CHS field hockey outduels Foxboro to finish 2nd

By Jay Turner

Update: The CHS field hockey team defeated Foxboro 3-1 at home on Thursday to win the battle for second place in the Hockomock Davenport Division. Oliver Ames clinched the title outright with a win over Stoughton. OA finished the regular season at 8-0-2 with the Bulldogs right behind at 7-1-2.

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It’s down to the wire in the race for the Davenport Division field hockey championship with three teams still vying for the title on the final day of the regular season.

Senior captain Allie Gefteas has been a force in the back for the CHS field hockey team. (Mike Tureski photo)

One of those teams, Oliver Ames, has already locked up at least a share of the crown and could win it outright with a win or a draw tonight against Stoughton. The other two contenders, Canton and Foxboro, will square off this afternoon at Memorial Field and could potentially secure a share of the title with both a win and an OA loss. At the very least, today’s matchup will determine the second-place finisher and the host Bulldogs are sure to be plenty motivated as they look to snap a three-game scoreless streak and get back into the win column.

Prior to last week’s home-and-home series with OA, Canton had been red-hot, racking up six straight wins while outscoring their opponents by a combined margin of 32-1. Since then, the Bulldogs have gone 0-1-2 with a 1-0 home loss to the Tigers and a pair of scoreless draws.

While they have adjusted to the seven-on-seven format and many of the other rules modifications put in place this season due to COVID-19, head coach Chrissy O’Connor said the elimination of penalty corners in particular took away a number of would-be scoring opportunities against Oliver Ames. And their offensive woes only intensified after senior captain Maria Femia — the current Hockomock League scoring leader — went out with an injury midway through the second OA game.

“That was a big blow, losing one of our top offensive players,” acknowledged O’Connor. “We’ve really relied on her this season. At the same time, our offense still needs to figure out how to score without Maria.”

In the meantime, the Bulldog defense continues to be major strength, led by the core four of Allie Gefteas, Carly Fitzgerald, Lizzie Tassinari and goalie Riley O’Connor. OA managed to touch them up for a goal late in the first game last week, but it was their first goal allowed since the season opener and O’Connor was sensational in the rematch, tallying 11 saves and making several strong clears.

“That whole core group back there, they’re physically strong and they’re mentally strong,” said Coach O’Connor. “Those four really hold the defense together, and Allie in particular has been rock solid for us all season. She’s probably our toughest competitor and she doesn’t get nearly enough recognition for the game that she plays.”

Canton’s defenders also played a key role in Tuesday’s 0-0 draw against Foxboro and they will be called on again this afternoon when they welcome the Warriors to town for a rematch. In addition to settling the standings in the Davenport Division, the outcome of today’s game will also determine the matchups for the Hockomock Cup crossover tournament, which is due to get underway next week. Likely first round opponents for Canton on the Kelley-Rex side include second-place King Philip (5-2-1) and third-place Attleboro (3-1-2).

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