10/24/201705/31/2018

Tuesday’s Schedule & Scoreboard – 10/24/17

Today’s games are listed below.

Boys Soccer
Attleboro, 1 @ Franklin, 0 – Final – Attleboro junior Will Halben scored the game-winner with 10 minutes to play, handing the Bombardiers their second win in three games, and three straight games with at least a point. After a scoreless first half, sophomore Michael Russo set Halben up for the late winner.

Canton, 1 @ Foxboro, 1 – Final – Click here for a recap and photo gallery of this game.

King Philip, 0 @ Mansfield, 1 – Final – In a battle of two heavyweights, Mansfield edged King Philip to stay within one point of Oliver Ames in the hunt for the Kelley-Rex title. Senior Nick Wisnieski headed in a corner kick from Luke Savoie in the 56th minute for the lone tally. Nick Ferraz made five saves in net for Hornets.

North Attleboro, 3 @ Milford, 2 – Final – North Attleboro scored a pair of goals in the second half and held off a late push from the hosts to clinch its first-ever Davenport title, and first league title since 2007. Big Red took the lead in the 12th minute as Ryan Pasquel’s service was flicked by Gabe Pinhancos and then headed in by Zach Matracia. North made it 2-0 just eight minutes into the second half when Pinhancos converted at the near post on a service from Noah Barney. Milford cut the deficit to one 12 minutes later when Andre Oliveira got free and scored. But North responded five minutes later when Pinhancos volleyed in a header from Barney. Oliveira scored again on a rebound in the 76th minute.

Taunton, 2 @ Oliver Ames, 7 – Final – Oliver Ames celebrated senior night with seven goals from seven different seniors. OA went up 1-0 before Taunton tied it; OA extended its lead to 4-1 before Taunton found the back of the net again and then the hosts scored three straight. Nathaniel Cardoza scored once and had three assists in the win. James Gillespie, Michael Nikiciuk, Jack Galas, Mason Galbato, Brandin Osborne and Nick Zwerle each scored once. Chris Lawrence added three assists and Matthew Alvarado had one helper.

Stoughton, 2 @ Sharon, 3 – Final – Sharon overcame an early deficit and then broke a 2-2 game with a late goal to earn two points against Stoughton. Stoughton senior Tyler Melo scored on a free kick from distance but Sharon’s Tyler Goldstein nodded in a throw from Tyler Hippler in the 33rd minute to tie it. Andy Reyes-Jones put the Eagles ahead in the 36th minute but Stoughton’s Terry Lapomarede knotted the score in the 65th minute. Goldstein grabbed his second, and the game-winner, heading in a free kick from sophomore Michael Baur in the 70th minute.

Girls Soccer
Franklin, 3 @ Attleboro, 0 – Final – Molly Duncan scored five minutes into the game off an Anna Balkus assist to put the Panthers ahead early. In the second half, Miranda Smith scored off a Duncan assist just two minutes after the restart and Calen Frongillo wrapped up the scoring from Emily Mastaj with 11 minutes to play. Franklin coach Tom Geysen said that all of the Panthers stepped up and “played really well,” despite the blustery conditions.

Foxboro, 1 @ Canton, 4 – Final – Canton scored three times in the second half to break open a tie game and earn the two points. Olivia Rodman continued her standout freshman season with a hat trick for the Bulldogs and Sarah Connolly added a 30-yard free kick in the win. Foxboro’s goal was scored by Jordyn Collins and Foxboro coach Katie Stalcup said her team struggled to get into its typical passing game in the wind.

Mansfield, 0 @ King Philip, 0 – Final – Click here for a recap and photo gallery of this game.

Milford, 1 @ North Attleboro, 7 – Final North put in a stellar performance and Haley Guertin reached another career milestone in a big win. Guertin scored the game’s third goal for her 100th career point, making her only the second Rocketeers player to ever reach that mark. Haley Ferrin had a hat trick and Ashlyn Gaulin had a brace for North, while Rachel Labonte added the seventh. Gaulin added three assists, Leah Jette had two and Aine Mendonca and Guertin each had one apiece. Emma Noreck picked up the win in goal and North coach Bill Wallace said that Britta MacDonald and Brie Wescott “played inspired soccer.” Madeline Boyle scored the lone Milford goal.

Oliver Ames, 4 @ Taunton, 0 – Final – Abigail Reardon and Anna Tempestoso each scored a pair of goals for OA in the win. Sophia Cox recorded a pair of assists and Emily Freeman had one.

