November 14, 2025 – Story and photos by Joshua Ross
For the third straight year, top-seeded Hingham reached the Division 2 Final Four. This time, the Harborwomen refused to let the semifinal round be the end of their story.
Backed by timely scoring, standout defensive plays, and one of their strongest all-around efforts of the season, Hingham defeated No. 4 Canton, 4–1, to earn a long-awaited trip to Saturday’s state championship game—where they will face defending champion Somerset Berkley in a rematch of last year’s semifinal.
For a senior-heavy roster that had fallen in this very round each of the last two seasons, the breakthrough felt both emotional and earned.
After a scoreless first quarter, Hingham finally broke through with 7:56 left in the second. Senior Caitlin Patten redirected a pass from senior captain Sam Ruddick, giving the Harborwomen the lift they’d been searching for.
“That first goal is huge,” Head Coach Susan Petrie said. “We prepared so much for this game. We knew if we could hang tough at first and break through, our confidence would build going into the second half.”
The 1–0 lead held deep into the third quarter, until sophomore Libby Baxter produced arguably the highlight of the night. Baxter carried the ball nearly the full length of the field, then dove as she fired a shot past the Canton goalie for a spectacular insurance goal.
Patten struck again early in the fourth, her second of the game making it 3–0, and senior Ella O’Neil buried Hingham’s fourth with just over four minutes remaining. Canton scored a late goal, but by then the Harborwomen had full command of the match.
Canton applied heavy pressure in the opening minutes, and Hingham’s back line responded with what Petrie called one of their most composed performances of the season.
Sophomore Sam McCabe delivered a game-changing moment in the first quarter, swatting a mid-air shot off the goalline to deny what looked like a certain goal.
“Sam McCabe—she’s a goalline wonder,” Petrie said. “She leads the team in goalline saves. My defense never gets stressed out. They’re so calm and never frazzled.”
Junior goalie Molly McDonald matched that poise, turning aside several dangerous chances—including multiple kick saves on penalty corners.
“Molly’s so quiet. I feel like she gets forgotten back there,” Petrie said. “She’s a phenomenal goalie. She doesn’t always get a lot of shots, but she’s just calm, she does her job, and that’s it.”
Senior captain Ryan Hallisey said the defensive performance set the tone for the whole team.
“We’ve been working for four years on staying on our girls and shutting down the players who can score,” Hallisey said. “We worked together as a unit. Those early defensive plays were huge.”
Hingham’s depth continued to shine as it has all season, with four different players scoring or assisting.
Petrie emphasized that this balance is exactly what has made the Harborwomen so difficult to stop.
“People are calling us ‘an up-and-coming team,’” she said. “We don’t have anyone going Division I, but every game someone else steps up. We’re a hard team to scout because we’re so balanced. It really works in our favor.”
Hallisey echoed that sentiment: “It feels great to know we have a bunch of goal scorers we can rely on. Even if someone has an off day, others step up.”
Patten, whose two goals helped fuel the win, said the group’s chemistry—and longevity—is what makes this run special.
“It’s just a full team effort,” Patten said. “As seniors, we’ve been playing together since fifth grade. It means so much to get to play one more game together.”
This senior class has carried the memory of back-to-back semifinal exits, and Petrie acknowledged that reaching this point carries deep meaning. This group of seniors has the most playoff experience of any Hingham team in recent memory. Saturday’s game will be the 15th playoff game for four seniors and 13th playoff game for three others. 99 combined career playoff games for seven out the 13 seniors on the team.
“The first year we were just happy to be there,” she said. “Last year we told them, ‘Walk on that field with confidence—you can win.’ They believe in each other so much. It’s not cockiness, it’s trust. I get emotional thinking about them. They’re amazing.”
“They don’t overbuild things,” she said with a smile. “They came off the field after this win saying, ‘We get to go to practice tomorrow!’ They just love playing together.”
Hingham now turns its focus to Saturday’s Division 2 State Final at Burlington High School at 2:30 p.m.—a rematch with Somerset Berkley, who eliminated the Harborwomen in last year’s semifinal 4-2.
For Patten, the matchup feels fitting.
“I’m glad if we meet them again, it’s in the state finals,” she said. “We’re going to go out there and give it everything.”
Hallisey agreed: “Last year was tough, but based on how we played tonight, I have a lot of confidence in us. I think it’ll be a better game than last year.”
Petrie said the team will celebrate the win briefly—then get to work.
“It’ll be a great game,” she said. “We’ll enjoy tonight, and then right back at it tomorrow to get ready for Saturday.”
GAME PHOTOS
