Field Hockey Blanks Concord-Carlisle, 3-0

After junior tri-captain Christina Warner scored a goal and assisted on two others in the Weston High field hockey team's solid 3-0 win over visiting Dual County League foe Concord-Carlisle on Monday, Wildcats' head coach Laura Galopim exhaled, "That's what I've been waiting for her to play like all year."

Even with her team now posting a strong 6-2-2 ledger, Galopim has  already labeled this season the proverbial rebuilding year. With Weston having lost eight starters to graduation, the Wildcats know it will be difficult to get back to the Division 1 North finals, where they lost to Acton-Boxborough last fall.

Nevertheless, Warner and the rest of the Wildcats stepped it up in a game in which Galopim said "was the best we played" all season, adding "things are starting to come together."

The Wildcats took advantage of a pair of penalty corners to take a 2-0 lead on the Patriots (4-3) in the first half.  First, Warner took the pass and fired a shot from the middle that was tipped in by fellow captain, senior Emily Burress, at the 21 minute mark. Less than three minutes later, Warner fed junior Grace McCurdy, who blasted a shot into the low left corner.

Weston got a huge defensive effort from their third captain, senior Emeilia Barron. Barron was especially feisty during a sequence in the second half, in which she snuffed out a C-C rush, retained the ball, and moved swiftly to her left downfield.

Soon after, Warner cashed in with Weston's third tally on a beautiful setup by juniors Alloy Gosman and Grace Truscott. The trio combined on a quick tic-tac-toe play in front of the Patriots' goal to make it 3-0.

The Wildcats outshot the Patriots, 12-6, and held a 4-2 edge in penalty corners. Sophomore Sara Coburn earned the shutout in net.

Galopim lauded  Truscott, a center back, for her "good offense out of the defensive position" and senior defender Steph Chui for a "great game in the back."