LEOMINSTER — A year away from the top of the mountain in Division 1 didn’t sit well with the Natick girls soccer team. On Saturday at Doyle Field, the Redhawks took back the gold trophy.

Two goals each from Seton Hall-bound Nicole Proia and fellow senior Abby McCauley helped the Redhawks outlast a talented Franklin squad, 4-2, for their third title in five seasons.

“We knew Franklin was going to come and be relentless for 80 minutes,” Natick co-head coach Denise Trubiano said. “We knew we had to put the ball in the net, take advantage of our opportunities and hang on for dear life.”

Those fans who arrived after kickoff missed a chaotic beginning as the talented offenses delivered haymakers.

McCauley got the party started just 2:47 in as she crashed the box off Kaitlyn Blair’s corner and found a loose ball on the goal line for a 1-0 lead.

It was nearly 2-0 moments later but Franklin’s Cassidy Carmignani pulled Kerrington Sherrif’s shot off the goal line.

Two minutes later, it was the Panthers (15-6-2) who found a corner to their liking as Anna Carosi corraled Grace Marinella’s rebound to tie the game.

A little under 10 minutes later, Proia scored a highlight reel goal as her blast from the top of the area curled just inside the right post to give Natick back the lead at 2-1.

Long-range goals seemed to be suiting the Redhawks (16-3-3) as McCauley followed Proia’s lead and delivered a rocket past Cami Towers.

It took only 94 seconds for Franklin to answer again as Gwen Holland took an errant pass and calmly tucked a shot past Katie McMahon to make it 3-2 after a frantic half.

“It was crazy. Five goals in 40 minutes,” Trubiano said. “We were so unsure what the second half would bring.”

The second half began in a much tamer fashion as defense finally began to take control. The Panthers nearly got the equalizer 15 minutes in but Laila Rosen’s shot clobbered the crossbar.

It would be the first of several quality chances that Franklin would get but McMahon was there each time, making eight of her nine saves in the second half.

Proia finally allowed her teammates to smile with just over 15 minutes left when she came down the left side and tucked a shot inside the post for a 4-2 lead. From there, the Natick defense held the fort.