Sharon, 0 @ Stoughton, 0 – Final – Stoughton coach Tara Daniels said that Gaby Diaz, Victoria Fallon, Sarina Hutchinson, and Nikki Anderson played well defensively to limit the Sharon strikers and goalie Emma Harrington earned the clean sheet. Daniels said, “Great game played by all.”

10/16/201710/16/2017

Rodman Scores Brace, Canton Beats Milford

Canton girls soccer — Canton senior Riley Duserick (22) pushed the ball forward from midfield during Monday night’s win against Milford at WWII Vets Memorial Field. (Josh Perry/HockomockSports.com)

CANTON, Mass. – Canton had a chance to cut North Attleboro’s lead in the Davenport division to just a single point last week, but a loss to the Rocketeers on Friday opened that lead back up to five points and made each of the remaining league games a must win if the Bulldogs were going to keep up the race for a title.

Click here for a photo gallery from this game.

On Monday night, the Bulldogs bounced back with a strong overall performance in a 3-0 win against Milford, sparked by a pair of unassisted goals from freshman phenom Olivia Rodman and a composed defensive effort.

Milford started the game well, combining well in the midfield to create opportunities in the final third. Sophomores Ashleigh Starks, Juliana France, and Annie Flanagan passed their way through the Canton midfield in the opening few minutes and Maggie Boyle and Hannah Martin each forced saves out of Canton keeper Briana Murphy.

“They connect passes really well,” said Canton assistant coach Sarah Handman of Milford. “I think we weren’t winning the 50-50 balls in the first 15 minutes and from then on that’s what made the difference.

The Hawks only struggle was finding the right pass to turn half chances into goals. Milford coach Jay Mastaj said, “That’s been our struggle all season, we’re playing with everybody but then the ball gets into the final third and we’re missing that little extra. We had our chances.”

The Bulldogs started to get a foothold in the game and in the 19th minute Rodman changed the momentum completely. The freshman ran onto a ball down the far touchline and cut infield onto her right foot before unleashing a rocket just under the bar and out of the reach of freshman keeper Carly Ferreira.

The goal turned the game on its head and the confidence started flowing for the hosts, who took control. Three minutes after the goal, Riley Duserick saw a 25-yard free kick smack off the crossbar and out and then right back Leianna Brune intercepted a pass on the right and sent a perfect early cross to an unmarked Rodman on the edge of the six, but the shot went over the bar.

“That’s where we start,” said Handman. “We work on building on the outside from the back.” In addition to Brune down the right side, central defender Sarah Connolly and left back Sarah Collins frequently stepped forward in possession and created space for the midfielders and forwards to take advantage.

Milford’s best chance of the game arrived in the 25th minute when sophomore Madeline Boyle lined up a 35-yard free kick and forced a stretching save out of Murphy, who managed to catch the ball just under the bar.

Madeline Boyle showed off her defensive ability a few minutes later when she reacted first to a low cross from the left to deny Lilah Sullivan a chance at the back post and then Rachel LeBlanc stepped just in front of Rodman to deny a goal scoring opportunity.

The chances kept coming for Canton with freshman Elisa Diletizia showing her strength to shoulder aside her defender and run onto a through ball from Juliana Agnitti before sending in a hard cross that Rodman just missed getting a foot on.

Diletizia had chances to extend the lead either side of halftime but sent both shots wide. Sullivan had another shot when Rodman’s run deflected off a defender’s leg and fell to the senior inside the box but Ferreira came up with one of her seven saves (six in the second half alone).

“The defense has been playing great all year,” said Mastaj. “Carly is a freshman goalie and being a freshman and stepping up to varsity isn’t easy and I think she’s been good back there.”

In the 54th minute, Rodman sealed the win for the Bulldogs. Diletizia sent a through ball over the top and Rodman got fortunate as she raced to the ball with Ferreira, as the ball deflected off her leg and rolled the ball past the keeper. Rodman hustled to the end line to keep the play alive and was able to cut the ball back towards the goal from an acute angle and, with the help of a defender’s foot, into the net.

Canton nearly added a third in the 74th minute but Brianna Braza cleared a Morgan McCabe shot off the line at the near post and then got up to block a shot from Lauren Fitzpatrick as well. The third did finally arrive with the final kick of the game, as McCabe finished a breakaway with a well-taken shot on the run.

