Watertown 1, Canton 0: Show goes on for Raiders into Division 2 state field hockey title game

Just as soon as sophomore goalkeeper Kayla Costa could finish saying that the Watertown High field hockey team would savor last night's Division 2 state semifinal victory up until it returned to practice today, her coach, Eileen Donahue, boarded the team bus Costa was standing behind and shouted that she was giving the team the day off from the Waltham High turf.
 

The coach's news after the 1-0 victory against Canton High on Canton's home field only temporarily interrupted the Raider chants: ``We're going to the show! We're going to the show!''
That show is the Division 2 state championship game against Oakmont High at 1 p.m. on Saturday at Worcester State College.
 

``It feels great, our team has been practicing really hard, we are just really excited,'' Costa said after collecting the shutout for a program that has won nine state championships, but has not been to the ``show'' since winning back-to-back titles in 2001 and 2002. ``We're really excited because it's the first time (this group) has been to States.''
 

A year ago, the Raiders (20-0-2) watched a 2-0 lead to Hopkinton slip away in the state semifinals before losing the match. The Raiders made sure something similar didn't happen again against the Bulldogs (17-2-3) last night.
 

``We wanted to redeem ourselves, but we're a whole different team from last year, and we're really happy we've made it this far,'' said junior Bianca Jones, who scored the only goal in the contest.
 

Jones said it is so nice to carry on the tradition of the past giants upon whose shoulders they are climbing.
 

``We always do (want to keep the tradition going),'' she said. ``It's in our hearts, we want to win so badly.
 

``It's awesome, we've been all together this whole time. We want it so badly. We know what we have to do to win it.''
 

At the end of a back-and-forth first half, Canton junior Emily Dillon's goal was disallowed because she shot it outside of the circle with about three minutes left.
 

Two minutes later, Watertown had a short penalty corner taken from the right of the net. The Raiders failed to get a shot off as they were tied up by Canton, and the ball was cleared.
Jones said the pressure only mounted when both teams went into the half scoreless.
 

``It's really nervewracking,'' she said, ``but confidence comes up high when you know you have to win it, you know you have to put the game away.''
 

With 24 minutes to go in the game, Watertown sophomore Erika Kelly broke free down the right sideline. Shortly after the fast break was broken up by the Canton defense, the Raiders ended up with a corner taken from the right of the goal. Kelly inbounded the ball to the middle of the circle. After the ball changed possession a few times in the scrum that formed in front of Canton junior goalkeeper Sarah Healey, Jones knocked the ball in the back of the goal with 23:26 to play.
 

``Erika did a really good job of sending it over where the goalie wasn't and I just had to tip it in really strong,'' Jones said, ``so there wasn't any question if it was a goal or not, it wasn't on the line.''
 

Donahue said her team has been working on being more aggressive in the circle.
 

``We sent more people up on that last corner play and it paid off,'' she said.
 

With 9:55 left, Watertown stopped two consecutive corners taken from the right of the goal, and with 6:33 left Canton had another corner from the right side, but the shot was too high. Finally, the Raiders had a key clear with just more than four minutes to play and managed to run out the clock the rest of the way.
 

``Obviously, that was a very talented team we played there,'' Donahue said. ``I'm glad we came out with the win. Both teams did a good job trying to keep people down.
 

``It seemed like both teams scouted each other well and shut down each other's key people, and it took all 22 of them out there to give it their all. It takes more than two or three people to win a game and it's a credit to both teams.''
 

The Raiders, who came out of the Division 2 North bracket by rallying past D-2 North top-seeded Manchester 2-1 Sunday after beating Newburyport 5-0 and Wilmington 7-1, didn't want to think about their next opponent too much last night. Maybe that's because CMass. champion Oakmont has scored 19 goals in four tournament games this postseason.
 

``They've had a great tournament, a good run and have scored a lot of goals,'' Donahue said. ``I don't want to talk about them, this is the moment right here.'
 

And that moment will last a little longer since Donahue canceled practice, which means what Costa was saying about getting back to work in practice will have to wait another day.