For Canterbury girls lacrosse, Thursday night was more than just a playoff win — it was redemption.
One year after being eliminated by Saint Stephen’s in the regional quarterfinals, the Cougars flipped the script, defeating the Falcons 10-6 to advance to the regional semifinals for the first time in program history.
“It’s definitely big," said senior captain Kaya Langford. "In the time that I played up on varsity, we haven't gone past regional quarterfinals, so this is really big for us."
Fueling the Cougars’ offense was a standout pairing of experience and emerging talent: Langford, a seasoned senior, and Isabel Corwen, a seventh grader who leads all of Southwest Florida with 64 goals through 15 games.
Corwen finished the night with two goals and three assists — all of which went to Langford, who added three goals and two assists of her own.
“They just sort of intrinsically know each other so well," said head coach Liz Corrente. "It is a force to be reckoned with when the two of them are on the field together. I don't see a seventh grader and a senior. I just see two incredible players with one another.”
Corwen, for her part, stays humble.
“It’s pretty crazy," said Corwen. "It’s really fun. But just knowing that I only got those goals because my teammates trust me enough to pass it to me."
"There's a lot of expectations on her," said Langford. "I mean, we have teams doubling her, tripling her at times. She definitely keeping her in the game mentally. She does a great job at it. And when she's in it, she's in it. So it's definitely a blessing to have her on the team."
The Cougars took a narrow one-goal lead into halftime, but it didn’t stay that close for long. Canterbury pulled away in the second half, thanks in part to a mental reset and a fired-up locker room.
“We always have captains talk at the second half of halftime," said Langford. And I think we try to get the team fired up a little bit and make sure we're still in the right headspace. I consider us to be a strong second-half team."
"They came out to play, and they came out to win," said Corrente. They came out with purpose, grit, determination and I was incredibly proud of all of their efforts.”
Canterbury will play in the regional semifinals on April 29. The team will either host Naples or travel to face Bradenton Christian, depending on the outcome of that matchup on Friday night.
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