Hand rallies to upset Avon in Class M field hockey tournament

AVON, Nov. 8 – Erickson Richards goal with 13:74 left in the game helped lift No. 12 Hand-Madison to a 2-1 upset victory over No. 5 Avon in the first round of the Class M field hockey tournament on Tuesday.

The Falcons (12-5) took a 1-0 lead with 1:04 left in the first half on a goal from Oliva Jackson, her team-leading 13th goal of the season. Hand (9-7-2) tied the game at 1-1 on a goal from Glena Kate-Gies with 5:23 gone in the second half. Sophie Shreck had two assists for Hand, which faces No. .4 Guilford on Thursday in the quarterfinals.

Avon had come into the state tournament on a roll – having won their last seven games in a row with six shutouts. Rachel Spivak had nine of her team-leading 13 goals in the last seven games. The Falcons finished the regular season with five consecutive shutout victories over Northwest Catholic (6-0), E.O. Smith (7-0), Windsor (5-0), Conard (2-0) and Farmington (3-0).

The Falcons finished second in the CCC South this season with a 6-1 record, one game behind Glastonbury, which went undefeated in the conference with a perfect 7-0 record. The Tomahawks beat Avon, 3-1 in the first game of the season on Sept. 9.

Hand 2, Avon 1
At Avon
Hand (9-7-2)       0  2 – 2
Avon (12-5)        1  0  –1
Goals: Olivia Jackson (A), Glena Kate-Gies (H), Erickson Richard (H); Assists: Nora McCarthy (H), Sophie Schreck (H) 2; Shots: 5-5; Saves: Ashley Clark (A) 3, Kylie Gargiulo (H) 4