Girls’ lax team crowned Davenport Division champions

With a dominating 23-10 victory over Sharon, the Canton High girls’ lacrosse team was crowned the first-ever Davenport Division champions in the Hockomock League.

Junior Michelle McNeil (Mike Barucci photo)

“It was a great feeling, and the girls were really excited about it,” coach Chris Murtagh said. “We began the season with this as our goal, and to attain that goal was a great accomplishment for the team.”

Murtagh stressed the true team effort present in all the games this season. After losing 11 seniors last year — the team’s core for two seasons — this year’s team of relatively young lacrosse players bonded together both on and off the field. And they managed to perform impressively well throughout the season, including a 5-1 finish in the Davenport Division.

The girls came out strong in the game against Sharon and amassed seven quick goals. With a comfortable lead, the Bulldogs stopped playing as aggressively, and Sharon quickly bounced back, tying the game 10-10 at halftime.

“So we talked to them at halftime, and really said we’re a better team than this,” Murtagh said.

The girls came back with a dominating second-half performance, more than doubling their score while stopping all of Sharon’s advances. Meghan Lennon finished the game as the team’s top scorer with eight goals. Other scorers included Sarah Healey and Michelle McNeil with four goals each, Meaghan McKenna with three, Caitlin Phillips with two and Jen Martin with one.

After winning the Davenport, the Bulldogs played Franklin, the winner of the Kelly-Rex Division, in the inaugural Hockomock Classic. The girls may have lost the game 18-3, but Murtagh said the game presented a good learning experience for the team.

“We went into the game just wanting to play with them,” Murtagh said. “And while we may not be able to compete with them yet, there were moments when we stepped up and moved the ball beautifully down the field. The girls now see how they’ll have to step it up to compete at the next level of play.”

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Posted by Jeffrey Cattel on May 25 2011. Filed under High School, Sports. Both comments and pings are currently closed.