneered it all They changed everything Rosborough disclosed They were on the field as eighth-graders confident They had skills they had field hockey IQ And all of that just grew with every year Their impact just continued year after year It s just so exciting for them to get this finale