Canton, Granby meet Tuesday with winner taking home the league championship

Canton goalie Amanda Gottlieb (21) and defenders Jackie Grabowski (21) and Alexa Huff (14) put pressure on Avon’s Sammy Maniatty in a recent game.

CANTON, May 17 – For the past three seasons, the Granby High girls lacrosse team has battled Avon for championships in the North Central Connecticut Conference. Last year and in 2012, the Falcons went undefeated in the league and won the championship. In 2013, Avon and Granby went 9-1 to share the pennant.

This year, Granby has a new challenger – Canton.

The two schools will meet in a winner-take-all match on Canton’s artificial turf field at 3:45 p.m., on Tuesday. The winner of the game takes home the NCCC championship. Granby, which has played in the Class S championship game in three of the last four seasons, is 11-3 and 7-2 in the league. Canton, which has posted its first-ever winning season, is 9-6 and 7-2 in the NCCC.

“The girls are well aware that they hold their own destiny in their own hands,” Canton coach Sean Cole said. “Our girls are very focused on winning Tuesday and leave no doubt that they are the best team in the conference.”

The two teams could meet again in the NCCC Tournament next week or in the upcoming Class S championship. But this is the game that the winning team gets to go home and order a championship banner to hang in their gymnasium for years to come.

Already, it has been a magical season in Canton, a varsity program now in its sixth year. The Warriors won eight games a year ago. In the four seasons before that, Canton had managed to win a combined six games.

Canton beat Avon for the first time on April 27 on a Grace Giancola goal with 1:19 remaining. On April 22, Giancola had the game winning goal with four seconds remaining to give Canton its first-ever win over Granby, 12-11. They won five straight and six of seven games.

They played a tough game with Immaculate-Danbury earlier week, dropping an 11-10 decision with less than a second remaining on the clock. Canton actually had a four-goal lead early in the first half before Immaculate (10-4) rallied. On Monday, the Warriors beat Newington, 9-4.

“Now, we’re winning in tight spots and we’ve lost in a few close games,” Cole said. “It’s made us stronger.”

Grace Giancola is the team’s leading scorer with single-season school record 60 goals while Emma Charron has scored 40. Olivia Sullivan has scored 32 goals while Devon Daubert has added 15. Goalie Amanda Gottlieb has been outstanding.

Cole, who led Avon to three league titles from 2012-14 before coming to Canton this spring, beefed up the schedule adding Fairfield Warde (9-4-1), Bethel (9-5), Joel Barlow-Redding (13-2) and Immaculate. Warde is a Class L school while Bethel and Barlow are Class M schools. Immaculate was the only Class S school in that group. The Warriors have lost all four games but have learned what they need to do if they want to be a state championship contender.

Stonington’s Jamie Hayes (24) keeps a close eye on Granby’s Olivia Johnson in last June’s Class S final.

“Kids want to be challenged,” Cole said. “They don’t want the easy path. And they were ready (to win).”

Winning a championship won’t be easy against Granby. The Bears are led by a pair of All-State seniors – Krista Iwanicki and Olivia Johnson and goalie Hala Van Norstrand.

Since dropping that one-goal decision to Canton on April 22, the Bears have won eight of nine games, including a 12-8 win over Avon on Friday. They won five straight at one point. The only stumble was an 11-6 loss to Conard, now 10-3, on May 9. The Bears had a season-high 18 goals against South Windsor on Tuesday with Iwanicki scoring six goals and Johnson getting four into the net.

“Our girls are excited,” Cole said. “I’m hoping that both teams play at their best.”

Recent NCCC girls lacrosse champions
2014: Avon (10-0)
2013: Avon and Granby (9-1)
2012: Avon (10-0)
2011: Suffield (9-1)
2010: Granby (10-0)
2009: Avon (8-0)
2008: Avon and Suffield (7-1)