Girls’ soccer knocks off reigning D1 champs

It was a busy and eventful week of play for the CHS girls’ soccer team as the Bulldogs picked up their first two league wins while also battling division-leading Oliver Ames to a 2-2 draw.

The girls are now 3-1-2 on the season and are trending upward after a tough stretch to open league play.

Their 2-1 home win over Franklin last Monday has been the highlight thus far, seeing as Canton not only outscored but also outplayed the defending Division 1 state champions behind a strong performance from captains Kim McNally and Hailee Duserick.

“They’re definitely a good team,” said head coach Kate Howarth of the visiting Panthers. “They have a lot of weapons, a couple of individually gifted players, and they put it together well.”

Duserick scored first to put the Bulldogs up 1-0, and Franklin responded to make it 1-1 at the half. The second half was also a battle, but McNally’s goal proved to be the difference as Canton held on for a hard-fought win.

“We had our chances and they definitely had theirs,” said Howarth after the game. “Fortunately we were able to put a couple of ours away.”

Two days later the girls traveled to Milford and kept the good times rolling with a 2-0 victory. McNally and freshman Hannah Link each had a goal in the game, although Howarth is still waiting for the team to break out offensively.

“I think we should have put a lot more goals in [against Milford] for sure,” she said. “We should have finished a couple more chances and I think the girls realized that.”

Howarth said a similar story unfolded on Friday against OA as the Bulldogs created far more chances but were once again held to two goals in an eventual draw.

“We came out strong and they were really back on their heels,” she said. “[OA] didn’t have many chances in the flow of the game.”

McNally had both goals for the visitors, giving her four for the week and a team-best six overall through the first six games.

The Bulldog defense turned in yet another strong performance behind Duserick and Hayley Mulford, and Howarth expects the unit to be a real strength of the team this season.

This week, the team was due to play at Sharon on Monday and then host Foxboro in a key divisional showdown tomorrow night at 6 p.m. The girls then head to Stoughton next Tuesday and Taunton on Friday, October 4.

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Posted by Jay Turner on Sep 26 2013. Filed under High School, Sports. Both comments and pings are currently closed.