The Conant field hockey team looked aggressive on Friday, dominating possession and playing a top-notch Lebanon squad to a 1-1 tie. Unfortunately for the Orioles, that was only in the second half, as Conant came out flat against the Raiders and allowed four first-half goals to set up a 5-1 Lebanon final tally.
“It takes a little bit to light a fire under them for some reason,” said Conant head coach Jackie Brown. “Usually, we do well with coming back, but sometimes, we dig ourselves too deep, like we did today.”
Conant was shut out in the first half and surrendered four scores to the speedy Lebanon girls, who kept the pedal to the metal, dropping balls immediately after foul calls and advancing with breakneck speed. It was a real litmus test game for the Orioles, playing against a Final Four-caliber opponent with the playoffs just a week away.
The Orioles did look good in the second half, moving the ball aggressively and tilting the field in their favor. Sophomore forward Bella Hayes broke through for Conant’s only score of the day just two minutes into the half. Raider speedster Sydney Gonyea, the focal point of Lebanon’s offense, responded to Hayes’ score with her third goal of the game to maintain the four-goal gap.
Conant (7-6) has clinched a playoff spot, but they’ll need full team efforts to compete in the do-or-die postseason.
“We have talent in each position,” Brown said. “We don’t have just one person that we look to, like other teams seem to have. We have strength in every position and if we all just showed those strengths at the same time, we’d be a pretty strong overall team.”
Brown said center mid Abby Wheeler played well for the entire game, and Emily Muilenberg was strong on defense. “She’s been solid the whole season,” Brown said. “She’s really coming in to her own as a player, which is exciting, because she’s only a sophomore.”
Conant hosts ConVal on Thursday in the season finale. The Division III playoffs start on Oct. 23.
ConVal 1,
St. Thomas Aquinas 0
Jacqueline Madeja scored the only goal of the game Wednesday as ConVal was successful in a virtual must-win matchup with St. Thomas to keep their playoff hopes alive.
Mackenzie Anderson had two saves in net.
Hopkinton 1, ConVal 0
ConVal head coach Carrie Whittemore said her girls played their best game of the season against Division III’s top team, Hopkinton, on Friday. The Cougars lost 1-0 to the 11-1 Hawks, fighting off 15 Hopkinton corners in the process.
Mackenzie Anderson made 12 saves in net for ConVal.
The Cougars (4-8) host Newport (6-5-1) on Tuesday.
Mascenic 4, St. Thomas Aquinas 0
The Vikings played well defensively in their 4-0 shutout of St. Thomas on Friday, not allowing a single defensive corner.
Xaria Talbot, Lexis Vautour, Alannah Johnson and Bella Knisley scored for Mascenic; head coach Selena Shaw said she was happy with her team scoring three times off corners, which they’ve been working to improve.
The Vikings (8-4) are at Lebanon Tuesday.