Girls’ lax qualifies for tournament

After a decisive 21-7 win over Oliver Ames, the Canton High girls’ lacrosse team qualified for the state tournament — its main goal since the beginning of the season. The girls lost the week’s two earlier games, 17-12 to King Philip and 15-4 to Franklin.

After earning a 19-15 victory over OA in the second week of the season, the girls came out of the teams’ second game with a dominating performance. Coach Chris Murtagh said Canton came out strong and was able to maintain the lead throughout the game.

Murtagh described Franklin and King Philip as two of the strongest teams in the Hockomock League. Even in the losses, however, the Bulldogs managed to surprise the other teams with their caliber of play. In the KP game Canton fell behind early in the first half, with the Warriors leading 8-2 eight minutes into the game. Canton began to make up lost ground when the Bulldogs showed better control with transitions off draws, which allowed them to move the ball up the field, Murtagh said.

“We want to keep improving our transitions,” he said. “We always tell the girls the ball travels faster in the air than on foot.”

Canton was able to stop Franklin for the first eight minutes of the game before the Panthers, who are undefeated in the league, began to pull ahead, which Murtagh attributed to the team’s impressive running game and aggressive game play.

“We surprised them, but our ability to hold on, we’re just not there yet,” he said.

The team has been aided by a tremendous offense, which has netted more than 200 goals, an 18 percent increase when compared with the same point in the season last year. Murtagh noted the contribution of senior defensemen and midfielders, including Elana Willinsky and Kinsley Willis, whose strong communication skills helped the Bulldogs during each game. Murtagh also cited Laura O’Brien’s ability to move the ball from one end of the field to the other.

“It’s sort of like watching Bobby Orr with the Bruins,” he said. “She’s able to quickly turn over the ball back to the offensive zone.”

The girls finish the regular season this Friday after games against Mansfield and Ursuline Academy.

Short URL: https://www.thecantoncitizen.com/?p=2478

Posted by Jeffrey Cattel on May 20 2010. Filed under High School, Sports. Both comments and pings are currently closed.