Hollis Brookline's Rosalie Desantis races Milford's Kaelyn Grzyb to the ball during Thursday's Division II clash in Milford. (Telegraph photo by TOM KING)

MILFORD – A trip to Milford High School is usually a grueling experience for the Hollis Brookline girls soccer team.

The rivalry is always evident, and the Spartans are always stingy as goals are hard to come by.

It was that way in the first half Thursday, but not so much in the second when the Cavs put up a five-spot and came away with a 6-0 win paced by Marleigh Kreick’s three goals.

“These two programs, it’s a great rivalry, and every time we come over here to play, (the Spartans) start strong,” Cavs coach Peter Clarke said. “And we know we have to get through that. They come to play in that first half and you have to absorb that and find your game again. It took us a long time.”

The Cavs had controlled possession most of the half and finally broke through when Spartans freshman keeper Delaney Barber leaped to make a save and deflected the ball off the far post where HB’s Rosalie Desantis was for an easy tap in the 31st minute for a 1-0 lead.

The second half was a different story. It took the Cavs just 1:31 to get on the board with a rocket shot by Kreick 25 yards out. She repeated it 10 minutes later and HB was in control, up 3-0.

“Fortunately we got that goal before the half and then we found our groove,” said Clarke, his team now 9-0-1 with the program’s unbeaten streak at 48 games.

Milford could only hold the fort for so long.

“They’ve got a good group on that side over there,” said Spartans coach Scott Locasto, his gritty team now 4-3-3. “The girls stuck to the plan. … I love the way the girls fought through. For me it was just to fight all the way to the end. It’s easy to give up when the balls are going in the goal, but they fought hard.”

Mya Remella and Jordan Shaw were tough at center back for Milford, while on the HB defensive side center back Ysa Ramas & Co. helped the Cavs keep the ball down in the Spartan end in the first half. Things loosened up a bit later in the second half; Cavs netminder Madeleine Leonard had five saves on the night. Barber had 10 stops for Milford before giving way to Trinity Milner (four saves).

Kreick was later credited with a goal off a corner deflection while the other two HB goals were scored by Ava Barry and Clara Soutter.

Delaney Barber kept Milford in their game with Hollis Brookline for the first half with saves like this. (Courtesy photo by Betsy Hansen)

This was a better day for HB than a week ago when the Cavs’ winning streak came to an end with a scoreless tie in the pouring rain at home vs. Lebanon, ironically a game that was scheduled as the opener but had to be postponed due to storms. But since the season started, Clarke has seen his team come a long way.

“Leaps and bounds,” Clarke said. “It’s been a great three-year streak but this is a different team this year and they have to find their own identity, own style of possessing and finishing. I do think we’re getting there.

“The Lebanon game was kind of good for us. It meant we had to focus if we want to keep the drive going.”

They kept it going last night, but for 40 minutes it wasn’t easy.

GAME FOR A CAUSE

The Spartans wore pink jerseys and the game was a fund raiser for the fight against the cancer Sarcoma. Baked goods, etc. were available for a donation throughout the night.