Girls soccer awaits D2 state tournament seeding
By Mike Berger
Senior Ava Gilmore and the CHS girls soccer team are gearing up for the postseason. (Mike Tureski photo)
After falling into a late-season slump and getting outscored 8-1 in three consecutive losses, the CHS girls soccer team rebounded with an impressive performance in last week’s regular season finale against Mansfield, battling a highly ranked Hornets team to a 2-2 draw on their home field.
With the tie, the lady Bulldogs finished the regular season at 8-7-2 and were ranked 22nd in the latest release of the MIAA Division 2 power rankings as of October 27. Mansfield (13-3-1) was eighth on that list, which gives Canton one final strong result before the release of state tournament seedings on Wednesday, November 1.
The Bulldogs nearly pulled out the victory after taking a 2-1 lead on a goal by Emma Cahill off a great pass from Mekhala Costello with a little more than eight minutes to go in the game. Costello had scored the first goal for Canton, finishing off a free kick with an assist from Gisella Berardi.
“We played like we did at the beginning of the season, playing fresh, making good passes, playing well in defense,” noted CHS head coach Idris Senyonjo. “The communication was better. We came to play; we knew we were challenged, and we stayed with them. It was a good way to end the regular season with a complete game.”
Senyonjo said the girls needed to regroup and reconnect with each other after playing a stretch of five tough games against playoff-bound teams, including their previous three contest against Oliver Ames, the ninth ranked team in Division 2; Medfield, currently No. 1 overall in Division 3; and Foxboro, another D3 tournament team.
The Bulldogs have been without the services of two important players, Isabella Sanchez and Caira McKinney, who both have been out with injuries. Senyonjo said as of earlier this week that their status was still uncertain for the playoffs.
In terms of their regular season performance, the Canton girls placed third in the Hockomock Davenport Division standings behind OA and Mansfield with a league record of 8-6-1.
Costello and Cahill are the current team leaders in scoring, tying for seventh in the Hock with 18 points in 17 games. Gabriella Berardi, a freshman, ranks second on the team with nine points (7 goals, 2 assists).
Looking ahead to the postseason, Canton is one of three Hockomock teams that appear to be in the running for a tournament berth in Division 2, with Stoughton likely on the outside looking in. The current top ranked team is undefeated Masconomet Regional, followed by Nashoba Regional and Longmeadow.
Short URL: https://www.thecantoncitizen.com/?p=119737
Posted by Mike Berger
on Nov 3 2023. Filed under High School, Sports.
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