BEDFORD – They took the lead with less than two minutes left, the title right there in front of them.
No one outside of Kearsarge thought the Cougars could stay close to defending champion Laconia in Wednesday’s Division III girls’ lacrosse final. Yet there Kearsarge was, a mere 1:20 away from beating the top-ranked Sachems.
Then, cruelly, the unexpected lead vanished and was replaced by an even more unexpected game winner. Laconia’s Mackenzie Howe went to goal, the ball was checked out of her stick and somehow, it found its way to the back of the net with 5.3 seconds left on the clock, seconds that ticked off harmlessly after the ensuing draw as top-ranked Laconia (17-2) claimed a 14-13 win and a second straight title.
“I feel bad because I was definitely the person who checked it,” said Kearsarge senior captain Eleanor Angus, who finished with four goals and four assists. “(Howe) looked like she was going to score, and with the time it didn’t matter if I got a penalty, so I just went for it, but I definitely checked it and I feel bad. And (goalie) Anya (Nowicki) is beating herself up for it, but she doesn’t need to. She played out of this world.”
Nowicki finished with 10 saves, including seven in a first half that felt like a personal highlight reel for the junior netminder. Of course she would have liked to have stopped the wildly bouncing ball that Angus checked from Howe, but Nowicki played great despite the loss, and the same can be said of the entire Kearsarge team.
“It’s disappointing, but I think we played well all around and I couldn’t be happier with the way they played,” Kearsarge Coach Hilary Grimes said. “Last time we saw them it was 14-3, so that’s a pretty good turnaround.”
That 14-3 loss to Laconia on May 6 was the main reason why few gave the Cougars (14-4) much of a chance in the rematch. The Sachems, however, were not expecting another blowout.
“I know Kearsarge and Kearsarge is a great team,” Laconia Coach Kerri Howe said. “I watched them play St. Thomas (in the semifinals, a 9-8 win for the Cougars) and I knew it was going to be close.”
And Kearsarge was determined to show everyone that the first meeting with the Sachems was a fluke.
“That (first game) was almost embarrassing,” Angus said. “We knew all these Laconia fans would probably come in and say, ‘They won’t even give us a fight.’ But we came and showed everyone that we could do it.”
The Cougars began that show in the game’s second minute when Jaclyn DeAngelis (three goals) scored on an assist from Angus. Laconia responded with prolonged pressure and the nearly unstoppable quickness of Helen Tautkus (seven goals). But the Cougars got excellent work from Nowicki, they were efficient with their offensive possessions and after Anna Stowell (four goals) scored with 8:48 left in the first half, it was 5-5.
And things only got better from there.
Maicy Hansen came up with an interception on a Laconia clear and passed it to an open DeAngelis, who made it 6-5. And with 30.6 seconds left in the half, Angus scored on a free position shot that gave Kearsarge a 7-5 halftime lead.
“We were believing at halftime,” Angus said.
That belief only increased as the Cougars used a goal from Stowell, a goal from Angus and two goals from Leslie Angus, Eleanor’s younger sister, to take an 11-7 lead with 11 minutes left. But credit the Sachems, they found a way when it mattered most. Howe scored three goals in a 4-1 run that left the game tied, 12-12, with 5:56 left.
“What’s great about my team is they know what needs to be done,” Coach Howe said. “I know we can be down by four and they know what it takes to come back.”
The Cougars regained the lead when Eleanor Angus scored off a free position shot with 1:20 left. But Tautkus tied things with 1:02 to go and then the final, checked ball bounced in with those five, small seconds left.
“I think that was definitely the best game we had all season,” Grimes said. “In the end, I’d say we had a really great season. I think we kept improving all season long and I think it’s great to have your best game be your last game.”
(Tim O’Sullivan can be reached at 369-3341 or at tosullivan@cmonitor.com or on Twitter @timosullivan20.)