Field hockey reaches south semis with back-to-back blowouts

Update: The Bulldogs are headed back to the south sectional finals after beating No. 5 Dover-Sherborn 2-1 in OT Tuesday night at home. Canton will take on No. 6 Cohasset Saturday at 11 a.m. at Taunton High School.

Senior Michelle McNeil (Mike Barucci photo)

After rolling through the regular season with a near-perfect 16-0-1 mark, the top-seeded Canton High field hockey team cruised into the Division 2 south sectional semis last week with consecutive blowout wins over No. 16 Plymouth South and No. 8 West Bridgewater, shredding the two opponents by a combined score of 14-0.

As if it were even possible, the Bulldogs looked even more dominant in the opening rounds of the postseason than they did all year against Hockomock competition. The first game, played Friday at home, turned into a laugher within minutes as Canton built a 3-0 lead that ballooned to 7-0 by the half.

“They went at it right from the first whistle,” said head coach Fior Griffin, who managed to get almost all of her bench some playing time in the 9-0 victory.

Although Griffin agreed that the game was not competitive, she insisted that the coaches and players were “not trying to run up the score.” She did, however, encourage her squad to play hard for the entire 60 minutes, and she was proud to see that there was no let-up even as the lead continued to grow.

The team was led by senior captain Cady Kelly, who topped all scorers with a hat trick and an assist. Junior Meghan McKenna added two goals, while Kellie Stigas, Haley Gaughan, and sisters Michelle and Mary McNeil each scored one.

On Sunday, the Bulldogs continued their torrid pace with a 5-0 win over visiting West Bridgewater — a team that went into the game with an impressive overall record of 13-1-4.

But the Wildcats never stood a chance in this one as the hosts executed the game to perfection, highlighted by a beautiful finish by McKenna, who converted a rocket from Stigas off a corner for the team’s third goal.

Gaughan added two goals in the victory while Becky Lazaro and Emma Compagna each chipped in with one apiece.

However, it wasn’t the scoring, but rather the way in which the girls played that most impressed their coach.

“The pace of our play and the passing was just exactly what I’ve been looking for throughout the season,” said Griffin, who also praised the team’s commitment to defense.

The bottom line, she said, is that the Bulldogs will beat any team they face if they can play to the level that they did against West Bridgewater.

Griffin was certainly hoping for a repeat performance on Tuesday as the girls were set to host No. 5 Dover-Sherborn (17-1-2) in the semifinal round. A win would send the Bulldogs back to the south finals and a date with either No. 6 Harwich or No. 7 Cohasset on Saturday at Taunton High School.

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Posted by Jay Turner on Nov 9 2011. Filed under High School, Sports. Both comments and pings are currently closed.