Girls’ lax team goes 1-1, looks sharp in both contests

It was another solid week of lacrosse for the Canton High girls’ team as the Bulldogs cruised past North Attleboro 14-9 before earning what head coach Chris Murtagh called a “moral victory” in a hard-fought, 13-8 loss to Franklin.

Senior captain Michelle McNeil (Mike Barucci photo)

Even with the loss, the girls still boast the second-best record in the Davenport Division at 7-4, trailing only Foxboro with five games remaining, including a head-to-head matchup with the Warriors next Monday.

In the meantime, the Bulldogs are proving that they can play with anyone, and while they came up short against the Panthers last Wednesday, it was clear that they were not intimidated.

“It was a great game,” Murtagh said afterwards. “It was definitely one of our best performances against them. Unfortunately, we came out on the wrong end, but it’s nice to see that we can hold our own against the upper tier teams.”

Senior captain Michelle McNeil paced the Bulldog offense with four goals, while Kaitlin Phillips finished with two in the fast-paced affair. Meghan Lennon and Avery Devoe rounded out the scoring with one goal apiece.

Canton’s defense also had one of its finer performances, led by Sarah Civian, Amanda Crowley and Angela Sementelli. Goalie Casey Considine was similarly impressive, making several good saves, including one where she took the ball right off an opponent’s stick.

“Casey had one of her best games of the year so far,” said Murtagh of the first-year goalie. “She’s stepping up to the challenge and has shown great improvement.”

Earlier in the week against North Attleboro, the Bulldogs delivered a “total team effort” as the reserves played nearly as much time as the starters in a game that was never in doubt.

Murtagh also moved some of his players around, including senior captain Civian, who notched her first career goal in the win.

Phillips led the way with four goals, and three different players — Jen Martin, Shannon Proctor, and Lennon — finished the game with two goals each. Jackie Merrigan, Christine Ward, and Devoe also scored goals for the Bulldogs. Other top performers included Caitlin Feeney and Becca and Alyssa Wysocki.

In other team news, Murtagh reported that all-star defenseman Emma Compagna is still in the process of rehabbing from an ankle injury and will likely be out for the remainder of the regular season. However, the team is still hoping to get Compagna back for the playoffs, which get underway in three weeks.

The girls were due to travel to Lakeville on Monday for a rematch with Apponequet Regional and were also scheduled to host Oliver Ames on Wednesday, May 9. On Monday they will travel to Foxboro, where they could possibly clinch their second straight Davenport title with a victory.

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Posted by Jay Turner on May 9 2012. Filed under High School, Sports. Both comments and pings are currently closed.