Kevin McCord of Norwell shines for Mass. Maritime

Norwell High grad Kevin McCord is already collecting league honors in his first season on the men's soccer team at Massachusetts Maritime Academy. The freshman forward was selected as player of the week in the Massachusetts State College Athletic Conference after collecting two goals and two assists as the Buccaneers went 2-0-1 in the week ending Oct. 19.

McCord scored two goals and an assist in a 4-3 double-overtime victory against Fitchburg State on Oct. 18 and added an assist in a 3-2 win against UMass-Dartmouth.

The win against Fitchburg State was the first conference win for the Buccaneers this season. The team was 5-9-2 at the beginning of the week.

McCord, who played four seasons at Norwell High, leads the Buccaneers in points with five goals and two assists. He had played in 15 matches, starting 10.

"Kevin is starting to deliver on the potential he showed when the season began," said Mass. Maritime coach Greg Perry. "He has been a big part of our play up front, not only as a goal scorer, but as a playmaker, and he has helped us put things together on the offensive side over the past few weeks."

The Buccaneers' roster is loaded with players from the South Shore, including freshman midfielder Michael McCarthy (2 assists), who played with McCord at Norwell High. The team's third-leading scorer is Weymouth graduate Matthew Patten, who has two goals and three assists, for seven points. The midfielder started all 16 games for the Buccaneers. He played all 17 matches last season and had two goals and two assists.

The regular season will come to an end for the Buccaneers on Nov. 1 against Bridgewater State.

Duxbury native Jack Shields has earned a starting spot this season with the University of Virginia football team. The Boston College High graduate is the Cavaliers' starting center. Before yesterday's game, Shields - a 6-5, 285-pound sophomore - had started all seven games at center as Virginia earned a 4-3 record.

Shields redshirted his freshman season in 2006 and started one game at center last season in a 44-14 win against Pittsburgh.

At BC High, Shields played tight end for four years. His senior year he had 25 receptions, for nearly 400 yards and five touchdowns.

The athletic genes run in the Shields family. Shields' father, Jack, was a middle linebacker at Notre Dame (1979-1982).

There were a couple of firsts in the area recently. Stoughton football coach Greg Burke celebrated his 100th career victory last week with an 18-0 win against Foxborough. Burke is in his 17th season at Stoughton, and the win pushed Stoughton's record to 2-4.

Meanwhile, Hingham junior Rick Darst got his first hole-in-one at South Shore Country Club Oct. 13. Darst, 16, hit a 7-iron 165 yards on a par 3. Pat Barrett and Tom Quinn, both of Hingham, witnessed the achievement on the second hole.

Braintree is seeking a boys' varsity lacrosse coach. Prior coaching or teaching experience is preferred. Interested candidates should send a cover letter, a resume, and three letters of references to 128 Town Street, Braintree, MA, 02184. It should be sent in care of Michael Denise, athletic director.

Former field hockey players from Bridgewater-Raynham are encouraged to return for the annual alumnae field hockey game fund-raiser to be held at 2 p.m. Nov. 1 at the high school. The event is $25 per player and will be held rain or shine. All proceeds will benefit the B-R field hockey program. For more information or to RSVP, contact Cheri at 508-821-8151 or sully280@aol.com.

The Weymouth girls' freshman cross-country team earned a third-place finish at the Brown Invitational last week. The group finished third out of 20 teams from across the Northeast.

The group of freshmen was led by Bridget Jaklitsch, who was eighth with a time of 16 minutes, 20 seconds at the event in Rhode Island. Other freshmen included Julie Tevenan (17:48), Allison Brady (18:04), Paige Myers (18:05), and Kate Pearce (18:44).

"These girls literally have done everything I've asked them to," Weymouth coach Mike Miller said. "If they continue to buy into what we teach, I think our program's future could be very bright."

Monique Walker can be reached at mwalker@globe.com.