Page 190 - WHS FH 2014 Memory Book - Megan Cunningham

“That’s more of a mental thing,” Ball said. “Obviously, you still have to keep playing 110%, but it’s nice to
know that you do have that lead because it calms you down a little and you make less mistakes.” New Canaan
had a chance to widen the lead during a penalty corner at the 13-minute mark, when Miller sent a pass to Ball at
the top of the circle. Ball’s shot was ripped but Hendry made the kick save to end that threat. Wilton turned up
the heat after that and began pressuring the Ram cage. With 13:30 remaining, the Warriors generated a flurry
of shots in close, but Klearman made three saves before the defense was able to send the ball out. Klearman
made one final save in the half, kicking away a shot by Delaney Baxendale during a penalty corner with time
expired.

“She was one of the first players I looked for after the game,” Gildea said of Klearman. “It’s tough being a
goalie. I’m really proud of her. She stepped up today, played well, and hung in there. She’s a great girl and a
hard worker.” In the second half, the pressure was even more intense, as Wilton had eight penalty corners in the
first 11 minutes. A shot by Jillian Mahon in the 35th minute was blocked by Granito, and an attempt by Kristen
Godin in front was stopped on a brilliant play by Ball, who got in front of the open cage and knocked the shot
away. “It was really nerve-wracking,” Ball said. “They just kept coming at us. They played a similar game to
the first time (a 4-1 Wilton win) and they’ve obviously grown, but we’ve really learned how defend them. We
knew what to do and we had a game plan coming in, so it was easier than the first time.”

“Communication is something we’ve been working on all season and we’ve been saying it’s going to make our
break us,” Gildea said. “Tonight, they stepped up, they communicated, and they worked together. You can’t
beat Wilton working individually. You have to come together and that’s the reason we were able to hold them
out. They could not get through our entire team. It wasn’t one or two players; it was our entire team.”

New Canaan had a chance in the 43rd minute, when Mariana Ferreira, recently called up from the JV ranks,
worked the ball into the right corner and sent a pass into the circle for senior co-captain Isabel Taben. Before
Taben could get to the ball for a shot, however, she was met by Hendry, who booted the ball away.

The Wilton offense, led by Godin, Cunningham, Mahon, and Baxendale kept coming at the Rams over the final
15 minutes, but were stopped at every turn. The last chances came during a series of three penalty corners with
just under three minutes remaining, but after Granito blocked a Godin attempt, Klearman leapt high to knock
away a scoop into the circle by Baxendale. New Canaan cleared the zone and kept the ball at midfield and
beyond in the waning moments as the celebration began. The trip to the championship game has been a long
time coming for the Rams, who used to be a mainstay in the final.

“As long as I’ve been here, we’ve not been in the final,” Ball said with a smile. “We’ve always reached the
semifinals and then bee knocked out. So, this is a great feeling to finally be there. It’s amazing.”