Rockets Review: Needham Golf Advances; Soccer Teams Finish Strong

By Micah Hauben, NHS Director of Athletics

On Monday, Oct. 22, the Needham High School golf team needed every stroke in the DI South Sectional at the Canton Country Club to advance through to next Monday's (Nov. 5) State Championship at the Norton Country Club.  

The low four players for Needham finished with a combined 324, finishing only one stroke in front of Xaverian, to take the third and final spot in next week's championship.

Although the team did not perform up to expectations in the event, their goal of advancing was achieved, and they will now compete against the best in the state on the 5th. 

Junior Jake Shuman had the best round of the day, finishing as the medalist on the day, with a tournament low score of 70.

Boys and Girls Soccer

Making runs at high seeds in the upcoming soccer state tournaments, the Needham boys and girls soccer teams stayed on course with some key league and non-league wins.

Boys soccer, who has not lost since week 1 of the season in early September, finished up their regular season with three more wins over Newton North, Dedham and Lexington. At 15-1-3 overall, the team has a real chance at a No. 1 seed when the MIAA sets the brackets on Wednesday, Oct. 31.  

The girls team, although dropping its first game of the season on Tuesday, Oct. 23, is also in a good position for a high seed with one game remaining on Tuesday, Oct. 30 (weather permitting) against Marshfield. The girls will also be seeded on Wednesday, Oct. 31.

The girls capped off their BSC league schedule on Thursday night, Oct. 25 under the lights on Memorial Field against undefeated Dedham, and while the seniors played extremely well, it was two juniors, Kira Oberle and Kyra White, who capped off the game in thrilling fashion. With less than four minutes remaining in a 0-0 game, Needham earned a corner kick, with White sending the ball in long to Oberle, who finished the play off by heading the ball into the back of the net.  

The 1-0 win not only helps with seeding but also secured the 300th Cup for Needham for the second straight year. The Needham Soccer Club started the 300th Cup against Dedham last season to honor Needham's tercentennial, and the winner of the boys or girls game in Needham vs. Dedham each year retains the cup until the next season's game.

The boys win over Dedham (8-1) on Thursday, Oct. 25 was much less dramatic; however, it carried a good deal of significance. The victory secured the BSC Carey Division Title for the boys and during the game, senior Mac Steeves crossed the 100 career point threshold, moving to 103 with a goal and three assists. One-hundred points is a major milestone for high school soccer players, and Mac will have a chance to build on the total when the state tournament gets started.

Cross Country

After an 11-0 regular season, the girls cross country team entered the BSC League meet as the favorites and did not disappoint. Needham runners finished 1-3-4-8-19 for the victory. Just as impressive, and a great sign for the future of the program, was the fact that the top three girls to come in for Needham were all freshmen, with ninth grader Margie Cullen pacing the group with her first place overall finish.  

The boys, who finished the regular season at 9-2, also came in strong at the League Meet, finishing fourth, but did sit out some athletes who are recovering from injuries in order to gear up for the Section races in two weeks.

For more details about the teams, visit the NHS XC/Track Blog at www.needhamrunning.blogspot.com.

Field Hockey

While Hurricane Sandy raged outside on Monday, MIAA Field Hockey officials were busy setting the brackets and schedule for the upcoming State Tournament. After missing the Carey Division Title by one game, the Needham field hockey team earned the No. 18 seed in the tournament and will travel to No. 15 Reading on Thursday, Nov. 1 for a 4 p.m. game.  

The winner of the Needham at Reading game will travel to No. 2 seed Masconomet on Sunday, Nov. 4 for a quarterfinal round game.

Coming Up

Seedings and schedules will be released for boys and girls soccer on Wednesday, Oct. 31. Cheerleading and dance team will compete at the BSC Championships on Thursday, Nov. 1 at Milton High School. Girls volleyball seedings and Heat Sheets for the Nov. 4 BSC Girls Swimming and Diving Meet will also be released this week.

Check http://nhs.needham.k12.ma.us/athletics for Rocket Athletic news, updates, forms, links and complete team schedules.

Rockets Review is a weekly update distributed by email by Needham High School Director of Athletics Micah Hauben and published with permission on Needham Patch. Additional athletics information can be found on the NHS Athletic Department Web site.