Deschamps leads Broncos
Junior forward scores twice in win over Purple
BURRILLVILLE – Given the fact Burrillville High veteran chief Susan Burgess and her troops had to wait approximately 77 minutes for their seasonopening Division II-North tilt to start, she couldn't complain much about the final decision.
The Purple's team bus apparently broke down on Route 44 on Tuesday afternoon, causing the squad to arrive at about 4:30 p.m., 60 minutes after the scheduled start.
But the Broncos exhibited no ill effects from the delay, hustling to a 4-0 conquest before perhaps 35 people at the Thomas Gledhill Memorial Complex.
Junior Jenna Deschamps closed the contest with two goals and an assist, while classmate Dezerae Parkhurst managed a tally and a feed.
“It was a good way for us to start the season,” Burgess stated following the final horn. “We were at home and got the win. I thought we were a little sluggish in the beginning. I don't know if it was due to the late start; it was a long time to wait for a team to get here, but a few minutes in, we started to react better.”
She also admitted being thrilled with the performance of junior Jade Simoneau (seven saves) between the pipes.
“Jade has stepped in and done very well,” Burgess noted. “She has some big shoes to fill (in graduated stalwart Ally Simpson), but I was really impressed with her goal coverage, the way she slid back and forth (across the crease).”
During the delay, Burgess admitted her expectations of her club was “to win.” The reason: The Broncos have returned eight starters to a team that finished in second place in II-North last fall, but had an early exit from the state tourney.
The hosts manufactured six penalty corners over the initial 16:45, but had nothing to show for them, yet the seventh proved auspicious. With 19:30 elapsed, Parkhurst converted a feed from classmate Lindsey Salley to gain what proved to be the gameclinching score.
Burrillville did the same on its eighth corner, though it took 24 ticks for Deschamps to rip home a pass from junior Meg Buxton at 23:24.
Exactly 61 seconds later, Parkhurst whacked a try at Purple junior goalkeeper Siena Negash, who promptly made a sterling kick save by the left post, but a defender accidentally swung her stick into Parkhurst's right ankle.
She went down in a heap, and Burgess hustled out to her with an ice bag.
“Dez turned her ankle, and I think it scared her; I think she thought it was more serious than it was,” the head coach explained. “I will say she played very well after she returned.”
The Broncos took a 2-0 advantage into the break, and seemed destined to manufacture more goals after officials whistled Classical junior Arianna Salazar for a violation – and a mandatory two-minute stint on the sideline – just 55 seconds into the final session.
Their third tally didn't come while Salazar was serving her time, but BHS did convert at the 3:47 mark. That's when senior Jordan Houle chipped in a feed from Deschamps into a wide-open net. On the play, Negash had slid to her left to stop Deschamps from penetrating, but she stepped around her, and Houle finished it.
Over the next three minutes, Classical manufactured three penalty corners, but came up empty due to the stellar defensive play from seniors Sarah Gallant and Kat Wheeler, not to mention juniors Alix Etheridge, Meg Buxton and Haley LaRose.
Burrillville notched an insurance goal at 12:38 when Parkhurst raced in on a breakaway with Deschamps. The former sent a terrific pass from the right to the streaking Deschamps, who smoked at least a 10-yard grounder inside the left post for the final 4-0 verdict.
All told, the Broncos nearly dou- bled up Classical in shots on net (137); they also held a 12-8 advantage in penalty corners.
“I got strong leadership from my four seniors – Jordan, Holly Cassidy and my two co-captains, Kat and Sarah Gallant,” Burgess stated. “Everyone else is filling in the gaps. I thought Alix, she's a Hoover (vacuum) in the back, and Haley played well. My center back, Meg Buxton, stepped in and provided some muscle.
“I'm satisfied somewhat with this win, but we have a lot of work left to do.”