OV field hockey reaches D-II championship
CASTLETON — The No. 2 Otter Valley Union High School field hockey team blanked No. 3 Burr & Burton, 2-0, on Monday night in a Division II semifinal played at Castleton State University.
The Otters improved to 11-2-3 and advanced to a final that will be played at the University of Vermont on Saturday. The time of that game will be determined on Thursday morning in a conference call with the Vermont Principals’ Association.
OV’s opponent will be No. 4 Mount Abraham (6-6-4), which knocked off No. 1 U-32, 2-1, in Monday’s other D-II semifinal, played at South Burlington. OV and Mount Abe have not met this fall.
OV will be making its first appearance in a D-II final since 2009, when it suffered a 3-1 loss to Harwood. OV and Mount Abe met in the 2001 D-II final, which saw a 1-0 Eagle victory. OV will be seeking its first D-II title since 1988, but won three D-III titles in the 1990s, most recently in 1999. Mount Abe, which plays a D-I schedule, has won seven D-II titles since that 2001 win over OV, most recently in 2013.
On Monday, the Otters posted their second consecutive playoff shutout. OV goalie Myliah McDonough stopped the only two shots that defenders Meghan Hallett, Sophia Bloomer and Courtney Randall allowed the Bulldogs (9-4-2) to land on goal.
At the other end, junior forward Allison Lowell picked up both goals for the Otters; she has now scored in 15 of OV’s 16 games.
Chelsea Reed set up Lowell’s first strike, which came 8:16 after the opening whistle. The insurance goal came with 8:27 left in the second half, when Lowell netted the rebound of a Kaitlyn Anderson shot.
In all, the Otters put five shots on goal, with several bids set up by middie Maia Edmunds, the team’s only senior. BBA goalie Molly Dingley stopped three shots. The Otters also earned a 7-5 advantage in penalty corners.