WATERTOWN – Goalie Isabella Bogovich and a stingy No. 13 Winchester defense gave a tough fight Monday night, but No. 2 Watertown scrapped out the goals it needed to come away with a signature 3-1 win in Middlesex League action for its 85th straight victory.
Caroline Andrade and Rachel Egan led the way, each tallying a goal and an assist to help the unbeaten Raiders (10-0) score all three of their goals during offensive corner penalties. Their awareness on each proved critical, pairing with a mostly dominant defensive showing to help Watertown overcome a litany of missed offensive opportunities throughout.
Bogovich’s 19 saves were a big reason why, though they couldn’t stop the Raiders from edging out a major win after Watertown checked in at No. 9 in the first set of MIAA Div. 3 power rankings.
“It’s good to get the win against a great Winchester team,” said Watertown head coach Eileen Donahue. “Credit (to Winchester), they didn’t give up right to the end.”
Corners came aplenty for the Raiders early on, frequently carving through the midfield and hemming the Red and Black inside their defensive 25.
Bogovich attacked the ball well whenever it came near her, while Madison Von Mering, Madelyn Rabinovich and Stella DeCristoforo – among others – each flashed big plays to spoil some dangerous chances. But trouble clearing the ball led to five corners in the first frame, one of which Andrade took advantage on nine minutes in.
The senior stopped a send toward the net from Egan right in front with her back to Bogovich, then quickly slid it around Bogovich’s kick for the 1-0 lead.
“(Andrade is) very good around the net, which is why we have her there,” Donahue said.
Egan, Andrade, Caroline Fleming, Sophia Setouhi and Kaylee Master didn’t let up with creating opportunities, though the Red and Black settled down a bit over the next two quarters by allowing just one corner in each. Ava Paragas, Julia Legere and Samantha Gal helped Winchester generate some offensive pressure itself in the meantime.
The Watertown defense allowed just one shot on goalie Brook Lambo (three saves) in a shutout first half to head into the break with a 1-0 lead, but Donahue knows the defense has more potential.
“We spend so much time on our defense in practice,” Donahue said. “But we’ve got to work harder.”
Egan finally got the Raiders on the board again a few minutes into the third, ending a three-shot frenzy on Bogovich during a corner with a rebound goal and a 2-0 lead.
The Raiders defense couldn’t hold onto the shutout for much longer, as Winchester forced a pair of corners in expired time at the end of the third quarter to cut the deficit in half. Toria Dicker’s defensive save nearly kept the Red and Black from scoring after a deflection off Lambo almost win in, but Rabinovich followed the rebound for a 2-1 deficit.
Watertown peppered Bogovich again in the fourth quarter with seven shots, but could only score on an audible from Andrade during a corner. She screened Bogovich again at the left post and kicked out the ball to Master at the top of the circle for a drive into the back board and a 3-1 lead.
Winchester couldn’t get a shot on goal the rest of the way.
