Field hockey team dominates Sharon in opener

After a postponement on Thursday due to rain, the CHS varsity field hockey team traveled to Sharon on Friday and cruised to a 5-0, season opening victory.

Senior captain Stephanie Rizzitano

It was business as usual for the defending south sectional champions, who return several key players from a team that went 20-1-1 and reached the state semifinals.

One of them, senior captain Cady Kelly, got the scoring started about ten minutes into the game, assisted by senior Becky Lazaro. Kelly then scored another one less than 30 seconds later, while junior Meaghan McKenna, the team’s starting center back, added a goal of her own to give the Bulldogs a commanding 3-0 lead at the half.

Head coach Fior Griffin, now in her fifth season with the team, was pleased with the early results, noting that Sharon’s grass field can be very unpredictable.

“I thought that we came out strong,” said Griffin. “They did all the basic things well — they passed well, they controlled the pace of play and maintained possession throughout most of the game.”

Offensively, the Bulldogs finished with some impressive totals, including 21 penalty corners and 34 shots on goal. They also tacked on a pair of second-half goals — one apiece by sophomore Katie Kelleher and senior Gina Nicolas — to put the game out of reach.

Besides getting the win, several younger and inexperienced players received valuable playing time, including sophomore Jackie Merrigan and varsity newcomer Michelle Bigot, both of whom played well in extended action.

It is just one game, but the Bulldogs were encouraged with the results and have high hopes going forward. They also have a strong core of seniors, led by Kelly and fellow co-captains Michelle McNeil and Stephanie Rizzitano.

The girls had a three-game slate this week, beginning with their home opener on Monday versus Foxboro. They visit Mansfield this afternoon and will then head to Dedham for a 12 noon game on Saturday.

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Posted by Jay Turner on Sep 14 2011. Filed under High School, Sports. Both comments and pings are currently closed.