Canton reaches goal
WALTHAM -- Canton field hockey coach Christine O'Connor didn't think one goal would be enough to beat Watertown last night. She's overjoyed that her defense proved her wrong.
Senior Lauren Mooney tipped home the lone goal seven minutes into the second half and Canton withstood a feverish Watertown attack en route to a 1-0 victory in the MIAA Division 2 EMass final last night at Bentley College.
Canton (21-0-1) advances to tomorrow's state final and will meet Frontier Regional at Worcester State at 5:30 p.m.
"Against a team like Watertown, you never feel like one goal is enough," said O'Connor. "I held my breath that entire second half. Watertown did not give up. They really pummeled us late in the half, but our goaltender and our defense did an outstanding job."
Junior netminder Kristine Stigas stood on her head at times, turning away five shots. She also benefited from a tireless defense that found a way to clear the ball after each Watertown opportunity.
The Red Raiders held a 7-3 advantage in shots and a 19-5 advantage in penalty corners.
"My whole defense really stood in there and played strong," said O'Connor. "Particularly against a team like Watertown, the key is to always try to get the ball out of there. We kept finding a way to do that." Canton capitalized on one of its few opportunities to take the lead early in the second half. Senior Katie White sent a shot across the net and Mooney broke free from her defender long enough to tip it in near the left post before Watertown goalkeeper Kasey O'Laughlin could shuffle over.
"You got to draw the defender away and then crash toward the net," said Mooney. "That's what we've been practicing and that's what I did. I just happened to get free and tip in that cross."
Watertown (20-2-1) mounted an all-out offensive assault in the second half. Utilizing 13 corners, it generated a passel of scoring opportunities but couldn't convert. Canton's blanket coverage of Watertown senior standout Alex Quinn only exacerbated the Raiders' problems.
"We had a lot of chances; it just wasn't meant to be for us," said Watertown coach Eileen Donahue, whose charges were bidding for their third EMass title in four years. "It wasn't like we gave up. We came close, we just couldn't get the goal we needed." Canton has outscored opponents, 63-11, this season, including an 8-1 advantage through five postseason games.
Even when Stigas couldn't make the stop, her defense had her back. Off a penalty corner, Quinn uncorked a rocket with less than 10 minutes to play that seemed destined for the net before senior defenseman Lainey Sullivan emerged from the twine to make a stick save. Canton turned away four penalty corners in the final three minutes to preserve the win.
