Class C field hockey: Grace Laurie nets hat trick as Greenfield blanks Turners Falls, 7-0 (PHOTOS)

Greenfield’s Henley Gilstrap (4), right, carries the ball while defended by Turners Falls’ Avery Tela (2) during the Green Wave’s 7-0 win in the Class C semifinal on Friday in Greenfield.

Greenfield’s Henley Gilstrap (4), right, carries the ball while defended by Turners Falls’ Avery Tela (2) during the Green Wave’s 7-0 win in the Class C semifinal on Friday in Greenfield. STAFF PHOTO/JEFF LAJOIE

Greenfield’s Addie Harrington (3) holds possession while defended by Turners Falls’ Jaade Duncan during the Green Wave’s 7-0 win in the Class C semifinal on Friday in Greenfield.

Greenfield’s Addie Harrington (3) holds possession while defended by Turners Falls’ Jaade Duncan during the Green Wave’s 7-0 win in the Class C semifinal on Friday in Greenfield. STAFF PHOTO/JEFF LAJOIE

Greenfield’s Lauryn Kalinowski (6) carries the ball while defended by Turners Falls’ Ledwin Villafana (18) during the Green Wave’s 7-0 win in the Class C semifinal on Friday in Greenfield.

Greenfield’s Lauryn Kalinowski (6) carries the ball while defended by Turners Falls’ Ledwin Villafana (18) during the Green Wave’s 7-0 win in the Class C semifinal on Friday in Greenfield. STAFF PHOTO/JEFF LAJOIE

Turners Falls’ Ledwin Villafana (18) dribbles the ball up the field with Greenfield’s Laylah Goulston (10) defending during the Green Wave’s 7-0 win in the Class C semifinal on Friday in Greenfield.

Turners Falls’ Ledwin Villafana (18) dribbles the ball up the field with Greenfield’s Laylah Goulston (10) defending during the Green Wave’s 7-0 win in the Class C semifinal on Friday in Greenfield. STAFF PHOTO/JEFF LAJOIE

Greenfield’s Riley Thayer (7), left and Turners Falls’ Holly Myers (18) battle for possession during the Green Wave’s 7-0 win in the Class C semifinal on Friday in Greenfield.

Greenfield’s Riley Thayer (7), left and Turners Falls’ Holly Myers (18) battle for possession during the Green Wave’s 7-0 win in the Class C semifinal on Friday in Greenfield. STAFF PHOTO/JEFF LAJOIE

Greenfield’s Kelly Baird (8) moves the ball through the Turners Falls midfield during the Green Wave’s 7-0 win in the Class C semifinal on Friday in Greenfield.

Greenfield’s Kelly Baird (8) moves the ball through the Turners Falls midfield during the Green Wave’s 7-0 win in the Class C semifinal on Friday in Greenfield. STAFF PHOTO/JEFF LAJOIE

Greenfield’s McKenzie Boswell (1), left, carries the ball while defended by Turners Falls’ Jazzy Gonzalez during the Green Wave’s 7-0 win in the Class C semifinal on Friday in Greenfield.

Greenfield’s McKenzie Boswell (1), left, carries the ball while defended by Turners Falls’ Jazzy Gonzalez during the Green Wave’s 7-0 win in the Class C semifinal on Friday in Greenfield. STAFF PHOTO/JEFF LAJOIE

By JEFF LAJOIE

Staff Writer

Published: 10-27-2023 6:22 PM

GREENFIELD — Clinging to just a one-goal lead at halftime, the Greenfield field hockey team kicked things into overdrive over the final 30 minutes on Friday.

The second-seeded Green Wave tallied six goals in the second half, including three in a span of 1 minute, 52 seconds in the third quarter to pull away for a 7-0 win over No. 3 Turners Falls in a Western Mass. Class C semifinal.

Greenfield (10-5-3) will play No. 1 Frontier in the Class C title game on Monday night at 7 p.m. at Holyoke High School. The Wave took two out of three from the Redhawks during the regular season, but lost the most recent matchup back on Oct. 14.

“I expect two very equally-matched teams playing Monday night,” Greenfield coach Erin Thayer said. “The teams are very similar in how we play the game, so I think it’ll be an interesting, fun game to be in.”

In Friday’s semifinal, Grace Laurie’s second-quarter goal stood as the game’s lone tally into halftime with the Wave holding just a 1-0 advantage against a feisty Thunder bunch.

But the goals came fast and furious for the hosts after intermission. Addie Harrington started things with a goal late in the third, and Gloria McDonald tallied just 36 seconds later to make it a 3-0 game.

McKenzie Boswell followed just 1:16 after McDonald’s strike with an assist from Riley Thayer, and the quick-strike Greenfield offense had the No. 2 seeds up 4-0 entering the fourth quarter.

“We talked at halftime that it’s tournament now, so we need to do our jobs and do things correctly out there,” Erin Thayer said. “We kept the pressure on after not being able to finish at all in the first half.”

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Laurie scored her second of the outing 2:19 into the fourth with an assist from Boswell, and Harrington got her second of the game just over five minutes later to make it 6-0.

Laurie capped her hat trick with 5:13 to go, as the freshman rattled the cage with the home team’s final goal to account for the 7-0 win.

“I think we’re not quite there yet with the consistency, so we have to keep tweaking things that we aren’t great at because we do have those flashes where we put it all together and I know we’re capable,” Thayer said. “It’s just a matter of doing it when the lights are bright now in the playoffs.”

Turners Falls received solid contributions from seniors Avery Tela, Jaade Duncan and Holly Myers, who played in their final games for the blue and white. The Thunder finished their season 4-12-1 overall, though they lose just four seniors, including Ayleen Ovalle-Perez.