Seventy percent of Lucia Pompeo is better than 100 percent of most of the other field hockey players in the state.

And Pompeo’s 70 percent was enough to lead Cheverus to a key victory over Thornton Academy in a Class A South battle Wednesday afternoon at Shea Field.

Pompeo, a sophomore who is battling a torn labrum in her right hip, showed just how special she can be when she got herself in the right place at the right time to score a pair of second-half goals, leading the Stags to 2-0 victory.

“It’s easy playing with a team that has my back all the time,” said Pompeo, who described herself as being 70 percent healthy. “We had a couple early losses, but now we’re going uphill. We have to keep the momentum going our way. We know we have it, we just have to capitalize on it.”

Cheverus (4-3) had the better of the play most of the game, but couldn’t score in the first half despite seven penalty corners, as Golden Trojans goalie Madison Vachon held the Stags in check. Twice, Vachon denied point-blank shots, robbing Bella Booth in the 17th minute and Haylee Hinkle in the 28th.

The second half was a different story.

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With 25:25 left, Cheverus finally broke through on its ninth corner. Booth inserted the ball to Pompeo, who fired a shot that rattled the backboard, just inside the far post.

“It was kind of a fluke,” said Pompeo. “It wasn’t supposed to go to me, but I took the shot and it went in.

“We had all the momentum going our way (in the first half), but we couldn’t finish. We picked it up in the second half and finished.”

After Thornton’s Lily Stark just missed on a shot that could have tied the game, Cheverus got some breathing room with 10:31 on the clock. The Golden Trojans failed to clear the ball, and Pompeo got to it and again beat Vachon for a 2-0 advantage.

“Lucia is gutting it out,” said Stags Coach Sally Cloutier. “I’m glad she was there today. She’s the type of player that it’s hard not to have her in the game. When she gets the ball in the circle, she’s dangerous. She’s an athlete and a competitor.”

Down the stretch, Cheverus freshman Hannah Woodford saved a pair of shots by Olivia Lambert and a rebound from Victoria Labbe, allowing the Stags to post consecutive victories for the first time this fall.

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Cheverus had a 6-3 edge in shots and a 10-3 advantage in corners.

“It’s coming together,” Cloutier said. “We have great chemistry and the kids are having fun. They’re working hard. I’m feeling great. We’re right where we need to be.”

Thornton Academy, which fell to 5-3, got four saves from Vachon.

“We had 10 defensive corners and we’ve had no more than three the entire season, so that was different and tired us out,” said Golden Trojans Coach Lori Smith. “I thought it was a winnable game, but it was a frustrating day.”


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