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Quick start propels Canfield over Laurel
By BOB ETTINGER
SHAKER HEIGHTS
Tara Santoro and the Canfield girls lacrosse team dealt with their emotions earlier in the week leaving the Cardinals to play free of the burden right from the start on Saturday afternoon.
They scored four times in the first eight minutes in toppling Laurel, 10-5, in a Division II, Region 6 tournament game.
“Coming into the game, coach [MeLynda Guerrieri] told us this game was very winnable,” junior Isabella Kelty said. “This is a nice school. Everyone was amped up, but we got the nerves out [against Cardinal Mooney] on Thursday. Everything that happened in the Mooney game added to what happened today.”
Santoro netted two of those first four goals as the Cardinals (15-3) took flight.
“Right from the gate, we were on our game,” Santoro said. “We had great transitions. We found the holes [in the defense]. Everything was open. We took everything we saw. [Laurel] was shocked. Starting so strong was the difference. We were ready for this game.”
Canfield will play Gates Mills Hawken on Tuesday in a regional semifinal at a site and time to be determined. Hawken beat Mentor Lake Catholic 18-8 on Saturday.
“We’re excited to make the third round,” Guerrieri said. “[Hawken] is a really good team. I’m finding out every day what my girls can do. They amaze me every day. We’ll see what they can do.”
Kelty and Shi Donnaurmmo also scored in the opening minutes.
“I think they surprised us,” said Laurel assistant coach Tonia Porras, who filled in for head coach Olivia Cora. “We had to tell them on the sidelines to settle everything down. We told them to slow it down and come together, especially on the defensive end.”
Santoro and Kelty each netted another goal as the Cardinals went up, 6-0, with 10:18 left in the first half.
The Gators (10-7) scored the next two goals, but Santoro netted her fourth score and Emily Wilson put one in the net with 13 seconds left in the half as Canfield led, 8-2, at the break.
Over the first 18:23 of the second half, the Cardinals were put on the defensive. Laurel possessed the ball for the vast majority of that stretch and climbed back into the game with three goals to make it 8-5 with 8:07 left.
The Canfield defenders held strong as they were constantly tested. Grace Ramun was instrumental in that effort as she held the responsibility of aiding whichever defender was on the ball, many times cutting off an attack before it began.
“The defense literally built a wall,” MeLynda Guerrieri said. “A 74-percent save rate is unheard of. They were a unit of seven. They reminded me of a marionette. They won the game. The scores were needed, but they won the game because we were back in the defensive zone so much. [Ramun’s] job is to always be on the ball. She backs up the person who is on the ball. She’s fast with her feet and gets there. She gets the job done.”
Canfield goalkeeper Maura Guerrieri had 14 saves on 19 shots against her.
“As long as I’m moving, my head is in the game,” Maura Guerrieri said. “Facing shot after shot helps get me in the game. I struggle when there’s nothing happening, then they come running down the field at me. Coming in, I thought it would be a head-to-head game and it would go into triple overtime. We were on our A game from the start. [The 4-0 lead] gave me a little room for error.”
Just as it felt momentum was shifting toward the Gators, Kelty struck for two goals in the final 6:37 to put the game away.
“There was never a point I feel we can’t score,” Kelty said. “There’s always room for us to score. [The first of the two goals] calmed us down a bit.”
Santoro and Kelty each tallied four goals for Canfield.