Handman said, “Our goalkeeper only had to make two or three saves in the second half and I think we could have scored three or four goals with our runs up top. We had really good chances.”

Canton (7-4-2) is three points behind league leader North Attleboro with three league games remaining. The Bulldogs will try to stay in the title race on Thursday when they travel to Sharon. Milford (4-8-2) needs eight points from its remaining four games to get into the state tournament and will start its closing stretch with a trip to Foxboro on Thursday.

Click here for a photo gallery from this game.

09/25/2016

Duserick Strike Decisive as Canton Beats Milford

CANTON, Mass. – Coming off a 4-0 loss to North Attleboro on Tuesday, in a game that head coach Kate Howarth admitted her team was not ready to play, Canton was looking to bring back the intensity and defensive discipline that Howarth demands when it hosted Milford on Saturday night.

The Bulldogs brought back the physical play all over the pitch, stayed composed and organized in the back four, and got a first half strike from Riley Duserick to get back on track with a 1-0 victory over Milford at World War II Veterans Memorial Park.

“This is the first game that we played the way that I’ve taught for the past three years,” said Howarth. When asked if this could be a foundation on which the team could build, the always demanding coach added, “I think they need to.”

The outcome could have been very different if Milford took its early chance. In the 14th minute, Madeline Boyle played a corner from the left that just eluded the far post and was knocked out for a chance from the opposite side. Boyle’s second corner found Nicole Dahlgren alone in the box but her header was blocked on the line. The ball bounced around and a second chance from inside the six was saved by sprawling Canton keeper Kathryn Doody.

“Huge save,” said Howarth. “She time and time again comes up with these big saves and she just puts herself in the right place at the right time and it works. That’s just what she does and she’s done it for three years now.”

Milford coach Jay Mastaj added, “I think that point at time we had the momentum. We were starting to string together a few passes, we had them back on their heels, but again their defense came up including their keeper and that’s what you need.”

The save spurred Canton into action and the Bulldogs midfield started to assert itself, led by Duserick, Julia Hamilton, and Kendra Farrelly. Controlling the middle of the field allowed Canton to get the ball forward to Hannah Link and Tessa Cudmore in the channels and stretch the Milford defense.

It took to the 29th minute for the Bulldogs to create a clear scoring chance and Cudmore played a ball across the edge of the box that was deflected into the path of Duserick. The junior midfielder calmly side-footed a lefty shot inside the far post to break the deadlock.

“It doesn’t matter how much possession you have, how much of the ball, it doesn’t matter how many chances, if you don’t put one in then the game is still 0-0,” Howarth noted. “So, putting that in got us on a different level and we really started pushing after that.”

Canton upped the pressure another gear after the goal and again started to play balls in behind the Milford defenders. Morgan McCabe was nearly in on one chance only for Milford defender Rachel LeBlanc to get across at the last second and block the shot. Cudmore also struck the bar with a cross from the left two minute before the break.

In the second half, Canton started strongly again with Duserick having another shot from outside the box that sailed just over the bar. But Milford slowly grew into the game and had its chances going forward when Mastaj switched to a 4-4-2 to try and get help up front for Kristen Franzini.

Gabbie Riley added another outlet for the Hawks who won a corner that Doody needed to palm away and had a couple of chances that they could not put on target. Canton was finding room on the break and left back Sarah Collins found herself with room in the box to have a shot but it was blocked and center back Sarah Connolly let fly with a long-range shot that went over.

“Their defense kind of bent a few times but didn’t break,” said Mastaj. “We came up with stuff but they found a way and unfortunately luck wasn’t on our side in this one, but overall I was very happy. This was the intensity that we needed.”

The second half was mostly a battle of center backs with Dahlgren on the Milford side and Connolly on the Canton side both stopping attack after attack.

“Nicole since day one has just been a standout for us,” said Mastaj, “and she just continues to get better. Her calm on the field is such an influence on the kids. There’s no panic in her eyes at any point in time and she just plays the right ball.”

After shipping four goals earlier this week, Howarth was pleased to see her defense keep a clean sheet. She said, “This back line was completely different than the North Attleboro game. [Against North] we just came out flat and…we were horrible. When we have a solid back line and we possess out of the back, it’s different, you can tell that we can dominate.”

Canton (2-2) will try to continue the forward momentum on Monday at Sharon, while Milford (2-3-1) will try to get back to .500 when it travels to Foxboro.