The calendar has turned, and Cumberland still has plenty to play for.
The girls soccer Clippers head to Rhode Island College one win from the championship game, and cross country returns to Ponaganset for the Rhode Island State Championships. Volleyball opens its playoff run at home Friday night, the high school JV football team opens the week on the road, and the varsity Jr. Clippers prepare for a semifinal with a championship berth on the line.
There are fewer dates left on the fall calendar. The ones still ahead deserve some room on yours.
GIRLS SOCCER — ONE MORE WIN TO REACH THE FINAL
Second-seeded Cumberland meets No. 6 Mt. Hope on Tuesday, November 3, at 7:30 p.m. at Rhode Island College in the Division I semifinals.
The Clippers earned their place with a 2–1 quarterfinal win over Chariho. Junior Miya Garland supplied the winning goal on a 35-yard free kick, while freshman goalkeeper Francesca Stoothoff made four saves. Cumberland needed the breakthrough at one end and the work that protected it at the other.
Mt. Hope arrives after advancing past Lincoln on penalties. The Huskies have already found their way through two elimination games, and their seed will not make Tuesday’s assignment any easier.
For Cumberland, the next challenge is to keep creating chances without losing its organization when possession changes. Chariho made the quarterfinal close. The Clippers found an answer. Tuesday asks them to do it again with a place in the final waiting on the other side.
Top-seeded La Salle faces No. 4 North Kingstown in the other semifinal, scheduled for 5:30 p.m. Tuesday at RIC. The two winners advance to Saturday, November 7, at Rhode Island College. The championship kickoff time remains to be reconfirmed.
CROSS COUNTRY — STATE CHAMPIONSHIPS AT PONAGANSET
Saturday, November 7, brings the Rhode Island State Cross-Country Championships to Ponaganset High School. The posted race schedule has boys at 2:15 p.m. and girls at 3 p.m.
Cumberland’s girls come off a third-place Class A finish, with Cecelia Ludwig third individually and Gabriella Stoothoff and Anna Bianchi seventh and eighth. Three runners in the top eight gave the Clippers a strong showing heading toward the biggest meet on the Rhode Island calendar.
Now the focus turns to the state championship course. Familiarity with Ponaganset gives Cumberland something to build on as the runners put last weekend’s lessons and this week’s preparation to work. Cumberland’s final entries remain to be confirmed.
VARSITY JR. CLIPPERS — ONE WIN FROM THE CHAMPIONSHIP
The varsity Jr. Clippers move into the semifinals after their 36–0 win over Oakwood, with North Providence next and a place in the championship game on the line. Cumberland is the designated home team; Johnston is the host. The exact date, kickoff and field remain pending.
Cumberland won the teams’ earlier meeting, but that result will not carry any points into this one. The Clippers will look to keep building on the blocking, coverage and contributions across all three phases that helped them advance against Oakwood. Another complete effort would earn them one more week together and a shot at the championship.
The Peewee and JV teams both bowed out in the first round of the playoffs, leaving varsity to carry the Jr. Clippers’ postseason push forward.
VOLLEYBALL — POISED AND WAITING AT HOME
Fourth-place Cumberland (13–7) is poised and waiting for its playoff opponent. Fifth-place East Providence (10–7) and 12th-place Mt. Hope (5–12) meet tonight, Monday, November 2, in the preliminary round. The winner travels to Cumberland for a quarterfinal Friday, November 6, at 6 p.m. at the Cumberland Wellness Center.
East Providence won both regular-season meetings with Cumberland and also defeated Mt. Hope earlier in the season. A Townies win tonight would set up a third meeting with the Clippers, this time on Cumberland’s court with a place in the semifinals at stake. Mt. Hope has its own opportunity to turn that earlier result around and earn the trip to Cumberland.
The Clippers took the opening set in their most recent match against East Providence before the Townies claimed the next three, with the final two decided by three points and two. Cumberland stayed within reach. Finishing those tight sets will matter as the tournament moves forward.
Tonight determines the opponent. Cumberland knows the assignment: Friday night, its own court and a chance to keep playing. The Clippers will be ready for whoever comes through.
FOOTBALL — THANKSGIVING NEXT FOR VARSITY; JV PLAYS MONDAY
The Cumberland Clippers have been eliminated from playoff contention and will return to action on Thanksgiving Day, Thursday, November 26, against the Woonsocket Novans.
JV football visits Central in Providence on Monday, November 2, at 6:30 p.m.
Tuesday brings a chance to reach a final. Friday brings playoff volleyball home. Saturday brings the state championship course.
Cumberland still has games worth showing up for.
PAST WEEK — THE FINALS AND THE FINISH
Girls soccer: Cumberland 2, Chariho 1. The Clippers advanced to the Division I semifinals behind Miya Garland’s winning free kick.
Boys soccer: East Providence 3, Cumberland 0. The October 26 first-round loss ended the Clippers’ playoff run.
Field hockey: Lincoln 1, Cumberland 0. The Clippers battled the Lions in the Division II championship, the fourth meeting between the neighboring rivals this season. Cumberland finished the season series with one win, one loss and two ties, with Lincoln taking the final meeting and the title.
Volleyball: Cumberland 3, Lincoln 0; East Providence 3, Cumberland 1; North Kingstown 3, Cumberland 0. The Clippers went 1–2 through a demanding final week, dropping a tight four-set match to the Townies before facing top-seeded North Kingstown, which finished the regular season unbeaten. The work to establish this team had already been done. Cumberland earned the No. 4 seed and a home quarterfinal, putting the Clippers in position to make a run. Now they await the winner of East Providence and Mt. Hope.
High school football: Central 20, Cumberland 3 on varsity Senior Night. JV beat Newton North 12–0.
Jr. Clippers: Varsity beat Oakwood 36–0 to advance to the semifinals. Junior Peewee fell 33–0 to North Providence, while youth JV also exited in the first round against Johnston.