Page 216 - WHS FH 2014 Memory Book - Megan Cunningham

an easy game. We had to play our best defense and our best offense.”

Katherine Campbell and Baxendale scored the goals for Wilton, with
Godin and Bridget Ward each notching an assist. Wilton finished with a
14-2 edge in shots on goal and had an 11-2 edge in penalty corners.
Tatiana Naclerio played a superb game in goal for Barlow, with 12 saves
in goal, and Amanda Hendry had two saves for Wilton.

The Warriors produced the
game’s first good scoring chance
about four minute in, when Meg
Cunningham dribbled her way
into the arc, getting through or
past four defenders, to create a
penalty corner. On the play,
Naclerio made a high save on a
lift shot by Jillian Mahon, and
then stopped Ward’s shot on the
rebound attempt.

That was followed a short time
later by a save on an open shot by Godin, and then a couple of Wilton
corners, with Barlow’s Briana Marcelino blocking Godin’s open shot to
the right of the cage.

Midway through the half, the Warriors had a beautiful push over
midfield, with passes from Caroline Taverna to Delaney Baxendale to
Godin, leading to another carry by Cunningham into the arc. This time,
she passed the ball though the crease to Gwen Hall, whose shot was just
wide.

At that point, the Falcons began to push back, getting their first corner at the 15-minute mark, leading to a shot
by Zoe Marcelino that was stopped by Hendry. Barlow had another shot go wide a few minutes later, off
another corner, and pressured dangerously again with about eight minutes left when Hendry kicked away a shot
by Emma Coppock, who made a nice run through several defenders into the arc. With three minutes to go in the
half, a Barlow hit from midfield bounced past three Wilton players, allowing Marcelino to control the ball in the
arc for an open shot, which was blasted high.

Cunningham’s speed and ability to dribble the ball past and through defenders led to another Wilton corner with
two minutes left, with Godin’s shot blocked by a defender. Wilton got one more corner before the half, with a
shot bouncing wide. Wilton had a 6-2 edge in shots on goal in the half, and 4-2 edge in corners. On defense,
center back Meredith Rappaport did an outstanding job defusing multiple Barlow attacks in the first half.

Wilton got on the scoreboard at 2:18 of the second half, off a penalty corner. On the play, Godin’s shot was
tipped in front by Ward and deflected into the air to the left of the goal, where Campbell made a great play to
knock it out of the air and into the cage. Throughout the half, Wilton kept Barlow pinned inside its half of the
field, with Cunningham, Godin, Baxendale, Maddie Duffy, Hall, Mahon, Ward, Campbell, and Susan Clasby
blocking hits and causing turnovers — and then attacking. With 13:35 left, off a corner, Naclerio stopped
corner, with 6:20 left to play. For the most part, Barlow played smart and poised in the arc, defused attack after
Godin’s shot, and after a scramble, Hall’s shot was deflected wide. She later stopped a shot by Mahon, off a
attack, and stayed within a goal until the final minutes.

Wilton finally got an insurance goal with 1:45 left. The goal was initiated by another great run by Cunningham,
leading to a shot in front by Campbell and at the post by Hall, both of which were blocked by Naclerio. The ball
eventually rolled out to Baxendale, open about 10 yards out, and she blasted a shot into the left side of the cage.