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Canfield ousts Mooney in girls lacrosse
Run of goals lifts Cardinals’ lacrosse team
By BOB ETTINGER
YOUNGSTOWN
Emily Wilson was simply looking to take what the defense gave her.
What followed was the first of eight unanswered goals as the Canfield girls lacrosse team ran away from Cardinal Mooney, 14-6, in a Division II, Region 6 tournament match at Don Bucci Stadium on Thursday evening.
“[The opportunity] just came,” Wilson said. “You have to get it done, but you can’t force it. If you force it, you’re going to lose. There was only one girl in front of me. I had a chance to take it right in front of her.”
Wilson’s turned the momentum solidly in Canfield’s favor. While the Cardinals’ offense was scored eight times over the final 13:52, their defense was holding Mooney scoreless.
“What happened was their only scores were on forced possessions, so it was off our fouls,” Canfield coach Melynda Guerrieri said. “We had to get them to calm down and not foul. They were so amped up they were sick to their stomachs before the game. The defense held strong. We didn’t change anything. On the attack, we had to stop dropping the ball. We had to get it and go.”
Canfield (14-3) will play the Shaker Heights Laurel-Louisville winner on Saturday at a site and time yet to be determined. At press time, the result of the Laurel-Louisville match was not available.
“I think it will be a game much like today’s,” Guerrieri said. “I think it will be a tough game. My girls are so talented, if they keep their heads, play their game and don’t react to what other people are doing, they can be unstoppable.”
Mooney erased a 6-4 deficit on goals from Lexi Saunders and Mariah Farrgher with 18:18 and 15:59 remaining in the second half.
“I think winning possession [of the ball] put us in that position,” Mooney coach Toni Chahine said. “The key was to capitalize on the opportunities having the ball. That was huge for us. I told them to stop playing robotic. Instead of playing, they were thinking too much. They let loose and found the open man.”
It was a tough way for the season to end for Mooney.
“I’m proud of them for the whole season,” Chahine said. “We don’t want this game to be the way the season ends, but I told them they have nothing to be ashamed of. Canfield outplayed us tonight. The better team won. I’m proud of the girls for never giving up.”
Isabella Kelty notched four goals to pace Canfield, three of them in the final five minutes as the Cardinals pulled away.
“Every time I touched the ball, they yelled ‘Shooter’ at me,” Kelty said. “During a timeout, everyone needed to calm down and take a deep breath. I calmed down, took my name and did what I do best.”
Wilson and Paige Christoff each netted three goals and Tara Santoro and Shi Donnaurmmo each had two for Canfield. Goalkeeper Maura Guerrieri had 13 saves.
Meghan Williams and Katie Enright each scored twice and Lexi Saunders and Mariah Farragher each netted a goal for Mooney, who struggled to find cohesion over the final 16 minutes.
“It snowballs a lot,” Chahine said. “It tested us mentally. Became frustrated and play how we know how to play. We got frustrated in ourselves and in each other. I thought that was something we had put in the past. It tested everyone today.”