Field Hockey Ties Newton North, Girls Soccer Defeats The Tigers
October 6, 2026 (Updated October 9)
• Field hockey is now 3-6-1, while girls soccer is 7-1-1.
Coming off an incredible win over Braintree last week, Needham field hockey tied Newton North, 0-0, in a defensive battle on Oct. 5. On Oct. 8, girls soccer hosted the Tigers and came away with a 2-0 victory.
The game served as the team’s “Pink Out,” as they raised money for Susan G. Komen, a breast cancer nonprofit organization. October is National Breast Cancer Awareness Month.
The Tigers started the first quarter with momentum, but the Rockets earned a corner just three minutes into the game. But the Newton North defense held and worked it quickly the other way for another shot opportunity. Luckily for Needham, the crossing pass was too far for a Tiger to get a stick on.
Both offenses struggled to get shots off in the first quarter, despite solid passing in the midfield. Tied at zero with 12 minutes to play in the second quarter, Kate Barrett sent a pass toward the Newton North goal, where it was deflected by a defender, forcing the Tiger goalie to make a save. The Rockets kept the pressure up offensively, but could not get any shots off around the Tigers’ strong defense.
Newton North had a chance to strike first early in the third quarter off of a corner, but Lily Southall’s shot went just wide of the net. That would be the best opportunity for either team in this game, as the defenses continued to shine, ending the game in a 0-0 tie.
The Rockets fell to 24th in the MIAA Division One Power Rankings, while Newton North dropped to 23rd. The game kicked off a busy week for Needham, who lost on road against Brookline on Wednesday, Oct. 7, and who will host Foxborough on Friday, Oct. 9.
On Thursday, girls soccer, ranked #5 in the rankings as of Tuesday, October 6, hosted #15 Newton North at Cricket Field and while the Rockets controlled most of the action, could not get on the board until late in the first half.
With around ten minutes until the break, Alli Manning broke through with a goal, while Izzy Marino picked up an assist. In the second half, the two goalies kept the other team off the board, with Maggie Peterson in net for Needham and Annabelle Wardly for the Tigers.
Late in the game, the Rockets scored off a corner that deflected off a Newton North player for an own goal. With the win, Needham improved to 7-1-1 on the season, though the result was not taken into account in the latest Power Rankings, as the Rockets fell to #6.
Needham will now hit the road for two games, Saturday, October 10 at Westwood and Thursday, October 15 at Brookline. Their next home game is Saturday, October 17 at 6:30 p.m. at Memorial Field, as part of the annual Soccer Night in Needham, where both the boys and girls varsity teams play a doubleheader, both against Newton South.
