Field hockey team starts season off with wins over Dedham and OA

The Canton High field hockey team started the season with two decisive wins: 4-0 against Dedham and 3-0 over Oliver Ames.

The girls showcased their strong passing game and ball movement in the season opener against Dedham.

“They’re always a great game for us,” coach Fior Griffin said. “We have a long rivalry and recently we’ve bumped each other out of tournament play.”

Senior captains Emily Dillon, Ali King and Nikki Wanless each scored a goal. Junior Stephanie Rizzitano netted the final goal for the Bulldogs.

Griffin said she was especially pleased that the team voted for two non-goal scorers as the players of the game. Junior Haley Gaughan was selected for her ability to assist and set up goal situations, and freshman Kellie Stigas was voted player of the game after showcasing her capabilities as a utility player, playing three positions on the field during the game.

“The voting showed the game was really a team effort where everyone contributed,” Griffin said.

Against Oliver Ames, the girls maintained a shutout situation throughout the game, denying the Tigers any shots on goal or penalty corners. Comparatively, Canton finished the game with 17 shots on goal and 13 penalty corners. Goal scorers for Canton included Dillon, Gaughan, and junior Becky Lazaro.

This year is particularly special for Griffin, who started coaching varsity when this year’s seniors were freshmen. Four years ago the girls made it to the state finals, and last year they made it to the semifinals.

“These girls know what it takes in the offseason to be ready to win games when the season starts,” Griffin said.

The four senior captains — Dillon, Wanless, King, and Alli Guenthner — helped organize and prepare the underclassmen so they would be ready when practice started three weeks before the regular season.

Fior said there are also a lot of underclassmen — from juniors down to freshmen — who are “big contributors” on the team. “We’re very lucky to have the group we have this year,” she said.

With such a talented group, the team has high expectations.

“We want to win the league and are definitely hungry for the state title,” Griffin said. “Our other goal is how to get there: be the best fundamentally sound team in the league and against any team we face. We have to excel at the basics in order to win.”

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Posted by Jeffrey Cattel on Sep 23 2010. Filed under High School, Sports. Both comments and pings are currently closed.