July 1, 2008 E-MAIL PRINT

Nobles caps perfect campaign

by Mike Zhe/

All-America attacker Casey Griffin (4) led undefeated Noble and Greenough with 51 goals and 89 points. (photo: Bob Moore/Noble and Greenough)

All-America attacker Casey Griffin (4) led undefeated Noble and Greenough with 51 goals and 89 points. (photo: Bob Moore/Noble and Greenough)

After taking unbeaten Noble and Greenough to the wire in mid-April, Brooks School coach Randy Hesse lamented how tough it was to keep that team’s “three-headed monster” in check.

In the end, Hesse can take heart knowing his team handled the beast as well as anyone. Because when all was said and done, Nobles and standouts Sarah Plumb, Stephanie Gill and Casey Griffin had again run the table in the Independent School League, their second straight perfect season.

Second-year coach Meghan Cleary now has a pair of ISL titles and a 33-0 record under her belt at Nobles. She’s done everything but deliver a keep-your-heads-up speech after a loss.

“I haven’t had the experience yet,” Cleary joked. “Everyone’s telling me I should retire now.”

Winning an ISL title is no small feat, as evidenced by Nobles’ drought before it crashed through last season. But going through a treacherous league schedule unblemished is something else entirely.

Only three teams all spring stayed within three goals of Nobles — Thayer, Brooks and Governor’s Academy. Governor’s was the team that made Nobles (16-0) look the most mortal, holding it to a single goal in the second half before falling in overtime, 12-9, late in the season.

Plumb, who also played on the school’s varsity field hockey and basketball teams, had something to do with that outcome, scoring five times in the first half.

The 5-foot-9 midfielder from Dedham was the team’s leader on and off the field. A two-time All-American and two-time MVP in the ISL, she had 48 goals and 79 points, third-best on the team. She’ll play at Dartmouth College next year

“She’s the model player/teammate/captain,” Cleary said. “She’s probably the most humble player I’ve ever coached. I don’t think I’ll ever coach someone like that again.

“On the field, she’s so strong. She’s never lifted (weights) a day in her life but she’s got a physical strength that’s really impressive.”

Gill, a midfielder who’s off to Division 3 Middlebury College, was the team’s second-leading scorer with 48 goals and 86 points. She was named an honorable mention All-American.

Griffin, a junior attacker, led the team with 51 goals and 89 points on her way to earning All-America honors for the first time.

Entering the season, Nobles had the core of its team returning but faced questions in goal. That void was filled by platooning sophomore Jackie Young and freshman Taylor Blake, a pair of hockey players relatively new to the sport.

“That was definitely one of my concerns,” Cleary said. “The two of them had different strengths. One was better with her hands. The other was stronger mentally. Neither really surpassed the other.”

Plumb and Gill may be moving on to the college ranks, but there’s no reason to think Nobles’ success will be leaving anytime soon. Not with nine juniors who played significant roles this season.

Cleary, a former Division 3 All-American at Williams College, could very well be on the losing end of a game or two eventually. But the losses she’s most worried about now are Plumb and Gill. Those two — with Griffin — have also been teammates for two years on offseason Revolution club teams.

“They play so well together,” Cleary said, “like they’ve been playing together forever.”

Sure can’t argue with the record.

HONOR ROLL

? In Connecticut, Loomis Chaffee went 13-1 and celebrated titles in the Founders League and Western New England. Division 1 college-bound goalie Britt Giacco (North Carolina) and midfielder Kim Fisher (Loyola) both earned All-America honors.

Hotchkiss finished 11-3, challenging in the Founders League and settling for second after an 11-10 loss to Loomis Chaffee. Dartmouth College-bound midfielder Dana Brisbane earned All-America honors and defender Katie Ellis was an honorable mention All-American.

Greenwich Academy pumped in 349 goals (14.6 a game) and finished 21-3, topping Sacred Heart for the FAA championship. Mixed in among a slew of one-sided wins were a 15-14 loss to Connecticut Division 1 champion Darien and a win over runner-up Wilton.

? In Massachusetts, Brooks School used a balanced attack to go 15-1, a 10-9 loss to Nobles the only thing that separated it from a share of the ISL title. Still, it’s the seventh straight year the team has finished first or second. It allowed just 6.3 goals a game in front of goalie Carly Churchill, and its scoresheet often included a half-dozen players or more.

For the first time in school history, Williston Northampton finished a season undefeated. The Wildcats’ 12-0 record secured a third consecutive Western New England Class B title and featured wins over Choate and Pomfret. Junior midfielder Katie Palasz of Granby was named team MVP.

Pingree got another big year from Boston College-bound midfielder Samantha Taylor, who wrapped up her career with 129 goals and 88 assists. The team finished 15-5 and won the title in the Eastern Independent League, losing close non-league games to Governor’s and Nobles.

? In New Hampshire, Holderness won its first 11 games en route to its first outright Lakes Region championship since 2004. The team finished 11-1 overall, a mark that included a 9-7 win over Kimball Union. Senior Julia Ford, who missed a portion of her junior year while she trained with the U.S. national ski team, returned and scored a pair of game-winners.

? In Rhode Island, St. George’s rode the offense of Leigh Archer, Megan Leonhard and Ellie McDonald to a 13-4 record. Goalie Eliza Foster earned team MVP honors for the Lady Dragons, who settled for fourth place in the ISL.

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