The Merrimack Valley girls’ soccer team is getting close. Week after week, the Pride has steadily climbed the standings in Division II in hopes of being one of those programs near the top by season’s end.
Thursday was another step in the right direction.
Behind an early goal from sophomore Emily Koufos, and a late one off the foot of freshman Alyssa Woodman, Merrimack Valley blanked ConVal, 2-0, to pick up the program’s sixth victory in its last eight tries.
“It was a really big win for us,” Merrimack Valley coach Nick D’Agostino said. “It was the second time we played them in the last couple weeks and it’s not easy to beat a team twice in a season. It’s a pretty great win and I know they wanted it. Big game for both teams.”
Merrimack Valley (6-5) is finally starting to gain traction after an 0-3 start to the season in which the Pride lost to three of the top-six teams in D-II – twice by just a single goal.
But with the team’s recent success and a renewed confidence, the Pride is out to prove that not only can it hang with those caliber of programs, it can beat them, too.
“We had a pretty tough schedule to start the season and it was a good wake-up call for us. We started against Hollis (Brookline) and lost by one. We played Hanover in a great game and lost by two and then lost to Bow in double overtime,” D’Agostino said.
“We had a tough schedule, but at the same time the girls can beat those kind of teams,” he said. “They believe they can play with anybody and it’s definitely shown. So now we have to get one against one of those teams in the top five.”
ConVal (4-5) isn’t exactly a title contender but is still a strong team in the middle of the pack in D-II, and Merrimack Valley put together an all-around effort to leave Thursday with the win.
It was a scoreless contest until around the 20-minute mark when the Pride capitalized on a corner kick for the early advantage. The corner was sent into the box and a scrum in front of the net ensued, but Koufos came away with the loose ball and sent it past the ConVal keeper for a 1-0 lead.
Koufos, along with Kerragan McNeil, Brooke Walton and Kaylee Magoon were part of a vital second-unit off the bench that helped sparked the Pride.
“That group kind of came in on the offensive side and did a really good job of stepping up and applying pressure,” D’Agostino said. “They brought some energy in and we started to settle into the game a little bit more.”
Merrimack Valley still led by one in the second half when ConVal switched up its formation, putting more players in the center midfield in an effort to play the ball over the top of the Pride’s back line.
The Cougars generated a few chances out of it, but Kaitlyn Belanger, Asia Hanson, Miah Boucher and Cassidy Considine played it smart defensively, and any shot headed for goal was turned back by Madison Merchant (five saves).
“We did a good job winning the second ball out of the middle,” D’Agostino said. “The (ConVal) keeper has a really big punt, so making sure we had a body on that and getting that second ball and getting possession was pretty important for us today.”
Woodman provided the 2-0 lead and iced the game when she found a loose ball inside the 18-yard box and finished it off with a strong strike for the goal in the 75th minute.
Merrimack Valley will have a chance to get its statement win next week with a couple of tough games ahead against John Stark on Tuesday and a rematch against Hollis-Brookline scheduled for Friday.
“I think the girls really need to get that marquee or big win to continue to kind of build the momentum,” D’Agostino said. “We’re always right in the game and we have to find a way to start winning them if we want to make a run at some point at the end of the season.”
(Jay McAree can be reached at 369-3371, jmcaree@cmonitor.com or on Twitter @JayMcAree.)
Girls’ Soccer
Manchester Central 3, Concord 0
Key players: Concord – Autumn Nudd, Grace Devanny
Highlights: It was scoreless 35 minutes into the match but Central went on to score two goals in the final five minutes of the first half. The second half was a hard-fought game, but Central scored one more to put the game out of reach.
Coach’s quote: “Honestly, it just comes down to defensive mistakes in this game. We made three crucial defensive mistakes and they capitalized on all three. We just can’t do that against these teams. I’m sure we will see them again.” – Concord’s Phil Tuttle
Records: Concord 7-2-1; Central 8-1
Kearsarge 2 John Stark 2, 2OT
Key players: John Stark – Autumn Nelson (G), Presley Gaburseck, Arden Ulmer, Chelsea Woodsum (G); Kearsarge – Kaylyn Storozuk (G), Taryn Hubley (G), Hailey Lacombe (A), Jordan Busch (A)
Highlights: Nelson tied the game at one with her goal in the first half, while Stark teammate Woodsum added the free kick goal to tie it in the second half. Kearsarge enjoyed some fine scoring of its own as Storozuk scored off a free kick and Busch turned a corner kick into a Hubley header.
Coach’s quote: “Both teams came out to play and proved it with a double overtime.” – Stark’s Chris Pike
“Excellent back and forth game. We scored in the first half then John Stark answered. We scored in the second half and Stark answered by sending it into overtime. Both teams played hard. It was a really fun game.” – Kearsarge’s Emily Wagaman
Records: John Stark 7-2-2; Kearsarge 6-4-2
Belmont 5, Berlin 0
Key players: Belmont – Julianna Estremera (2G), Kaitlyn Gagnon (2G), Madison Lima (1st varsity goal), Sana Syed, Emma Cochran, Sierra Bourque
Highlights: The Raiders made the long trip up to Berlin and left with a convincing victory. Estremera and Gagnon provided the offensive spark and the Belmont defense did the rest to preserve the shutout.
