The Rocky Hill girls soccer team won the program’s first-ever SENE Championship when it beat Dublin 4-1 in the title clash.

The Mariners surged to a 3-0 halftime lead after goals from Emma Morrison and Lilly Liebermensch, as well as a Dublin own goal. Rocky Hill would continue to hold down the high-flying Dublin offense in the second half to clinch the 4-1 victory.

“To see them improve, mature and get to that championship level over the years, it’s rewarding for both them and myself. To see them get to the end of the season and get that championship, it’s pretty neat for them,” said Rocky Hill coach Rebecca Entwistle.

Heading into the 2023 season, the Mariners laid out a handful of goals for the year. One of which was to beat Dublin in their regular season meeting. Rocky Hill got the win in a 5-0 blowout, which provided a spark for the rest of the historic run.

“You’re always positive, you always think that you have a championship team, it’s just about putting the pieces together. At times, you think, ‘could this be the year?’ Right at the beginning of the season we had a game against Dublin and when we won 5-0, we were kind of like, ‘this is a real possibility. This is doable.’ We began thinking, ‘this is our year, we’re going to make this happen.”

The team was led by captains Liebermensch, Hadley Wheeler, Winnie Vincent and Warwick native Lauren Zheng.

Zheng was a key piece for the Mariners all season, especially in the title game when she helped shut down Dublin’s top scorer Eve Hicks.

“Lauren Zheng is our gas pedal. She controls the game, has a great soccer IQ and her free kicks are out of this world. She and the rest of the seniors were great leaders for us this season,” Entwistle said.

With the Mariners finally hoisting a championship, Entwistle hopes that this campaign will set the tone for the returning players next season and beyond.

“These seven seniors, they were so important in showing the returning girls how things should be, how the program is lined up and how things work. These seniors led by example,” Entwistle said. “These younger girls now know what it takes to win championships, so hopefully they can use that to help themselves.”