The Toll Gate field hockey team fell to Tiverton 2-1 in the Division II play-in game on Tuesday afternoon.

Tiverton would take a 1-0 lead but Alina Jencks would take a pass from Allison Quinn to tie things up in the third quarter. The Tigers would bounce back and get the go-ahead goal shortly after, and Toll Gate was unable to get the tying goal as it saw its season come to a close.

“The game was very even, it was back and forth. We had some really good periods of possession, did some good things for quite a bit of the game. Unfortunately we just weren’t able to score,” said Toll Gate coach Jim Areson. “We had some opportunities at the end to tie it but just couldn’t capitalize on the opportunities we created.”

The two teams battled in another close game earlier in the fall, with Toll Gate grabbing the 1-0 shutout. Areson expected another close one on Tuesday.

“I thought someone was going to win by a goal and that’s what happened. We work hard, we do a lot of good things, but we have struggled to score all season. That is how it played out,” said Areson.

Toll Gate finished the fall with a 2-7 league record and a 5-9-1 overall record. The Titans took a step forward from last fall when they had only one victory, and Areson was pleased with the progress the team made.

“We were playing really well but then had a few injuries that sidelined us. We built some momentum in the middle of the year but the injuries took some wind out of our sails. We are getting better and a lot of it is because of the eight seniors we have. We’re going to miss them,” said Areson.

Although the Titans are set to say bye to a large senior class, they will be returning some key players including Amanda Preston and Ayla Paley. Freshman goalie Abby O’Connor will also return after a strong rookie campaign. 

“Every game (O’Connor) got better, like all the rest of them. They just kept on getting better. I told (O’Connor) that if she sticks with it she can be an all-division goalie, she can get a lot better and we’re expecting that from her. Amanda and Ayla are coming back and will be the two centerpieces of our team, then we have a few sophomores and freshmen that I’m hoping take a big leap,” said Areson.