Playing a stellar defense to go along with a solid offensive game, the Convent of the Sacred Heart field hockey team traveled up to Westport and blanked Greens Farms Academy 4-0 Monday afternoon.
“I was very pleased today overall, said co-head coach Alexandru Gheorghe. “We came from a very tough game two days ago against Westminster and I couldn’t be happier with the way we came back today. We had a great effort and a lot of shots on goal. We definitely controlled the game and overall I am happy with the outcome.”
For the Tigers, all the scoring was done in the first half, as four different athletes found their name on the scoresheet. With 21:23 showing on the scoreboard, Charlotte Sheehan took the ball from Catherine Keating and found the back of the net.
Just under two minutes later, Eliana Manriquez made the score 2-0 when she got the ball from Claire Squire and fired it in the back of the cage. With 8:19 to play, Jade Cohen got into the scoring frame of mine, when Manriquez picked up her first of two assists on the day.
Exactly five minutes later, Keating rounded out the scoring when Manriquez gave her the ball and beat the GFA goalie for the 4-0 advantage.
Although Sacred Heart didn’t score in the second half, they were still firing away at the net. In total, Manriquez finished with 12 shots on net, while teammate Alexa Harris added nine shots on net. Not to be outdone was senior co-captain Kelly McLaughlin, who picked up three shots on goal.
“We have a very young offense, so I think that this proves that they are ready to go,” McLaughlin said. “They want to score some goals. They have fresh legs. They are fast, determined and really communicate well. I think the zero on the board says it all. The defense worked really hard and we have a lot of seniors out back and in the midfield, but the offense also played stellar.”
Out of the team’s 12 corner opportunities, nine of them were taken in the second half alone. Overall, Sacred Heart finished with 31 shots on goal.
“I am really happy with the chemistry of this team,” Gheorghe said. “I think the seniors have really combined with the freshmen and connect with them. We have a lot of young players on the team, so having that leadership help them is great. I think that is affecting our results in a positive way.”
While the offensive was firing on all cylinders, the team’s defense was lights out. The Dragons were unable to sustain a large amount of pressure and any threats were quickly squashed.
“Our defense was amazing today,” senior captain Maddy DeVita said. “We worked really hard to transfer the ball a lot and we had some really strong passes around field. I am really happy with that. We worked really hard on both sides of the ball and deserved the win.”
With the win, Sacred Heart upped its overall record to 3-1 on the season.
“This win was very important. It set us up mentally really well for the next couple of games,” McLaughlin said. “We have a tough stretch ahead, so this was a nice win to put on the board.”
To read more on how the season is faring for the Convent of the Sacred Heart field hockey team, check out Friday’s expanded article in the Greenwich Sentinel.
