Howland gets most of least

The Tigers managedonly five shots, butbeat Canfield 2-1.
By JOE SCALZO
VINDICATOR SPORTS STAFF
CANFIELD -- The Howland Tigers aren't a very empathetic bunch.
Canfield entered the game without forward Amy Doran and had several players playing through pain.
Howland didn't show much sympathy. In fact, they didn't even seem to care.
The Tigers made the most of five shots on goal Thursday night, and came away a 2-1 winner in the Metro Athletic Conference match against the host Cardinals.
"We knew going in that it was going to be tough," said Howland coach Gary Anderson. "We play each other tough every year and it's always back and forth. It was a nice game."
Just not a high scoring game.
Gamble: With just 12 minutes, 46 seconds to go in the game, Canfield keeper Noelle Zalac gambled with a save attempt that left the goal unguarded. Zalac couldn't get to the ball, and Tiger junior Stephanie Cornicelli fed sophomore Sarah Mangiarelli for the game's first score.
Minutes later, Howland sophomore Whitney Crain caught senior Tiffany Garcia's corner kick to put the Tigers up 2-0.
"We just sat back and tried to play our game," Anderson said. "It was a great team effort from start to finish."
Canfield junior Kelly Williams, who moved to offense after Howland's second goal, found forward Julia Wilcox for Canfield's only goal with 6:37 remaining.
"We lost some people to injuries and we need some people to step up," Canfield coach Dennis Opritza said. "But Howland's a good, solid soccer team and it was a good game. We'll see them again and hopefully we can return the favor."
Key stops: Howland junior keeper Darcy Quinlan had several key stops in the first 70 minutes to keep the game scoreless. She gave up three goals in a loss to Poland on Tuesday, something that didn't sit well the past few days.
"I don't think I've ever given up that many goals in a game," Quinlan said of the 3-0 loss to Poland. "We lost one conference game; we couldn't afford to lose another."
Cardinal junior midfielder Abby Ferko had several shot opportunities to keep Quinlan on her toes. The Cardinals out-shot Howland 11-5.
"Our defense played well and most of the balls just came right to me," Quinlan said. "We knew they were a great team and we got lucky tonight. I just went after anything close. I wasn't going to give them any more chances."
Compensation: The win helped erase the memory of the loss to the Bulldogs, Anderson said.
"I was proud of how we bounced back," Anderson said. "We have a young team and they stuck together tonight to get a conference win. We hope to be in the thick of things [in the MAC]."
Canfield junior midfielder Grazia Sorice rolled her ankle early in the first half and did not return until the second half. The injury hurt the Cardinal attack, Opritza said.
"She showed a lot of courage -- we didn't think she'd be able to get back in the game," Opritza said. "She's one of the top players on our team and I thought we did well in the first half until she went out.
"It's a long season," he added. "We have 13 more games and we have Poland at home next week. We'll wait and see what happens."
scalzo@vindy.com