Lady Warriors Nurse Wounds After a Tough Battle out on the Pitch

It's too bad the Canton Girls Varsity Soccer will not play Windsor Locks again in the regular season, because if they did they would be coming for blood. The girls were wounded this Friday with a 2-1 loss to the Raiders, not just metaphorically, but physically too. The blood spilled on the field was on par with the gore in the Spartan Movie 300.  While that might be an exaggeration, a cleat to the face for Senior-Captain Erin Detorie in the second half was game over for her, as she was forced to sit on the bench attempting to allay the stream of blood gushing from her nose.  This injury really took the wind out of the sails of the Warrior offense as Detorie was the sole goal scorer for Canton this game. 

The first and only goal for the Varsity Girls was a penalty kick in the first ten minutes of the game, catapulting Canton to an early lead.  A handball in Windsor's 18-yard box gave Detorie the opportunity to finesse a shot just inside of the far right post.  The next thirty minutes or so were quiet from both sides,  with exception of the occasional hard tackle (foul) from Junior Olivia Sullivan drawing excited reactions from the contingent of students that spent the beautiful Friday afternoon watching the action unfold on the pitch.

The second half was a tough one for the Lady Warriors with the Raiders putting one in the net at 54 minutes and then again at 66 minutes, adding insult to Erin's injury.  However, Detorie was not the only captain to be injured durin the game.  Senior-Captain Natalie Grisevich was escorted off the field by Athletic Trainer Mark Lebeda after a minor sprained ankle partway through the second half.  With two of the three Captains laid-out, it was up to Senior Alex Martin to lead the team through the tail end of the second half. Locking down the defensive end, with the aid of sophomore center midfielders Maggie Tracey and Devon Daubert, Martin was able to keep Windsor Lock's from scoring again.  

The final ten minutes of the match were by far the most exciting. The Warriors rallied, creating a number of options utilizing the freshman sensation Emily Mitchell. The quick feet of the forward were almost able to level the score off of an over-the-top pass from Martin.  Unfortunately, Mitchell's well placed shot was deflected off the hand of the Windsor Locks keeper and then swept up by another girl in the Raider's defensive line.  Even Grisevich taped-up and jumped back in the game for the final minutes.

Alas, the final push mustered by the Varsity Squad was not enough to overcome the one goal deficit.  A different day, with out the injuries or the "gym class calls" made by the referees (as Coach K. McKenna endearingly put it), this game could have gone different for the girls. But the past is past and the girls are now preparing for Mondays away game at East Windsor, hoping to bring home a victory there.