MIAA Boys: 6 standouts from Oliver Ames’ win over Mansfield

Mansfield's Brandon Gardner (9) and OA's Victor Nascimento were two standouts in Monday night's clash. (Camille Babanikas)

MANSFIELD, Mass. — It’s always a tight and competitive match when Hockomock League powers Oliver Ames and Mansfield square off.

Take last season, for example: The two sides were locked in a scoreless draw in overtime of the MIAA Division 2 state semifinals when then-junior Nicky Babanikas blasted an OT winner to send OA to the state final.

The Tigers, of course, wound up winning a third consecutive D2 crown later that week, making Monday’s early-season showdown between OA and Mansfield a highly anticipated rematch to kick off the 2025 campaign.

This year’s act followed a similar script.

Victor Nascimento’s goal in the 35th minute, following a scrum in front of the net, was all the scoring the Tigers needed in front of a stout defensive performance to earn a 1-0 triumph at Mansfield High. OA was shut out in the season-opener, a 0-0 draw with Franklin, so Nascimento’s tally provided some major relief in the scoring department.

“I thought it was a good game for us early on in the season to have so much of the ball and possession,” said coach John Barata. “We just have to finish. We’ve got to figure out the scoring and get a little more comfortable in the attacking third. But it was a positive step.”

The Tigers, ranked second in our preseason poll, improved to 1-0-1 on the campaign, while a young Mansfield squad that graduated eight standouts from last year fell to 1-1-0. Still, there were some positive takeaways for Steve Sheridan’s group.

Here are six standout players from Monday’s Hockomock League tilt.