Seniors celebrated during 7-0 win
Published October 23, 2020
By JENNIFER GENTILE
MELROSE—The Melrose High field hockey team split in league play over the last week when they defeated the Stoneham Spartans in a 7-0 rout, but fell to perennial powerhouse Watertown in back-to-back games. At 2-2, Melrose is ready to sink their teeth into rival Wakefield, who they’ll face in a series of meetings on Oct. 24 and Oct. 31.
It was against Stoneham that they showed their offensive wattage. During their second meeting on October 10, Melrose enjoyed an abundance of scoring, thanks to Catherine McCarron who had two goals, along with Lizzie Casey, Meghan Maher, Morgan Maiani and Erin Sampson, who also had two goals and an assist.
Melrose head coach Erin Parker considers this team coming into their own. “After our Stoneham win, I started to see them continuing to build confidence and work on goal-scoring skills. I think they have higher expectations for themselves this year.”
Earning the shutout at the net against Stoneham was senior captain Brianna Stanton, her first of the season, and she was aided by defensive work from Erin Sampson to preserve that. To date, Stanton enjoys an 86.5% save percentage, including a 32 save performance against Watertown. “She has been working with Coach Gorse on diving saves and it paid off,” says the coach. “Way to go!”
Senior captain McCarron has been the leading scorer on the team and her presence is making a difference. Says Parker, “She leads us in scoring so far this year. Her goal-scoring has come from intentional effort every day at practice to not just shoot on net, but shoot to score. I have seen this shift in her mindset, through her shooting angels.”
She also credited Erin Sampson and forward Meghan Maher, who earned her first goal in the second quarter against the Spartans. She also gave a nod to Lizzie Casey, who “showed that even backs can get in on the action by putting the ball in the back of the net on a beautiful reverse chip shot. She has been working on this shot for a long time.”
The game against Stoneham was also a chance to celebrate their seniors on Senior Day. Being honored were captains Brianna Stanton, Lizzie Casey, Catherine McCarron and Morgan Maiani, along with Alexis O’Brien, Sydney Kroon and Meghan Rigby. And what a way to celebrate by coming off the field with a ‘W’. Now, they want to do it again when they battle the Warriors this weekend. They will travel to Landrigan Field in Wakefield on Saturday morning at 9:00 a.m. for round one. Their second meeting will be on October 31 at Fred Green Field at 9:00 a.m. A sweep over the Warriors would put this team on a clear winning path. Says coach Parker, “I’m excited for the rest of the season. I truly feel that these girls expect to compete and win and I think that it’s the first time I’ve felt that from everyone.”
