CHS boys lax ends skid with statement win vs. Scituate

Junior attackman Mike Shaw was one of 6 Bulldogs who scored vs. Scituate. (Mike Barucci photo)

Long overdue for a win after a string of tough-luck losses, the Canton High boys lacrosse team made their own good fortune on Monday with a hard-fought, 11-10 overtime victory over nonleague Scituate at Memorial Field.

The thrilling win — capped off by a Griffin Roach goal that was perfectly executed after a timeout — may very well have saved the Bulldogs’ season, snapping a 1-4 skid and bringing their record back to .500 with four games left to play. The fact that it came against a 10-3 Sailors team that they could potentially see again in the Division 2 south playoffs made it all the more satisfying and serves as further proof to head coach Bill Bendell that his team is headed in the right direction.

“We had a tough loss to Sharon a couple weeks ago and another close loss to North Attleboro, but we’re making adjustments and we’re starting to click — and this is the right time to be clicking,” said Bendell.

The coach praised the team’s focus on the defensive end and their commitment to win their individual matchups, and that was evident in the Scituate win as the Bulldogs made several big stops down the stretch, including a two-minute stand at the beginning of overtime. Brendan Albert continues to be a force on the defensive end while goalie Jack Connolly had arguably his best performance of the season, finishing with 16 saves and executing several perfect outlet passes to help jumpstart the team’s transition game.

On the offensive end, junior Dan Cohen has been red-hot and contributed a team-high four goals against the Sailors. Roach and Kevin Albert added two goals apiece while Charlie O’Connor, Mike Shaw, and long stick middie Nick MacKay tallied one each in another balanced scoring effort for the Bulldogs.

One of the keys for us against Scituate and in many of our games is that we were unselfish on the offensive end,” said Bendell. “Guys weren’t forcing anything and were taking good shots.”

In their previous game at King Philip, the Bulldogs did not execute at quite the same level, but they still brought maximum effort as they overcame an early deficit on the road to force OT before losing 8-7. Canton had a golden opportunity to steal a win with an extra-man opportunity at the start of overtime period but was unable to convert. Meanwhile, the Warriors took possession and scored almost immediately to earn their eighth win of the season.

“They drew it up and executed it perfectly, and there’s nothing you can do but just tip your hat,” said Bendell. “But our guys played hard the entire game and we gave them a good run. We clawed back into the game and we had them on the ropes.”

Cohen led the Bulldogs with two goals and Connolly had another strong performance in the cage, finishing with 13 saves. It marked the sixth straight game and ninth overall that Canton held an opponent to single-digit goals.

Now 6-6, the Bulldogs will need at least two more wins in order to lock up a spot in the postseason tournament. They were due to host Taunton on Wednesday and Abington on Friday before closing out the regular season with games next week against Milton and Franklin.

Girls lax rebounds with win vs. Brookline

Monday also proved to be a bounce-back day for the CHS girls lacrosse team as the lady Bulldogs snapped a four-game losing streak with a 14-13 home win over nonleague Brookline.

Junior Leah McClellan paced the offense with a team-high 10 points (4g, 6a) while senior Molly Colburn added three goals and junior Maggie Connolly finished with two goals and two assists. Sophomore goalie Vicky Revanche, who has filled in admirably for injured starter Theresa O’Brien, finished with 21 saves to help lead Canton to the one-goal victory.

Entering last night’s game against Taunton at 3-9 overall, the lady Bulldogs will look to finish on a high note as they wrap up the schedule with a game tomorrow at Natick and three more next week versus Holliston, Milton, and Franklin.

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