CANTON – Dynamic scoring tandem Carolyn Schiavo and Shannon Lane, and the rest of the No. 6 Canton field hockey team’s attack, are used to lighting up the scoreboard regularly. Playing to a scoreless tie in their first major test against Div. 1 power Franklin a week ago, then, left a bit of a sour taste.
Against fellow Div. 2 standout No. 13 King Philip on Monday, though, the No. 6 Bulldogs (10-0-1) got some vindication with a 3-1 win that head coach Chrissy O’Connor called the team’s best all-around performance yet – snapping the Warriors’ nine-game win streak.
Lane’s two goals in the first half gave her 100 goals on her career as a junior, backing a stellar job across all three phases to hold King Philip without a shot on net before the break. Schiavo added a goal in the second half as she paced the attack, and the defense held on to withstand a major surge from the Warriors that put 12 shots on goalie Shealyn Murphy (11 saves) over the last two quarters.
King Philip showed off what makes them as dangerous as any contender. But Canton showed off what could make it elite come tournament time.
“I think after Franklin, where some of the kids played a little tentative, we put a focus more on, ‘Play your game, be more offensive,’” O’Connor said. “(King Philip was) fierce. They were fast, they were strong – I give them a ton of credit, they’re super intense. … Definitely, this was (our) most solid game, overall. They pieced it together a little bit more.”
“(Against Franklin) we were very defensive,” Lane added. “Now that we’ve played KP, we played all these teams that they play, we’ll go in knowing that we can score.”
Canton was aggressive right from the jump in pushing the pressure, and extending the midfield and defense deep into Warrior territory.
Tabitha McCready, Cassidy Lyons and Michaela Dickie did well to help Lane, Schiavo and Nora Giannacopoulos keep the ball out of the defensive 25 and create offensive opportunities. Schiavo’s stick-handling drew an abundance of the team’s 13 corners on the night, and the seventh corner of the first half set up the first goal.
Lane dangled past two defenders to find space to drive in a 1-0 lead. Just 90 seconds later, after Canton immediately dialed up the pressure again, she flicked in her second goal to crack 100 on her career.
“We all got more confident … we weren’t as nervous, we executed things more and better,” Lane said. “It’s just really nice (to get 100 career goals). I’m just very happy. Especially because I like to come to the turf a lot and practice my shooting.”
“She works hard at it,” O’Connor added. “Today, she really just got it done when we needed it. … That first goal was nice, that little ice breaker.”
While Canton racked up the corners, King Philip did well to prevent most from turning into goals behind strong play from junior defender Calleigh Brady and goalie Lauren Griffin (eight saves).
The Warriors made some changes at halftime to give a wealth of scares in the second half, drawing four corners and peppering Murphy with five shots in the third quarter alone. Tayla McDuff, Ella Morgan and Abbey Pompei stood out on the attack.
Even as King Philip’s play improved in a back-and-forth third quarter, though, Canton defenders Grace Martinek, Kate Budway and Ellie Young starred in containing the threats to maintain the shutout into the fourth quarter. On whatever they couldn’t contain, Murphy was stellar in net behind them.
“As they get more confident with each other, it’s helping,” O’Connor said. “Their communication is getting better. So, it’s nice. It’s nice to see.”
Schiavo provided key insurance early in the fourth, taking advantage of space and one-on-one matchups to gain the circle and wrist in a 3-0 lead.
King Philip had a vicious response over the last five minutes, scoring on Morgan’s goal during a corner, and firing off many of its seven shots on net within the frame. Murphy held strong in net to keep the two-goal lead.
“She really stepped up huge for us,” O’Connor said. “She hasn’t been challenged so far as much as she was last year at this point of the season. So, you get a little worried about these big games.”
