LaCasse Reaches Milestone in McCann Tech Win
NORTH ADAMS, Mass. -- A lot of people came to McCann Tech Thursday in hopes of seeing Izzy LaCasse register her 100th career point.
When it happened, the Hornets senior was glad to see the moment pass.
“I’ve been thinking about it the past couple of days,” she said after scoring four goals in a 5-0 win over Westfield Tech. “It’s the only thing that’s been on my mind. I was a little anxious.
“It was definitely a relief.”
She entered the game needing four points to get to 100. That’s a week’s worth of work for even some talented high school athletes, but her friends and family were ready to see the milestone.
In the 65th minute, she rewarded them, taking the ball away from a Tiger defender at the top of the 18, finding space and knocking a shot past Westfield Tech’s diving keeper for her fourth goal of the game.
Earlier this week, the Tri-County League rivals met in a non-league game down in Westfield, where LaCasse scored a pair in a 2-2 tie, the first non-win this season for the Hornets (5-0-1).
As the points mounted, so did the pressure.
“My mom kind of helped me out to get me back in the swing of things, because I was kind of falling out of it a little bit -- getting a little nervous,” LaCasse said. “My mom told me, ‘It’s OK. It’s going to happen. Take your time.’ “
While Mom helped Izzy gather herself between games, her teammates continued to help put her in a position to shine during the game.
“Molly Boyer does a great job of getting me the ball” LaCasse said. “Addie Hayer also does a great job of feeding the ball. They definitely have made a big impact on me as a player and me playing here at McCann.”
And LaCasse, who had 72 points in her first two years at the school -- she lost her junior season due to the COVID-19 pandemic -- has had a big impact on the Hornets.
“It’s so much of a pleasure to coach Izzy,” McCann Tech coach Mike Dowling said. “She’s not a ball hog. She’s just a soccer player. She’s got the great attitude. She’s just the perfect high school soccer player. She works hard in practice, too.
“She’s definitely the go-to girl to score, no doubt. If she’s open, they look.”
Although McCann Tech dominated throughout the first half, it took 23 minutes for LaCasse to solve Lindsey DeLand (11 saves).
LaCasse added a second goal about three minutes later when she cashed in the rebound of a shot by Hayer.
It was 2-0 at half-time.
Early in the second half, LaCasse took a through ball in the midfield and carried the ball up the left wing before settling about 20 yards from goal and firing a shot that tipped off DeLand’s fingertips and into the goal for career point No. 99.
After she scored a fourth time and the Hornets held a brief celebration at midfield, play resumed, and Camryn Belisle capped the scoring with her third goal of the season.
At the other end of the field, Keira Lennon stopped all four shots she saw to earn the win in goal.
“This is two wins in the league against Westfield, and they’re hanging around second place with Smith Voc,” Dowling said. “This gives us a little more breathing room.”
The Hornets have another league game on Friday at home against the Pioneer Valley Chinese Immersion Charter School.