Girls’ soccer team downs Norwood in season opener

Despite losing a host of talented players as well as their coach for the past three seasons, the new-look CHS girls’ soccer team looked sharp in their 2013 debut, breezing past nonleague Norwood 3-0 in Saturday’s season opener.

The victory marked the dawn of a new era for the Bulldogs, who will be playing without career scoring leader and three-time league MVP Lauren Berman for the first time in four years — a span that included back-to-back division titles and a run to the Division 2 state title game. Instead, the team will rely on a core group of returning veterans, led by their three captains: seniors Kim McNally and Rachel Compagna and junior defensive anchor Hailee Duserick.

McNally, a three-year starter and an All-Hockomock League selection last season, is expected to be one of the team’s top playmakers and already proved it against Norwood, scoring two of the Bulldogs’ three goals.

Also scoring a goal in the victory was Tessa Cudmore, a talented freshman who is expected to contribute right away and play a major role on the team this season, according to first-year head coach Kate Howarth.

Howarth, a native of Michigan who played professionally for the Boston Breakers, is still familiarizing herself with the program, although she liked what she saw in the weekend win against Norwood.

“As a team they were really calm and collected,” she said. “It was just a really good team performance and a great game all around.”

Howarth said she thinks the Bulldogs have a chance to be very successful this season, and she shrugged off a 1-0 loss to North Attleboro earlier this week as a case of tough luck — seeing as the team had a “huge amount” of chances and dominated possession throughout long stretches of the game.

At the same time, Howarth felt that the girls should have taken advantage of their opportunities and hoped that the loss would serve as an “eye opener” and help “set the tone for the rest of the year.”

“I think they realized that they shouldn’t have lost this game,” she said.

Howarth also thinks the team has extra motivation to prove they can win without the likes of Berman and Brianna Duserick, another all-star talent who graduated last spring.

“I think everybody wants to prove people wrong,” she said. “And they know that just losing one or two players isn’t going to stop them from being a successful team.”

Now 1-1 on the season, the Bulldogs were due to travel to Attleboro on Wednesday and will next host Franklin on Monday, September 16, beginning at 3:30 p.m.

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Posted by Jay Turner on Sep 12 2013. Filed under High School, Sports. Both comments and pings are currently closed.