MEDWAY — New uniforms, new formations and a fresh plea for a beloved coach.
A new season is about to begin, but Saturday still felt like summer. A sure sign that fall is approaching isn’t just the onset of reduced daylight, but the buses that flow in and out of the sparkling athletic campus at Medway High School.
Labor Day weekend was devoid of football – the state’s high school teams and the NFL have yet to kick off – but not futbol.
The state soccer playoffs have expanded; same goes for the region’s ultimate tune-up at the other end of the schedule.
Thirty-six girls soccer teams played two games apiece across four fields at the annual Medway Jamboree – the sound of whistles and occasional cheers setting the backdrop for more than 10 hours on a warm day.
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“A lot of girls showed up early and we did a lot of walking around the field,” said Medway senior captain/keeper Callahan Cottone. “We watched out for the other teams, took some notes and that got us in the mood for soccer.”
“It’s huge that we have these games to build off of,” added senior Shannon Mejia. “We get to experience other possibilities with formations in these games that don’t count towards our record and the playoffs.”
Medway is installing a new 3-5-2 arrangement (defenders-midfielders-forwards), but intangibles also played a key role Saturday. New players are indoctrinated; a new team forms.
“Playing more cohesively and team bonding — it’s a really good day for that,” senior Alise Higgins said. “It’s much better than having just a practice because it’s exposing us to a higher level of competition in a different division that we wouldn’t see throughout the season.”
Team building is also key for Milford, a team with 10 freshmen that was not originally part of the field. But when Stoughton dropped out, Medway coach Jason Rojee contacted Scarlet Hawks coach Lou Collabello to gauge his interest.
Milford had played in other pre-season tournaments, but never in Medway. And the team had already participated in two recent scrimmages, which is usually sufficient for Collabello’s program.
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“I wasn’t looking to do more than two,” he said. “But I thought, maybe it would be a good opportunity. If we could play well and get a couple of wins, mentally it would be pretty good for us. I thought it was beneficial from that standpoint.”
Milford, which is captained by seniors Dani Atherton, Brooke Ferreira and Serena Borges, defeated St. Paul II, 4-2, in its 8 a.m. matchup before blanking Bellingham 1-0 two hours later. With such a young team, the matches provided Collabello with a better idea of what to expect when games count this week.
“Practices are easy, games are hard,” he said. “You’ve got to be able to transfer your skills to the games. I expected them to be nervous, but that’s the reason why I wanted to play as many games as I possibly could. You don’t always get to see things in practice than you would in games.”
Teams ‘jump in’ to expanded field
The event, which also included a volleyball segment on Saturday, started in 2007 in Woburn as a showcase for the Eastern Mass. Coaches Association to provide an opportunity for teams from the north and south to play each other. The jamboree switched to Medway’s more central location five years ago, when 18 teams participated, according to Rojee.
Saturday’s field included teams ranging from Cape Cod (Sandwich High School, St. Paul II) and Scituate to Triton Regional, located in Byfield, which endured the longest trip (64 miles one way). All but three Tri-Valley League teams participated as well as a number of the state’s top programs.
Medway, a D3 school, played a pair of D2 teams: Scituate and Mansfield, D2, which reached the Sweet 16 last year, part of a 12-5-1 season.
“We reach out in February and teams just jump in,” Rojee said. “They just want to be a part of it. You get two quality games and a beautiful facility. People just want to be a part of it.”
“It’s basically just getting comfortable with your position with our new formation this year and as well as our new teammates,” said Medway senior Reagan Chiplock, who skied in a goal from 30 yards out against Mansfield.
“It’s so fun to be with everyone, especially the new players,” Medway junior Allie Mahan said in the early afternoon. “We’ve been here since 8 a.m. and we don’t play until 3.”
Longtime teacher Dave Murphy on their minds
The jamboree doubled as a means of gathering support for a Medway teacher who is on the minds of many.
Dave Murphy, a physical education instructor at Medway High for more than two decades, suffered a medical emergency on July 17 and was admitted to Tufts Medical Center. A GoFundMe was quickly launched and had drawn more than 500 donations as of Tuesday, earning nearly $40,000 toward a goal of $100,000.
The Medway girls hung signs throughout the athletic campus in an effort to garner more donations. The placards included hand-drawn hearts with the words “stay strong,” “please donate” and “IMPORTANT.”
Murphy was recently moved to Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital in Cambridge.
“He’s been in the hospital for the majority of the summer,” Cottone said. “That is very expensive for anyone. We’re trying to get the community together and raise money for him, to help the family. Everyone loves him. We all want to give back to him.”
Talented field on four fields
The jamboree included teams from Division 1-5. Hingham, a Division 1 finalist a year ago, faced Bishop Feehan, a D1 semifinalist. The match between Algonquin (D1 quarterfinalist) and Franklin (No. 4 seed in last year’s D1 playoffs) featured two penalty kicks: one stopped by Franklin keeper Haylie Aniki; the other converted by Algonquin’s Shaila Sehgal.
Millis, a D5 quarterfinalist a year ago, played D1’s Braintree and Archbishop Williams, a D3 program also from Braintree. Talent spread across four fields.
Rojee marveled at the level of play consolidated just off Route 126. He pointed to the recent success that Providence College has enjoyed, posting a 19-9-6 mark over the past two seasons with many Eastern Mass. players now in the program, including Medway’s own Sam Murray and Franklin’s Colleen Casey.
Players from Hanover, Norwell, Lowell, Dedham and Rochester are also on the Friars’ roster.
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The jamboree has many more college athletes to offer, Rojee said.
“It’s not only great to see the quality of games and to see the talent,” he said, “but I think one of the most underrated groups of talented athletes in the state is girls soccer in Massachusetts.”
Tim Dumas is a multimedia journalist for the Daily News. He can be reached at tdumas@wickedlocal.com. Follow him on Twitter @TimDumas.