Records: Belmont 9-2-1; Berlin 3-9
Merrimack Valley 6, Milford 2
Key players: MV – Logan Cassin (4G), Tiegan Friedrich (G), Griffin Wheeler (G), Cameron Woodman (3A), Mason Boudreau (keeper)
Highlights: Merrimack Valley came out on the attack and went up 3-0. Milford scored a goal, but MV was able to continue to fight and get the win.
Coach’s quote: “We needed to get a win tonight to help us as we get close to wrapping up the regular season. The guys worked hard in practice yesterday and continued that hard work throughout the game today. Glad to get the win and get back to .500.” – MV’s Ken Fuller
Records: Merrimack Valley 6-5; Milford 1-10
Belmont 5, Hillsboro-Deering 1
Key players: H-D – Elijah Winters (G); Belmont – Nate Sottak (3G), Mike Sprague (G), Jake Brown (G), Lucas Mathieu (A), Zach Ennis (A), Dylan LaFlower (A), Jake Deware (3 saves)
Highlights: Winters scored a nice goal on a free kick from 20 yards out, just the third goal allowed by Belmont all season. But the offense for the Raiders was just too much to slow down. Sottak paced Belmont with a hat trick as the Raiders added to their impressive win total on the season.
Coach’s quote: “Excellent effort on slick field conditions for both teams.” – Belmont’s Michael Foley
Records: Belmont 10-0-1; H-D 5-5
Bow 2, Plymouth 2, 2OT
Key players: Bow – Max Elsasser (2G), Matt Selleck (A), Sean Miclette (defense)
Highlights: Plymouth pulled ahead by one with 15 minutes to go in regulation, but Bow was able to tie things up again less than two minutes later. Neither team could find the winning score in overtime.
Coach’s quote: “Exactly the kind of game I told the boys that it would be. Two teams headed toward a tournament berth with neither side willing to give an inch. It reminded me of how the Democrats and Republicans conduct business in Washington.” – Bow’s George Pinkham
Records: Bow 7-3-1; Plymouth 7-4-1
Pelham 3, John Stark 0
Key players: John Stark – Sydnee Pelletier (19 saves), Kasey Arnold (defense), Gracie Bolduc (offense)
Highlights: The Generals played the talented Pythons to a scoreless halftime draw, a huge improvement over the previous two season games with Pelham. Pelham scored early on in the second half and finished the game off with two more scores.
Coach’s quote: “We played a very good first half against one of the division’s best teams. Unfortunately, some things didn’t go our way in the second but we showed we are a much improved team and get better each time out.” – Stark’s Dennis Pelletier
Records: Pelham 8-3; John Stark 4-7
Kingswood 2, Merrimack Valley 1, OT
Key players: Merrimack Valley – Reilly Swislosky, Lauren McLaughlin, Alani Ramas, Rosemary Ostrowski
Highlights: The game went back and forth between the two teams throughout the whole game. Kingswood scored about 19 minutes into the first half. MV’s Reilly Swislosky rebuttled about 30 seconds later with a goal of her own off a shot from the top of the circle. MV had an opportunity on a penalty stroke in the second half but Kingswood’s goalie stopped a strong lifted shot for McLaughlin. In OT, Kingswood would come out with the victory after a goal off of a breakaway into the circle.
Coach’s quote: “The girls played well this afternoon, but had a hard time taking advantage of opportunities in the circle. We will bounce back and look to finish next week out strong. ” – MV’s Jennifer Otis
Records: Merrimack Valley 4-8; Kingswood 8-4
Bishop Brady 5, Littleton 1
Key players: Bishop Brady – Halle Laramie (2G), Ashlyn Toupin (G), Abby Shagena (G), Kathryn Weed (G), Abby Tremblay (A), Libby Hicks (3A), Emma Windsor (5 saves)
Highlights: Laramie scored at the seven-minute mark, assisted by Tremblay in the first half. Toupin opened up the second half with a goal on a corner at 28:42 assisted by Hicks. Shagena scored at 16:32 assisted by Hicks and Laramie scored at 12:05 from Hicks before Weed notched the final goal.
Coach’s quote: “Despite the muddy conditions the girls played very well together.” – Brady’s Kelly Owen
Records: Bishop Brady 8-1-0; Littleton 2-9-0
Winnisquam 3, Berlin 1
Key players: Winnisquam – Maddie House (G, A), Meghan Cote (G, A), Hannah Max (G), Eveline Auger (A)
Highlights: The Bears played their best game yet. Karissa Haskins had a phenomenal game, as did Kaitlyn Carey and Auger. The first offensive corner was executed beautifully by Auger and House. Cote had multiple breakaways and carried the ball down the field to her forward line.
Coach’s quote: “The offensive line did their jobs today. We knew before the season started this was a game to work for. Today we didn’t just have skilled players, we had a skilled team. ” – Winnisquam’s Erin Cayer
Records: Winnisquam 6-4-0; Berlin 4-6-1
John Stark 3, Somersworth 0
Key players: John Stark – Alexa Archambault (defense), Courtney Lavigne (defense), Riley Lord (7 kills, 5 digs, 2 aces), Lucy McGrade (team-high 4 aces)
Highlights: John Stark took the first set, 25-12, before battling in a heavily contested second set. Stark ended on a five-point run to take the set, 25-17, and closed out the match easily with a 25-11 third-set victory.
Coach’s quote: “We found another way to get the win, with strong serving and smart play.” – Stark’s Jeff McClellan
Records: John Stark 6-7; Somersworth 2-9