Girls’ soccer goes 1-1-1 despite Berman’s big week

Jessie Brooks battles a Milford player for positioning in last week's first-ever showdown between the 2 squads.

Despite an incredible offensive explosion by senior captain Lauren Berman, the highly rated CHS girls’ soccer team produced only mediocre results last week, settling for a win, a loss, and a tie over a busy five-day stretch.

The week started off on a high note as the Bulldogs played mistake-free soccer in a 5-0 victory over Attleboro last Monday. Head coach Paul Turner said it was a fairly comfortable win, although he praised the Bombardiers for their fast and aggressive style of play.

“It was a really well-played game,” said Turner. “There are some five-nil games that are really one-sided, but this one was very competitive for a lot of the game.”

Berman led the way for the Bulldogs with a monster four-goal effort, while fellow senior captain Brianna Duserick netted her first goal of the season to round out the scoring. Goalkeeper Kristen Burns also played well in the win, making a couple of key saves while recording her second straight shutout.

Canton did not fare nearly as well when it traveled to Franklin on Wednesday, as the visitors surrendered two quick goals within the first five minutes and could never fully recover, falling 5-2.

On the whole, Turner thought his squad played “better than the score line indicated,” especially late in the first half and early in the second half. However, the Panthers — last year’s Kelly-Rex Division champions — capitalized on Canton’s early mistakes and then took advantage of a formation change when the Bulldogs were fighting to make up some ground.

“They’re just too good and too organized,” Turner said of Franklin, which finished 0-1-1 against his squad last season. “They’re going to be a team to beat. They’re certainly the best team we’ve seen so far this year.”

Berman once again led the Bulldogs in the scoring department, tallying both of the team’s goals while barely missing on a few other scoring chances.

Two days later against Milford, Berman struck again, giving her seven on the week and 98 for her career. But the Bulldogs as a team struggled to find the net and ended up settling for a 1-1 draw.

“We were really, really poor in the first half,” remarked Turner after the game. “It was our first night game of the season and we just looked nervous and jittery.”

The hosts settled down as the game wore on; however, Milford managed to even up the score and then turned its attention to shutting down the Canton attack.

“They put their bodies on the line, doing everything they could to stop us from scoring,” said Turner after the game. “Through their hard work and tenacity they deserved a draw against us.”

Reflecting on the three-game slate, Turner thought his team played well at times in all three games, but he emphasized just how tough the league and the division is this season.

“We’re a good team,” he said. “I think we’re still finding our way a little bit, but we’re not unbeatable and we just have to find a way to win games.”

This week, the Bulldogs will head to Oliver Ames on Thursday (today) for their first of three straight on the road. On Monday they will travel to Sharon, followed by a date with Foxboro on Friday, September 28.

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Posted by Jay Turner on Sep 20 2012. Filed under High School, Sports. Both comments and pings are currently closed.