The Crimson Tide took a one-goal lead into halftime, but gave it up within the first minute of the second half. Then the ball went silent and it looked like the Concord field hockey team might be headed to another result that didn’t reflect how well it’s been playing to start this season.
But a timeout and pep talk from Coach Bonnie Proulx changed all that.
“We called timeout and pulled it together,” Proulx said, “and they came out angry and hustled.”
That hustling anger sparked a three-goal run in an eight-minute span and led Concord (2-2) to a 4-1 win over Londonderry (1-2-1) at Rollins Park on Thursday.
The Tide has been trying to employ a fast-paced, attacking style of play this season. The idea is to transition the ball at top speed after a turnover so the other team can’t set up. That’s what Concord did after Proulx’s timeout and it paid immediate dividends.
“We just took it to them,” Proulx said, “and we really dominated.”
That domination turned into a goal from junior Haley Munroe (assisted by Isabelle Dunn) with 18:43 left in the second half to put the Tide up, 2-1. Senior Jessie Reed, who scored the lone first-half goal, made it 3-1 when she scored (assisted by Dunn) with 11:20 left on the clock. And it was Dunn, a junior forward, who capped the barrage of goals with a tally of her own (assisted by sophomore Olivia Branch) with 10:26 to play.
Concord held a 13-3 advantage in shots on goal and an 11-6 edge in corners. Like they have all year, Becca Proulx, Julia Ek, Sydnery Fishwick and Branch formed a wall for the Tide in the midfield.
“An official came over to me after the last game (a 2-0 win against Exeter) and said it was so beautiful how that midfield plays because the ball just doesn’t get past them,” Proulx said.
On the rare occasion it did get past them, senior defenders Emily Otto and Bailey Jackson and freshman goalie Megan Martel (two saves) were there to sweep it up and move it out.
“My freshman goalie, she just gets better and better every day,” Proulx said. “She’s a tiny thing and we call her small but mighty. She screams, she’s tough, she pushes, and she’s going to get better as she’s older, too.”
While the win leveled Concord’s record at 2-2, Proulx has been pleased with her team’s play in all four games. The Tide had 31 shots on goal in its first contest, but none of them found a way in during a 1-0 loss to Bedford. And Concord’s other loss came with four minutes left in overtime when Bishop Guertin, a semifinal team last year, pulled out a 2-1 win.
The loss to BG highlighted a problem for the Tide – a lack of depth. Concord has just 16 players on its varsity roster, and playing in a long, hot game with only a couple of subs against a deep team like Guertin was simply too much.
“BG has a huge squad, but they’re the exception. Numbers are down across the state and I’m not sure why,” Proulx said. “So our philosophy is it takes a village and every kid serves a purpose. We try to come together as a team and make it work, and a lot of the players are interchangeable. So if a midfielder gets tired I can pull up a defender. They’re all really fluid.”
Bow first
Key players: Bow – Doug Champagne, Jack Olson, Ronan Lucey, Jason Howe
Highlights/key moments: The Falcons have won four straight Division III titles and now they can add another milestone to their impressive resume – 100 straight wins. Bow hasn’t lost in four years, but Coach Mike Seraikas doesn’t concern himself with those details.
“The kids counted it up and they were excited, but I don’t pay any attention to that,” Seraikas said. “You know what I paid attention to? Jack Olson shot under par for the first time today. He’s been working hard at his game and he’s playing at a relly nice tempo now. Goes to show what hard work will do.”
Olson, a senior, shot a 1-under 34 at Campbell’s Scottish Highlands in Salem, but that wasn’t the lowest score of the day for the Falcons. That belonged to Champagne (33), the senior who has been at the heart of Bow’s remarkable run for the last four years. Lucey (38) and Howe (42) rounded out Bow’s scoring.
The Falcons finished with a 147 total to easily beat out host Pelham (171) and Laconia (191).
Records: Bow 8-0; Pelham 3-2; Laconia 1-3
Concord second
Key players: Concord – Ryan Merchant, Winsor Bean, Hayley Reed, Sean McDonough, Matthew Burns
Highlights/key moments: Merchant, a sophomore, led the Tide with a 41 and Bean, another sophomore, followed that up with a 42 as Concord finished with a 214 at the Rochester Country Club to beat host Spaulding (216) but fall to Alvirne (188). Senior co-captain Reed (43), McDonough (44) and Burns (44) completed the scoring for the Tide.
Coach’s quote: “We have a very competitive team, they’re really pushing each other, and it’s good to see the sophomores step up and play some good golf.” – Concord’s Ed Deshaies
Records: Concord 4-4; Alvirne 8-2; Spaulding 0-10
Kearsarge second
Key players: Kearsarge – Jake Bears, Sean Higgins, Will Chadwick, Charlie O’Connor
Highlights/key moments: The Cougars (192) finished second on their home course at the Country Club of New Hampshire finishing in front of Monadnock (200) and Prospect Mountain (203) but behind Stevens (188). Bears led the Cougars with a 44 and he was followed by Higgins (45), Chadwick (49) and O’Connor (54).
Records: Kearsarge 4-1; Stevens 6-2; Monadnock 1-7; Prospect Mountain 2-6
H-D third
Key players: Hillsboro-Deering – Jacob Cole
Highlights/key moments: Cole shot a 37, the low round of the day, to lead the Hillcats to a 208. H-D beat Sunapee (238) but lost to Mascenic (169).
Records: H-D 2-2; Mascenic 4-0; Sunapee 2-4
Hopkinton 1, Fall Mountain 0
Key players: Hopkinton – Derek West (goal), Will Rhynhart (assist), Tim Meserve (4 saves)
Highlights/key moments: The Hawks withstood a physical challenge from a quality side to come away with the road win. The lone goal came when Rhynhart played a crossing-through ball into space that West, a freshman, ran on to and calmly finished in the side netting while holding off a defender.
Coach’s quote: “To earn a win, via a shutout, against such a well-organized team for a happier (long) bus ride home.” – Hopkinton’s Scott Zipke
Records: Hopkinton 3-1; Fall Mountain 1-4
Concord first
Key players: Concord – Jamie Wilkes (3rd, 16:51), Forest Mackenzie (4th, 16:55), Ollie Spencer (5th, 17:00), Ryan Devine (10th, 17:16), Alex Duncan (12th, 17:22)
Highlights/key moments: The Tide took first in a five-team meet with 37 points, edging out Pinkerton (44), which won the 2015 Division I and Meet of Champions titles and took second in the New England meet. Concord also bested Nashua North (47), Spaulding (133) and Bedford (134). All seven of Concord’s varsity runners finished in the top 15.
Coach’s quote: “A beautiful beginning.” – Concord’s Tristan Black-Ingersoll
VOLLEYBALL
Newfound 3, H-D 1
Key players: Hillsboro-Deering – Amy Albert (9 digs), Kaelyn Snair (5 hits, 2 kills)
Highlights/key moments: The Hillcats started strong, winning the first set, 25-17. But Newfound found a different gear after that, closing out the match with three straight sets – 25-9, 25-12, 25-5
Records: H-D 0-2; Newfound 2-1