The Durfee girls soccer team came from behind on the road against defending Southeast Conference champion Bridgewater-Raynham to pull out a 2-1 victory and earn the program’s first ever conference title. On the boys side, Brockton finished off its strong play in conference action, shutting out New Bedford, 3-0 to win the SEC crown.

The Durfee girls, after a tough 1-3 start to the season, are now riding a 13-game unbeaten streak (12-3-2 overall) and finish at 6-1-1 in the SEC. B-R meanwhile, finishes league play at 6-2, with both losses coming against the Lady Hilltoppers.

The Brockton boys established themselves as the team to beat all season long. The Boxers finish league play with a 7-1 mark. The lone setback came against Durfee, 2-1 back on September 14. New Bedford meanwhile, finishes its SEC campaign in second place with a 4-2-2 record.

In the girls game, B-R needed a win or tie to secure another league title. Things were looking good for the Lady Trojans early on, as they dominated play and got on the board when Willow Forbes-Smith converted on a corner kick opportunity. Emily Lincoln got the assist on the play.

Though B-R was still enjoying an edge in play, the Hilltoppers pulled even late in the first half. Durfee defender, Rachael Silva took a back pass, carried a few steps and sent a high arching ball past the Trojan defense. There, Durfee senior standout Julia Hargraves won the race to the ball and pooched one over the charging Trojan keeper and into the goal for the equalizer.

As the tie game wore on and Durfee still needing a goal, first year Topper coach Hayden Tavares called timeout and reset his formation, putting more bodies toward the front. It paid off, as with just over five minutes to play, Durfee’s Kaitlyn Coutu took a header pass from Maddie Hargraves and struck a low ground ball that found its way inside the far right post. From there, the Hilltoppers’ defense held off a relentless barrage from the B-R offense to hang on for the win.

“This SEC Championship win resembles the dedication, sacrifice and hard work these girls have put in the entire season,” said Tavares. “The results the group has produced is a direct representation of this team and their quality; going on 13 games undefeated and now first-time SEC champions. Hard work pays off and I am so proud of the group. They deserve this!”

Final League Standings:

At the midway point of the league schedule, both the boys and girls Southeast Conference soccer races remain wide open. With a 2-0 win over New Bedford, the Brockton boys hold a slim lead at 3-1, while Durfee and New Bedford, having played to a draw, are on the Boxers’ heels at 2-1-1. The Durfee girls meanwhile pulled off a hard-fought, 1-0 victory over previously undefeated Bridgewater-Raynham to pull even in the standings at 3-1.

After getting off to a slow, 1-3 start, the Durfee girls have come around, winning their last three games to improve to 4-3 overall under first-year head coach Hayden Tavares. That run includes not only the win over B-R but also a 2-1 victory over the SEC’s other perennial power, Dartmouth. The Lady Indians and Brockton are still very much in the thick of it at 2-2 in league action.

In the win over B-R, Durfee controlled much of the first 15 minutes and jumped on top when junior Liv Rumsey won the race to the rebound of a diving save by the Lady Trojans’ keeper and buried it in the back of the net. B-R picked up the pace toward the end of the half, managing several shots, including one that caromed off the crossbar.

The second half was all B-R, as Durfee found itself playing defense against a relentless Lady Trojan attack. With the field seemingly tilted in its favor, B-R maintained consistent pressure, including the game’s final frantic minute, when the Lady Trojans had a handful of repeated corner kick opportunities. They failed to bury the equalizer however, as the Hilltopper defense staved off the relentless pressure to secure the win. Sophomore Ava Amaral posted the clean sheet in goal.

The Brockton boys managed to stay atop the standings with their shutout win over the Whalers. Midway through the first half, junior Alexandro Moreira put the Boxers on top with a goal. In the second half, Brockton converted a corner kick to double its lead. Junior Anthony Pina Santos was able to head in a ball off the foot of Moreira.

Current league standings: