Taconic's Goddard, McCann Tech's Thompson Recognized

This week's iBerkshires.com/Southwestern Vermont Health Care Athletes of the Week led their teams to some big post-season wins, and each has more playoff action ahead of them.

 

No team has been hotter in May than the McCann Tech boys lacrosse team, which is 8-0-1 in the second month of the season.

 

The "1" was a tie at county rival Lenox on Monday, the Hornets settled that issue four days later with a three-overtime win over the Millionaires in the Western Massachusetts Class C semi-finals.

 

Senior Musa Thompson scored five goals and had three assists in that win, and he scored the game-winner midway through the third OT.

 

The win was the first for McCann Tech against the South County cooperative team (formerly hosted by Lee) in the 10 years the North Adams school has been playing the sport.

 

McCann Tech led much of the game but was able to regroup after Lenox repeatedly came back, including with a tying goal in the final minute to force overtime.

 

"We face adversity every game," Thompson said after the win. "We went into half-time with a penalty, a two-minute penalty. They came out and scored two goals, tied it up. Adversity, man, that's all I've got to say."

 

The next challenge for the Hornets: a date against top-seeded Hoosac Valley (15-1), owner of its own eight-game winning streak, on Wednesday at BCC in the Western Mass final.

 

The Taconic softball team was 6-2 this month before a loss in Sunday's Western Massachusetts semi-final at Hampshire.

 

The Thunder played just once last week, but it was a memorable one, edging Wahconah, 4-3, in the Western Mass quarter-finals, Taconic's third win over its league and county rival this spring.

 

Senior Cheyann Goddard went the distance in the circle, scattering seven hits in the victory.

 

Goddard also went 2-for-2 with an RBI at the plate.

 

She has 10 wins and a 2.32 earned run average as a pitcher this season with three times as many strikeouts as walks.

 

Offensively, she leads Taconic, batting .540 with team-bests for RBIs (24) and walks (19).

 

Taconic (11-9) awaits the final seedings for the Division 3 State Tournament; the latest in-season power rankings from the MIAA had the Thunder ranked 18th in the division statewide.

 

The iBerkshires.com Athlete of the Week is sponsored by Southwestern Vermont Health Care.