Marked Minuteman

Caroline Fitzgerald has a shadow. It follows the Lexington High girls’ soccer team’s striker all over the field, usually right in her back pocket. It changes often, but is always right there with her.

On this day, the shadow’s name is Katy Knight. She’s one of the better players on Woburn High’s squad, and her top assignment for the Tanners’ match against the Minutemen is to be there with Fitzgerald at every step. The two practically bump into each with each change of direction.

The attention being paid to the LHS senior is new this season, but is nonetheless warranted. She’s been on a tear during the early stages of the fall, seemingly scoring at will. Through four games, the Minutemen have scored a total of nine goals. Six of them have come off the foot of Fitzgerald – three against Melrose, two against Burlington and one against Wilmington.

“Because it’s my senior year I’ve just been stronger and worked really hard to get to the point where I am now,” she said. “I’ve sort of found my place and have been working really hard to become faster and stronger. The place and the goals, it’s all just coming together.”

Thursday was a rare scoreless game for Fitzgerald – it was the first time this season she didn’t appear on the scoresheet – but still contributed to the victory at Lexington’s Lincoln Field. By earning the undivided attention of at least one of the Tanners at all time, space was opened up for other members of the Minutemen, while Woburn was forced to always play down a player on their offensive end.

“Caroline, when she’s healthy, she does a great job of possessing the ball and then taking the defender on,” LHS coach Frank Pagliuca said. “She has the ability to shoot the ball. She has that gift where she can turn, take one touch and still be able to put a quality shot on net.

“That’s why she’s in that position. She’s a target player and we want to get her the ball.”

Shannon Boudett netted the game’s lone goal against the Tanners. Still, Fitzgerald was tops on the team with six shots and could have made a case to press stalking charges against the Tanners, given their scheme to deny her the ball.

That’s something Fitzgerald, known to Pagliuca and her teammates by the nickname “Fitz,” will have to get used to, the coach said.

“I think from now on she will be,” he said of Fitzgerald being marked. “I don’t think she’ll have a lot of space to contribute.”

So far this season that hasn’t proven to be much of a challenge. Despite being marked Fitzgerald still had several stellar opportunities against Woburn to keep her goal streak alive. Three of them came back-to-back-to-back during the middle of the first half.

With 20 minutes, 30 seconds to play in the opening frame, Fitzgerald dribbled deep into the Tanners’ 18-yard box and mustered a shot off the side of her foot. Less than a minute later she ripped a hard shot from the top of the box that bounced of goalkeeper Courtney Davis’ chest before she corralled it.

Finally, with 19 minutes left, the Minuteman rocketed a free kick on a frozen rope to the goal. Davis just got a single hand on the ball to deflect it over the crossbar.

None of the chances were converted, which put the kibosh on Fitzgerald’s goal to score at least once in every game this year. But how she handled the opportunities was a testament to the improvements the senior has made from last year and this fall.

The 2010 campaign was cut short for Fitzgerald when she tore three ligaments in one of her ankles. The injury, which she suffered by rolling the ankle during a practice session, forced her to miss the final several weeks of the regular season and the entire MIAA sectional tournament.

Lexington sure could have used her scoring prowess in the Preliminary Round of the North Div. 1 sectional. The Minutemen fell to Lincoln-Sudbury on penalty kicks after playing 100 scoreless minutes of regulation and two overtimes.

But instead of being on the field, Fitzgerald was on the sideline trying to nurse her ankle back to health.

“I didn’t do surgery, so it was a really long recovery,” she said. “I took a lot of extra steps.”

Rehabbing the injury wasn’t uneventful, either. Fitzgerald suffered a setback when she sprained the ankle, effectively prolonging the ankle. While the injury doesn’t bother her now, Fitzgerald said it may never return to 100 percent.

The ankle got healthy enough for her to resume playing soccer this summer. Knowing her senior year was ahead, Fitzgerald said she worked extra hard to get ready for the season and help lead the Minutemen to another postseason run.

While she may not score in every game (although scoring in most of them isn’t half bad), Fitzgerald said she also wants to help the Minutemen win plenty of games.

“I like the responsibility” of being the top scorer, she said. “It’s actually been my goal to score in every game and be the top scorer on the team. I think that’s definitely put me in the right direction and is something I can work for every game.”