Field hockey sweeps Foxboro, extends division lead
By Jay Turner
Senior Jules Gilchrist is having a stellar season. (Mike Tureski photo)
The wins keep on coming for the Canton High varsity field hockey team, which improved to a Davenport Division-best 12-1 with a victory last Thursday on the road against rival Foxboro.
Always a formidable foe regardless of their position in the standings, the Warriors came into the contest with an 8-2-1 mark in league games and also had the advantage of being on their home turf. Yet in the end, the Bulldogs’ superior talent won out, sparked by a fourth-quarter, two-goal outburst courtesy of team scoring leaders Shannon Lane and Carolyn Schiavo.
For Lane, it was her league-leading 31st goal in just 13 games and yet another example of the talented sophomore imposing her will when the team needed her most. “I think her confidence level has improved throughout the year; if anything, she held back a little bit at the start of the season,” said head coach Chrissy O’Connor. “She’s becoming more open and verbal in her communication, and just like Carolyn, she’s one of the hardest workers on the team.”
O’Connor said both Lane and Schiavo, who netted her 19th goal in the win, are shining examples of the kind of players who know what it takes to be considered among the best. “They always stay after practice and they’re always looking for chances to play,” she said. “You wonder why the kids at the top are where they are? They do all the extra stuff needed to get there.”
It hasn’t just been a two-person show, however. Several players, in fact, have really raised their game this season, notably senior Julianna Gilchrist, who anchors a defense that is allowing just one goal per game, and sophomore midfielder Cassidy Lyons, who does all of the little things that contribute to winning, whether or not they show up on the stat sheet.
“Cass has become one of our go-to’s and she’s probably our most underrated player,” said O’Connor. “She’s our cleanup person in the midfield and has been one of our more consistent players throughout the season.”
She also knows how to produce when needed, as evidenced by her top-10 league ranking in total points with 10 goals and seven assists. Senior Izzy Digirolamo has also made her mark with five goals and 10 assists, and right behind her is junior Nora Giannacopoulos with nine goals and four assists.
After hosting a pair of division foes this week in North Attleboro and Oliver Ames, the Bulldogs will close out the regular season with three road games in five days next week: Monday at Stoughton, Wednesday at Mansfield, and Friday at nonleague Norwood, currently the top-ranked team in all of Division 2.
O’Connor said the finale against the Mustangs should be a good test for the fourth-ranked Bulldogs as they gear up for the D2 state tournament.
“I think that if we play to our potential and skill level, there isn’t a team in our division that we can’t beat,” she said.
Short URL: https://www.thecantoncitizen.com/?p=127302
Posted by Jay Turner
on Oct 18 2024. Filed under High School, Sports.
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