Novans, Tigers settle for draw Tolman battles back from halftime deficit to earn road point
WOONSOCKET – After Woonsocket High had delivered a superb first-half start to its pivotal Division III showdown against Tolman on Wednesday afternoon, head coach Tiffany Godbout and assistant Toni Scavitti let their troops know how pleased they were.
The Villa Novans had gained a onegoal advantage, and looked good doing it, but the mentors also informed them they had to raise their emotional and physical energy levels as a team over the final 40 minutes if they wanted to inch closer to a playoff bid.
According to Godbout, it never happened. Following a steal along the right sideline, junior Mickenzie Aldridge lofted a high, 35-yard boot from the right sideline over the outstretched arms of junior keeper Abbie Roderick with 16:06 remaining in regulation to help Tolman forge a 2-2 stalemate at Barry Field.
WHS tried in vain to score the clinching goal down the stretch, leaving it at 44-3 in league action and needing wins in its final two tilts to snag a post-season bid.
Actually, Tolman (4-5-2) is in the same boat, though has a slightly easier road. It will host Blackstone Valley Prep at 4 p,m., Friday during its Senior Night, then travel to Central next week. The Novans, however, will bus to second-place Johnston on Friday for a 4:30 p.m. clash, then visit BVP next Tuesday.
“They just didn’t want it,” a disappointed Godbout said as she strolled with her team from the field.
“Our opponent was doing something defensively that our forwards couldn’t figure out until the second half. Finally, we were able to score the deserved equalizer later.” – Tolman assistant coach Gavin Ward
“We talked about it at halftime, told them they had to step up their intensity. We said they had to want it more. Pure and simple, we apparently didn’t.
“In the second half, we did; we had some really good runs,” she added. “Everything we did strategically made me proud, but the energy and passion? Not so much.”
If Godbout sounded harsh with her assessments, so did THS co-head coaches A.J. LaScola and Gavin Ward.
“We’ve got two games left, and we can still make the playoffs, but we didn’t play very well here,” Ward stated in his English accent. “We had told the girls beforehand that we needed to start fast, jump on Woonsocket right away and gain the momentum. We didn’t.
“Our opponent was doing something defensively that our forwards couldn’t figure out until the second half,” he continued. “Finally, we were able to score the deserved equalizer later.”
The Novans – dressed in pink jerseys during this “Pink-Out” affair to commemorate Breast Cancer Awareness Month (and wearing pink “eye black” stripes – came out firing. Senior Lailah Insisiengmay converted junior Amy Seck’s feed just five minutes after the opening pass for the early 1-0 lead.
It nevertheless didn’t last long, as junior Haleigh Correia drilled home an unassisted try less than a minute later to tie it.
Approximately 11 minutes later, Insisiengmay sent a beautiful pass to Seck, who knocked it past junior netminder Nicole Carman to regain the lead at 2-1.
With about eight minutes left before the break, Insisiengmay gained control of the ball down the left sideline, juked a defender, raced in deep and drilled a cross toward Carman, yet she made a sprawling save.
And, with three minutes remaining, Correia unleashed a wicked, 12-foot stinger at Roderick, who snatched it with her arms.
It appeared the Tigers had posted the equalizer five minutes into the final session after Aldridge knocked a crossing pass to her right toward talented freshman Nataly Santos; she got her foot on it in front, but Roderick made the stop.
In the 52nd minute, Correia managed a steal on the right sideline, dribbled down field and smoked a low screaming liner at the cage. Roderick, though, slapped it away.
Tolman manufactured another promising attempt midway through the second half when Correia stunningly dribbled around two defenders, hustled down the right side and whacked a cross into the box, straight toward Santos. The latter had a wide-open net, but ripped it over the crossbar.
The Tigers finally knotted it on Aldridge’s rainbow under the crossbar.
It looked as if Woonsocket had regained the lead once more with 13 minutes left; that’s when Insisiengmay dribbled down the middle of the turf, and somehow maintained her balance – and possession – despite being bumped by at least four Tigers.
She eventually got the shot off, but Carman deflected it over the crossbar. And, about seven minutes later, senior April Visouveth sprinted down the right after a pass that became a breakaway. With three defenders closing fast, she fired a try off the right post, but it caromed out in front of the open cage.
ANovan had run past it, so spun around and tried to poke it in with her right foot, but couldn’t get a handle. A defender eventually cleared it, and tie was imminent.
Roderick closed with five saves, Carman with a half-dozen.
“If we win our next two games, we’re in,” Ward said.
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