Unbeaten ’Canes add another marquee win

Posted 9/25/14

The Warwick Vets field hockey team was already off to its best start in years. And now that start includes two of its biggest victories in years.

The Hurricanes carried a 4-0 record into games …

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Unbeaten ’Canes add another marquee win

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The Warwick Vets field hockey team was already off to its best start in years. And now that start includes two of its biggest victories in years.

The Hurricanes carried a 4-0 record into games against fellow unbeatens South Kingstown and Classical, and they left with the perfect record still intact. The ’Canes beat the Rebels 2-1 on Thursday then knocked off Classical – the only other unbeaten team in Division II – 1-0 in overtime on Monday.

“I looked at this stretch as a measuring stick,” said Vets head coach Jim Areson. “And they’re exceeding my expectations.”

The stretch didn’t end with Classical, as Vets was set to take on 5-1 Cumberland on Wednesday, with results unavailable at press time. With a win there, the ’Canes would remain the only unbeaten team in Division II, but either way, they’ve already established themselves as a contender.

“The great thing about this start is that they’ve put themselves in position to have a very successful season,” Areson said.

The ’Canes had high expectations for the season, but the same was true last year, when they never quite hit their stride. They finished 4-6-3.

But they’ve made good on the expectations so far this year, at every stop. They have allowed one goal all season, haven’t trailed in any game and have had an incredible knack for delivering decisive goals. Three of their six wins have come by a single goal. Twice, the clinching goal has come in overtime. The other time, it came with just over two minutes to play in the second half.

“Our defense has just been phenomenal,” Areson said. “And we’ve really come out firing.”

Against South Kingstown, the ’Canes gave up their first goal of the season in the first half, but broke a 1-1 tie late in the second half on a Savannah Hersey goal.

Against Classical, the game was scoreless into sudden-death overtime, when Vets came through again. Lexy Santos-Smith corralled a loose ball, dribbled into the circle and blasted in the game-winner.

“It was an awesome goal,” Areson said. “Just a hellacious shot.”

Vets celebrated another big win. For Areson and, even moreso for the players, it’s a treat. Areson, a longtime coach, led Vets to the 2005 Division II championship, but it’s been a while since the team has had that kind of big-time success. When his current seniors entered the program, Vets was stuck in Division I, mired in a second consecutive winless season.

“I’m really happy for them,” Areson said. “It’s all new.”

While they’re relishing the start, Areson is reminding his team not to get ahead of itself. The game with Cumberland is a huge test, and in the second half of the season, Vets is sure to have a target on its back.

“It’s great what we’ve done but we’ve got to keep plugging away,” he said. “We could go undefeated and lose in the first round, and that would be that. I want the girls to understand that we’ve still got a ways to go.”

After the Cumberland game, Vets will host perennial contender Burrillville on Monday at 3:45 p.m.

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