Somerset Berkley stretches win streak to 55 games with SCC championship win over Apponequet

SOMERSET — Since joining the South Coast Conference a few years back, Somerset Berkley’s field hockey team has had familiarity with one term.
Domination.

The Raiders’ incredible run simply continued Friday night, thanks to the efforts of Cami Crook. The Providence College commit scored six goals, as the Raiders (11-0) completed another perfect season with a 12-2 victory over Apponequet in the league’s title bout.

“We treated the game like it was our state championship game,” said Crook. “Because that obviously wasn’t a thing this year because of COVID. We treated it like that, prepared like it, and we got the job done.”

The win extended Somerset Berkley’s impressive winning streak to 55 straight games. After feeling things out for the first five minutes of action, Crook got her day started with 9:52 to play in the opening quarter, as she sniped the cage to make it a 1-0 contest. The senior would add another goal with 10:10 to play in the second quarter, as the Raiders took a 5-0 lead into the half.

During the course of the Fall II season, only one school had scored more than a single goal against Somerset Berkley prior to the South Coast Conference championship. That would be Case (a game that still resulted in a 5-2 win for the Raiders on April 21). Apponequet (6-2-1) became the second, as Amelia Blake notched a pair of goals in the first five minutes of the second half for the Lakers.

Yet, even when it seemed as though Apponequet was aiming to climb itself out of an early hole, the Raiders simply flipped a switch and returned to their winning formula — letting Crook take over the game. She would go on to score two more goals in the third quarter, highlighted by a wild backhanded shot from 11 yards out with 3:16 remaining to make it an 8-2 contest.

“I think Cami has just such good field vision,” said Somerset Berkley coach Jenn Crook. “She’s able to see the openings and she jump-starts the attack right away. She knows how to draw a corner, too. She’s going to leave a big hole in the middle of our field next year. But I look forward to watching her play next year.”

With just 1:28 remaining, Crook put a bow on the season, scoring the last goal of her high school career to cap the game and the season.

Tufts commit Kayleigh McDonald registered a hat trick for Somerset Berkley, while Meghan Baldwin notched a pair of goals herself in the effort.
As mentioned, Crook will now follow in the footsteps of her head coach and mother, as she will attend Providence College, where she will continue her playing career.

“Ever since I was little, I’ve wanted to go there,” Crook said. “Because both of my parents went there. When they gave me an offer, I took it. I’ve been going to clinics as well, so (it made sense).”

from Boston Herald https://ift.tt/3xPweTT