Field Hockey: Bolts Fall in Gut-Wrencher

The Tiverton Tigers visited Cranston Stadium on Monday evening to face off against Cranston East in a Division II girls field hockey matchup.

Both teams came into the contest sporting two wins on the season, making it a pivotal game as far as playoff hopes are concerned. The 'Bolts played strong defense to keep the Tigers off the board in the first half, but penalties in the circle came back to bite them. Tiverton scored twice on penalty corners, once with a minute remaining, and Cranston East fell 2-1 in a heartbreaker.

The Tigers applied a considerable amount of pressure to the Cranston East defense in the first half, as they possessed the ball for a majority of the 40-minute half. Tigers' Forward Sarah Whitson showcased her superior ball handling skills by creating multiple turnovers in the midfield and carrying the ball into the offensive zone. Whitson, Kara Lotz, and Kara Karzenski, moved the ball well in the circle and created eleven penalty corners in the first half.

Despite facing an exorbitant amount of pressure and penalty corners, the Bolts' defense shut out Tiverton in first half, behind five saves from Melody Francisco, and great defense in the circle from Lisa Huang, Mollie Maguire, and Claire Mensah. 

With no score, Tiverton continued the attack in the second half, but were again stymied by Lisa Huang and the 'Bolts defense. Cranston East was able to create some counterattacks, something they were unable to achieve in the first half, and the game started to be played on both sides of the field, with both teams creating opportunities. 

Tiverton created several penalty corner opportunities, and with 11 minutes remaining, Sarah Whitson found the back of the net off of a rebound, giving the Tigers a 1-0 lead late in the game. 

Now trailing, Cranston East played with a sense of urgency following the goal, but almost fell behind 2-0. Sarah Whitson had a breakaway opportunity off of a Cranston East miscue, but her shot went wide, preserving hope for the Thunderbolts.

With the need of a goal very apparent, the Bolts' played a high risk-high reward brand of field hockey, as evident from Whitson's breakaway chance, and were able to knot the score at one. 

The goal started in the 'Bolts defensive zone, and they advanced the ball in an assembly line fashion. Lisa Huang found Mariely Jimenez, who found Nina Steiner streaking down the middle of the field. Steiner put the shot on goal and Beatrix Kanno finished off the rebound, tying the score with 5 minutes remaining.

Tiverton called timeout and responded, advancing the ball into the Cranston East zone. Kara Lotz had a powerful shot from the point that went just wide, and the Tigers created a penalty corner with one minute remaining. Tiverton crashed the net on the penalty corner and Katelyn St. Ours scored with 45 seconds left in the game, a crushing blow to Cranston East.

But to their credit, the 'Bolts didn't quit, and Bihelra Quinonez put one more shot on goal. Allison Raposa made a phenomenal save, effectively ending the contest. 

Cranston East allowed too many penalty corners and although their defense was strong, the Tigers connected twice and came away with a 2-1 victory, improving to 3-2 on the season.

Despite the penalty corners, Thunderbolts Coach Robert Finelli was pleased with the defense his team played, while facing an immense amount of pressure.

"The defense was monstrous. Taylor Maguire was tough out there. She was sprinting to the ball on every penalty, and she was taking them off the shins, she was taking them off the thigh. That girl is tough," Coach Finelli said. 

"And Melody was fantastic. When they were on us, she kept us in the game. And she made the saves she needed to make," Coach Finelli continued, commenting on the play of his goalie.

After a crushing defeat, the Thunderbolts fell to 2-6 on the season, but Coach Finelli was pleased with his team's effort, playing hard until the very end.

"It was a rollercoaster ride. But the beauty of it was that they never quit, as much pressure as we were under. And we had an opportunity right up until the end," Finelli concluded.

As a sidenote, Cranston East Sophomore Attacker Beatrix Kanno was awarded the Crown Trophy, as she was named Cranston East Female Athlete of the Month for September. Kanno was also invited to the University of New Hampshire, for the Premier College Showcase for sophomore and junior field hockey players. 

Cranston East's next game will be at Classical on Wednesday.