Cranston East, Rocky Hill get the best of Toll Gate

Kevin Pomeroy
Posted 10/14/14

The Toll Gate field hockey team was optimistic heading into a two-game stretch on Thursday and Friday, when the Titans would be playing opponents they knew they could hang with.

And the Titans …

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Cranston East, Rocky Hill get the best of Toll Gate

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The Toll Gate field hockey team was optimistic heading into a two-game stretch on Thursday and Friday, when the Titans would be playing opponents they knew they could hang with.

And the Titans hung around, but ultimately, the results were still the same as they’ve been all year.

Toll Gate played Rocky Hill on Thursday, a team with just two wins coming in, and the Titans fell 2-1. The next day, Toll Gate took on winless Cranston East, but the ’Bolts broke out offensively en route to a 4-1 win.

The Titans played well in spurts, and head coach Leila Connolly wasn’t disappointed with the performance. It’s just a matter of putting the balls in the net, something Toll Gate has struggled with all year long.

It fell to 0-12 in Division II. East is 1-10-1.

“They played well,” Connolly said. “They just can’t put it together to work to their potential. We have some talented players and we just can’t seem to finish.”

The Titans got a goal from Caroline Henn against Rocky Hill, with the assist to Diandra Delsignore, but it wasn’t quite enough to overcome a goal in each half by the Mariners.

Samantha Ventre made 27 saves in goal, including stopping a penalty shot.

Against East, Toll Gate’s goal came off the stick of Kelsey Holmes, who belted the ball from the right side after a rebound with just over five minutes left in the game.

The goal was Holmes’ third of the year, which leads the team. Henn has two.

“Last year, we had a bad year and as the season progressed we scored goals at least,” Connolly said. “This year, we’re scoring more goals.”

That goal was too little, too late, though, as East took control of the game right from the start. Brittney Bidwell corralled a pass across the crease from Vivien Yau just 37 seconds into the game and she buried the shot, putting the ’Bolts up 1-0 immediately.

It was East’s first lead of any kind this season.

“We got good opportunities, and the kids are working so hard,” said East head coach Jim Creamer. “We’ve been playing so much defense, that it was good to get a little offense.”

The ’Bolts must have liked the feeling, because they kept on the offensive, getting a second goal with just over five minutes to play in the half from Brittany Rice, with Isabella LeClair picking up the assist.

Amelia Lavallee added a goal early in the second half and two minutes after she scored, Bidwell tallied her second of the game to make it 4-0.

The Titans held some possession and threatened a few times, but rarely gave East much of a challenge. The ’Bolts goalkeeper, Shoshana Adler, made four saves.

“Our goaltender has been spectacular all year,” Creamer said.

Brittany Ayotte made nine saves in goal for the Titans.

Toll Gate’s lone goal came on an attacking flurry, as Madeline Cox nearly scored just seconds before Holmes was able to put one away.

“I think our forward line definitely has a lot of potential,” Connolly said.

The Titans mounted a few late chances after the goal, but couldn’t quite convert.

Despite losing the two games, there was one major positive during the week for the Titans, who held a Pink Out for the game against Rocky Hill to raise money for the Gloria Gemma Breast Cancer Resource Foundation.

It turned into a big-time success.

“It was a school-wide thing, and we raised even more money than last year,” Connolly said. “The girls were into it.”

Now the Titans will turn their attention to their final four games. They host first-place Warwick Vets today at 3:45 p.m., then play Chariho and South Kingstown before finishing the season against Pilgrim on Oct. 22.

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