Girls Soccer: Cranston West Falls 6-3 to LaSalle

Cranston West faced off against LaSalle, one of the best teams in Division I, in a girls soccer match on Thursday at the Hope Road Complex. McKenzie Meehan had a phenomenal performance for the Rams as she scored six times, too many for the Falcons to overcome, falling 6-3.

Meehan scored her first goal of the game 15 minutes in off a great pass that led her to the goal from Hannah Poirier. The Rams displayed great passing throughout the first half and Meehan was a beneficiary once more as she beat Danielle St. Pierre for the second time in the 20th minute.

But despite the two first half goals, the Falcons played strong defense considering the amount of pressure they were bombarded with, as LaSalle possessed the ball for eighty-percent of the half. Alexandra Stanton led the way defensively as she turned away many drives by the Rams. And Danielle St. Pierre made several clutch saves to keep the Falcons in the game, and give her offense a chance to make a comeback in the second half.

And from the early intensity on display from the Falcons to start the second half, it looked like Cranston West would forge a comeback. But unfortunately for the Falcons, they turned it over on the attack, leading to another Meehan breakaway and a 3-0 deficit for the Falcons.

Undeterred by the goal, West answered back with a goal from Ariana Stanton off a corner kick, making it a 3-1 game at the 50 minute mark.

Madison Meehan gained a free kick in the 67th minute and put a strong shot on goal which was rebounded by Rams' star McKenzie Meehan and deposited in the back of the net, giving LaSalle a commanding 4-1 lead.

But in the face of defeat, the Falcons continued to scratch and claw and started to chip away at the Rams' lead. Ariana Stanton found the net for the second time in the 69th minute with a lob shot from outside the box to once again help the Falcons draw within two.

Leanna Ly pumped the crowd up 5 minutes later as she saw her shot from just inside midfield bounce over the head of the goalie, and much to the dismay of LaSalle, reduce the lead to just one with 6 minutes to play.

The Rams turned to their star once again as Senior Captain McKenzie Meehan found open space and solidified a LaSalle victory. She would add another on a penalty kick while propelling her squad to a 6-3 win, improving their record to a perfect 10-0.

"She's the quickest girl I've ever seen in Division I soccer. And she's quick with control. And that makes her a super player," Cranston East Coach Charles Pearson said, commenting on the play of LaSalle midfielder McKenzie Meehan.

"But the shots were only 10-7, so it wasn't a lopsided game. And we scored three goals on LaSalle. So I'm excited. But it's the time of the season now where you've got to win the games. But it's good to see that we can play at that level," Pearson said.

Cranston West has four games remaining and Coach Pearson believes that his team will have to take three to advance to the playoffs. The Falcons' journey will continue next Wednesday against Smithfield.