Where Are They Now: Women’s Edition

Considering the way the Canton High School field hockey team has dominated the competition over the past several seasons, it should come as little surprise that so many program alumnae have made the jump to the college level. In fact, at last count, there were at least nine former Bulldogs playing field hockey at colleges and universities throughout New England, including at least six who have seen significant playing time, four who compete for a Division 1 school, three who began the season as starters, two school record holders, and one bona fide scoring machine.

Catherine O'Brien

Leading this impressive group of Canton athletes are three members of the class of 2008, who were part of the last Canton squad to reach a state championship game.

The team captain that season, Catherine O’Brien, is now a starting midfielder for the nationally ranked Boston College Eagles, and she recently scored her first collegiate goal in a game against Quinnipiac on September 2. O’Brien, a former Boston Globe Player of the Year and winner of two state titles (2004 and 2006) as a member of the Bulldogs, has played in 42 career games over three-plus seasons with the Eagles, tallying a goal and six assists.

In attending BC and playing for the Eagles, O’Brien is not only living out a lifelong dream; she is also carrying on the legacy of her grandfather, the late Anthony J. Di Natale, who captained the 1937 BC football team and was later enshrined in the school’s hall of fame.

A star athlete who was beloved on and off the field, Di Natale’s hall of fame plaque describes him as a “Boston College football legend whose long and accurate punting was a trademark of the Eagle football success of his era.”

“Catherine was the only member of my father’s family to attend BC and play a sport at the school he loved so dearly,” said her mother, Ann Marie O’Brien. “She was even fortunate enough to wear his Number 2.”

Meanwhile, over at Westfield State University, one of O’Brien’s former Bulldog teammates, Jessi Gould, continues her assault on the school record books with six goals through the Owls’ first five games. Gould, a former three-sport star at CHS, led the Bulldogs in scoring in her one and only season of field hockey before heading off to Westfield, where she has been on fire ever since.

Jessi Gould

Now a senior, Gould has a chance to make history as she aims to break the school record for most career goals and most career points. Earlier this season, she surpassed her head coach, Heather Cabral, in both categories and is now second all-time with 47 goals and 108 points. She would need to score another 16 goals to break both records. Throw in two more and she would also break the record for most goals in a season, where she currently sits in third after netting 18 last year as a junior.

While Gould has made a name for herself as a scorer, one of her teammates from the class of ’08, goalkeeper Christine Thornton, recently shattered her own school record at Lasell College in Newton for most saves in a game. Thornton, who was outstanding in net for the Bulldogs in 2007, racked up an incredible 28 saves in a loss to Drew University on September 11.

A fashion design and production major, Thornton has started over 50 games in net for the Lasers during her four-year career and has consistently ranked among the top goalkeepers in the North Atlantic Conference in saves and save percentage.

In addition to the three seniors, six other Bulldog alums are currently playing field hockey in a college program, including: Claire Grogan (’09), a junior midfielder at the University of New Hampshire, Nicole Santosuosso (’09), a junior forward at Bates College in Maine; Brianna Lyons (’10), a sophomore midfielder at Elms College in Chicopee; Sarah Healey (’11), a freshman goalkeeper at St. Michael’s College in Vermont; Alli Guenthner (’11), a freshman back at Cornell University in Ithaca, New York; and Emily Dillon (’11), a freshman midfielder at Quinnipiac University in Connecticut.

Meanwhile, another perennially successful CHS program — the volleyball team — has also produced its share of college athletes over the years. One of them is two-time Hockomock League MVP Brianna Trabucco, who is now the starting setter for the Merrimack College women’s volleyball team.

Brianna Trabucco

A 2009 CHS graduate, Trabucco captained three Bulldog teams in her senior season (volleyball, basketball, softball) and has carried over that leadership to Merrimack, where she was named team captain at the start of the 2011 season.

Trabucco, a communications major, made an instant impact on the Warriors, finishing second on the team in assists as a freshman. Now a junior, she has taken her game to another level and currently leads the team in assists with 222 and is third overall in digs with 54. Already this season she has three double-doubles, including a stellar performance against St. Anselm in the season opener in which she racked up 26 assists and 12 digs to help lead the Warriors to a 3-2 victory.

Leaving Andover and heading about 90 miles north on Route 93, one will land in Plymouth, New Hampshire, where one of Trabucco’s former teammates, Allie Jones, is piling up impressive numbers of her own at Plymouth State University.

Jones, who was the top female athlete in the CHS class of 2010, is now a sophomore outside hitter for the Panthers and currently ranks second on the team in kills with 68, second in blocks with 12, and is tied for first in service aces with 17. She recently was named to the All-Tournament Team at the Endicott Invitational after finishing with 36 kills and 12 aces through four matches.

Also impressing in her sophomore season is Vicki O’Brien, a libero/defensive specialist at Worcester State University. A 2010 graduate along with Jones, O’Brien made a set-saving dive in a game against Wentworth on September 7 and is currently second on the team in digs with 56.

Kelly Mooney

Lastly, the CHS girls’ soccer team deserves a nod as one of its alumnae, Kelly Mooney (’07), has put together an impressive collegiate career as a member of the UNH Wildcats. A former Division 2 player of the year and Hockomock MVP, Mooney is now a team captain and the anchor of a strong Wildcats defense. She hopes to improve on a stellar junior season in which she started all 20 of the team’s games and was named to the America East All-Conference First Team.

Stay tuned for the next edition, when the Citizen checks in on a number of male CHS alums who have found continued success in a college sports program.

Did we miss your collegiate accomplishments? Send us an email at submissions@thecantoncitizen.com.

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Posted by Jay Turner on Sep 21 2011. Filed under Beyond CHS, Featured Content, Sports. Both comments and pings are currently closed.