Field Hockey: Sentinels Unrelenting Offense Too Much for Bolts

Smithfield possessed the ball for ninety-percent of Tuesday's field hockey game against Cranston East, and although the Thunderbolts played good defense, they allowed four goals and couldn't produce a counterattack in a 4-0 loss.

The Sentinels started the game on the attack, putting pressure on the Bolts defense. But Cranston East's defense was stout and the Bolts created a good counterattack, forcing an early timeout from the Sentinels. 

Smithfield responded out of the timeout and grabbed an early 1-0 lead with a goal from Senior Marissa Gagnon. 

Goaltender Melody Francisco played a great game for the Thunderbolts. She faced a skilled and tenacious Smithfield squad and produced myriad saves, but Gagnon beat her once more just before halftime, and the Sentinels led 2-0.

It was more of the same for Smithfield in the second half, as they continued to play with intensity and fire on the offensive end. The Thunderbolts did countered with a valiant defense during the second half that even created a scoring opportunity for Nina Steiner, but her shot was wide. 

Cranston East could not get the ball out of their zone for the majority of the remainder of the the game, and despite their solid defense, the Sentinels scored two more times, giving them the 4-0 victory. 

Nikki Plante scored the final goal for Smithfield, on a great individual play, weaving through three defenders and firing a slap shot through the crowd in front of the net. The ball-handling of Plante and Gagnon was a huge reason why the Sentinels were able to maintain pressure throughout the contest.

"She's unbelievable. She's Tom Brady on the field, without the turnovers. She quarterbacks that team and she can handle the ball," Cranston East Coach Robert Finelli said, commenting on the play of Nikki Plante.

"She's unbelievable. There's no answer for that," Finelli added, speaking about the goal by Plante.

"We did not play our typical game. But I have to give Cranston East a ton of credit. They play a really scrappy game and they get to every free ball. And I think we are lucky because we have some skilled players that can move the ball into space and put the ball in when the time is right," Smithfield Coach Andy Dewhirst commented after the game.

Coach Dewhirst was impressed with the play of Melody Francisco in goal for the Thunderbolts, and also gave a lot of credit to new Cranston East Coach Robert Finelli for elevating the level of play of Cranston East field hockey. 

Smithfield kept its unbeaten streak alive and now sits at 6-0 atop of Division I-A.

Cranston East's record drops to 2-4, but Coach Finelli feels his team is now battle tested and is ready to make a playoff push.