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Disappointing end to a turnaround season for Canton field hockey

Canton's Emily Chouinard (9) battles for the ball earlier this year in a 2-1 OT win over Enfield.

Canton’s Emily Chouinard (9) battles for the ball earlier this year in a 2-1 OT win over Enfield.

CANTON, Nov. 5 – Lost in the disappointment of a loss in the first round of the Class S state tournament was how far the Canton High field hockey team traveled this season. The Warriors fell to No. 10 Westbrook on Tuesday afternoon, 1-0 on the green grass at the high school.

It was a different story just twelve months ago. Canton finished 2-11 with its fourth straight losing season. Then, the Warriors began this year with two losses.

But Canton turned it around beginning with a 1-0 win over Avon – their first victory over the Falcons since 2007, ending a 10-game winless streak. Canton won 10 games for the first time since 2007 and finished tied for second in the league with Granby.

Canton (10-4-2-1, 8-2-1-1 NCCC) won seven of their final eight regular season games. The only loss in that stretch was a 1-0 overtime loss to Avon.

In that strong surge to close out the season, the Warriors beat Granby for the first time since 2006 with a 1-0 win that snapped a 13-game losing streak to the Bears. They also beat Haddam-Killingworth, 1-0, a team that finished the season with a 12-4 record.

“It was a great season,” Canton co-coach Margaret Bristol said. “I couldn’t be happier on how the whole season worked out. To go from where we were to having a tournament game at home was just incredible.”

Sophomore goalie Natalie Nardello ended up with nine shutouts this season. Senior Kylie Delos was the leading scorer with 10 goals, including the game-winner against Valley Regional. She also had two game-winning penalty strokes in 1-0 victories over Avon and Suffield.

In the final eight games, Canton outscored their opponents by a combined score of 11-2.

“We really started to mesh well and click,” Bristol said. “We were communicating and making passes from stick to stick. When we support each other, we play very well.”

Unfortunately against Westbrook, the Warriors had a tough time. Canton knew it would be a tough game. They played a 0-0 overtime tie against the Purple Knights under the lights at Bowdoin Field in early October.

“They stopped every ball on that bumpy field,” Bristol said. “We knew they would stop everything on our field. And they made some good stick to stick passes.”

No. 10 Westbrook (9-3-4) had several penalty corner opportunities but had a tough time getting quality shots on net. Senior Deidre Kronshnabel broke up several plays and had an excellent game along with junior Maggie Bidwell and sophomore Sarah First and Nardello in net.

But Westbrook was finally able to get one past Nardello with about 14 minutes left in regulation on a line drive off a corner that buzzed through the air and into the net.

Westbrook 1, Canton 0
At Canton
Westbrook (10-3-4)      0   1  — 1
Canton (10-4-2-1)         0   0  — 0
Goals: Alexa Mulvhill (W); Saves: Natalie Nardello (C) 3, Brooke Amendola (W) 1

Gerry deSimas, Jr., is the editor and founder of The Collinsville Press. He is an award-winning writer and has been covering sports in Connecticut and New England for more than 40 years. He was inducted into the New England High School Wrestling Hall of Fame in 2018.

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