Copyright The Boston Herald
HINGHAM — Few crosstown rivalries can compare to the one Hingham and Notre Dame Academy have developed the past few decades. The latest chapter came in the Div. 2 girls soccer tournament Saturday, and the Harborwomen made a statement. Holy Cross commit Hannah Lasch sniped a pair of goals, as Hingham (15-4-2) punched a ticket to the Round of 8 with a convincing 3-0 victory over a longtime nemesis. “The playoffs are a whole new thing,” Lasch said. “If you have a good season, we forget about the season, because the playoffs are a whole new start. Obviously, we lost twice to NDA, (including) a scrimmage as well. Something about the two schools being in Hingham just makes us want this game ten times more. It just shows that everybody wanted it today, and was ready to work.” During a dreary day to start, the Harborwomen controlled the game’s tempo from the opening jump. Hingham peppered the Notre Dame (11-5-3) net in the first half, out-shooting the Cougars at an 8-0 clip. In the 18th minute, senior captain Carolyn Downey lofted a corner kick into the box, looking to make something happen. She was rewarded, as Lasch was there to head a shot into the net. Quickly, Hingham had a 1-0 lead. In the 23rd minute, junior Maggie Flynn lined a kick toward the front of the Cougars’ net. Sophomore midfielder Rachel Oliwa connected on a shot, finding twine to make it a 2-0 contest. Even when Notre Dame ramped up play to start the second half, Hingham was able to keep its momentum going. After corralling a pass from Amelia Greisner in the 52nd minute, Lasch spun around and fired a bouncing shot. The attempt skipped home for her second goal, giving the Harborwomen a commanding 3-0 lead. From there, Hingham coasted onward to a quarterfinal appearance. It is the first for the school since 2023. April Tremante took over Hingham’s program prior to the 2024 season, stepping in for decorated coach Mary Frances-Monroe. Now, she is looking to carry on a winning tradition. “This team works as a team,” said Tremante. “They’ve bought into the culture that I’m trying to build here. My time here is just (about) the positive mentality. Playing for each other, playing for our team. Everyone contributes to the success, and everyone contributes to any loss that we have. We work hard, we’re committed. We’re trying to build better soccer players and a better program. Obviously, the two coaches who were here before me were phenomenal coaches, and big shoes to follow. But they were great people. They started to build the program I want to take over now, and turn into a team that is going to keep winning, and keep having success on and off the field.” London Murphy finished with 10 saves to lead Notre Dame. This is Hingham’s fourth trip to the Round of 8 since 2021. Lasch was a freshman during its 2023 journey and is looking to lead her group on another successful run. “We’re going to have to tell our team how exciting and big this is,” said Lasch. “We’ve just got to be ready to go on the next one.”
