When Andy Briers took over the Concord High field hockey program in the fall of 2017, he inherited a passionate team, but one that lacked the on-field experience needed to compete in Division I.
The Tide took its lumps that season to the tune of a 3-11 record, but it hardly shook Briers’s confidence. He just needed some time to figure it out, knowing what could come if his staff had the chance to really teach the ins and outs of the game and get to know the players.
Concord won eight games last season and made the playoffs, and the Tide is already on pace to surpass last year’s win total this season after collecting a key 2-1 victory over Bishop Guertin on Wednesday at Rollins Park to improve to 7-3.
Briers says the players are responsible for the turnaround.
“It’s a credit to them, they’re playing well. Field hockey is a players’ game, not a coaches’ game. Occasionally we can help out, but they’re out there on the field for 60 minutes and I’m out there for zero,” Briers said.
The players point the finger right back at Briers.
“He’s a great coach. I think he’s a huge part of the reason why we’ve gotten so much better as a team. He knows how to make us work really together,” said senior defender Samantha Ossoff.
“Individually he knows our strengths. He knows our weaknesses, what we need to work on and he’s really good at just pulling us all together, pulling our focus in and making sure we play a good game,” said senior midfielder Ella Doherty, who dished out two assists Wednesday.
Regardless of which side takes credit, it’s clear that everyone in the program is on the same page and the Tide players aren’t just setting their sights on a postseason appearance, they want it all.
“This is definitely one of the most competitive seasons,” Doherty said. “I mean everyone is really gunning for it. Everyone wants the same thing and we’re hungry. We want it.”
The Tide began the season on fire with five straight wins out of the gate, but hit a midseason lull of late with three losses in its last four games before getting back on track against Bishop Guertin.
But it was far from a runaway win against the Cardinals (4-5).
Concord struggled to find its footing early on but Bishop Guertin couldn’t capitalize despite possessing the ball and keeping it down on Concord’s defensive side of the field for the majority of the first half.
“They outplayed us for the first 25 minutes without a doubt,” Briers said. “We were a little bit slow for that first 25, but then we played how we know to play. Just kind of like switching on that button where that goal gave us a little bit of momentum and then we started playing.”
That goal was a late strike from Emmanuelle Beaujouan with 1:41 to play in the first half on a shot – Concord’s only shot on goal of the half – from an odd angle that deflected into the cage off the goalie’s pads.
The momentum carried over into the second half as Concord made it 2-0 nine minutes in when Doherty found Jordan Cromwell wide open in front of the cage and Cromwell unleashed an unstoppable shot into the left corner.
“We just didn’t capitalize on the opportunities that we had,” Bishop Guertin coach Stephen Duprat said. “Concord made the most of the two they had and we just had a couple defensive breakdowns in those situations.”
Concord was relatively bottled up by the Cardinals, generating just three shots on goal and three corners. The Tide defense, though, returned the favor. Bishop Guertin was also held to three shots on goal, but did manage several more corners, including the sixth and final one that led to Sarah Coyle’s goal with 11 seconds left.
With seven wins and four games left on the schedule, the Tide is in a good spot to reach the postseason for a second straight year. A few more wins could even help the team’s seeding, but Briers is taking it game by game.
“I know we’re already looking like we’re maybe going to do better (than last year), but I hate to look at the crystal ball,” Briers said. “We got tough games ahead with Pinkerton and Londonderry. All our games are going to be tough so I don’t count the chickens so to speak.”
(Jay McAree can be reached at 369-3371, jmcaree@cmonitor.com or on Twitter @JayMcAree.)
Field Hockey
Merrimack Valley 4,
Goffstown 3, OT
Key players: MV – Reilly Swislosky (2G, A), Taylor Bailey (G), Molly McLaughlin (G), Grace Raymond (defense)
Highlights: The Pride trailed 3-0 15 minutes into the game, but tied the game, 3-3, by halftime and Swislosky found the back of the cage four minutes into overtime. Swislosky started MV’s scoring with six minutes left in the first half and assisted on a goal by Bailey three minutes later. McLaughlin tied the game with a goal off a penalty stroke 58 seconds before halftime. The Pride was down a player in overtime due to a card in the last seconds of regulation, but still managed to pull out the victory.
Coach’s quote: “I’m very pleased that the girls were able to come back from a 3-0 deficit early in the first half. We had some critical defense slips which led to some Goffstown goals. Reilly created some great opportunities offensively for us today. We plan to carry on with this momentum for the last leg of the season.” – MV’s Jen Colgan
Records: MV 5-5; Goffstown 5-5
Portsmouth 2, Pembroke 0
Key players: Pembroke – Alex Bonacorsi (defense), Sophia Brasley (12 saves)
Highlights: The Spartans trailed 1-0 at halftime and were in the game until the Clippers scored another goal with five seconds left in Monday’s game.
Coach’s quote: “The outcome of the game was not was we were hoping for, but the girls had a much better game than we have had in a while. Things are starting to click between the players now and the girls new to our varsity program are getting more confident and comfortable in the faster paced game. Alex Bonacorsi had a great defensive game and Rachel Clarke and Ali Corriveau did very well adjusting to the new positions I played them in.” – Pembroke’s Tess Patry
Records: Portsmouth 3-5; Pembroke 0-9
John Stark 3, Hanover 0
Key players: John Stark – Lillian Stogner (15 kills, 2 blocks), Riley Lord (15 digs, 8 kills, 4 aces), Brooke Patnode (18 assists, 5 kills, block), Brianna Bodner (8 assists, 2 aces, 7 kills)
Highlights: The Generals trailed 10-3 in the first set, but Bodner had a strong service run and John Stark eventually claimed the first set, 25-18, and went on to win in straight sets with 25-17 and 25-15 wins in sets two and three. The Generals overcame a deficit in the third set as well, trailing 9-3 early.
Coach’s quote: “Very proud of each and every player tonight. As a team we bounced back from our Monday loss with good focus and strong passing.” – John Stark’s Jeff McClellan
Records: John Stark 8-2; Hanover 2-7
Coe-Brown 3, Kingswood 0
Key players: Coe-Brown – Abby Jerome (6 aces, 11 kills on 18 swings, 4 digs), Anneliese Wade (7 kills, 3 aces, block), Jessie Davis (6 aces, 3 kills, 6 digs), Kathleen Grace (2 kills), Kaitlyn Miller (23 assists, 2 aces)
Highlights: The Bears took care of the Knights in straight sets, 25-21, 25-12, 25-11.
Coach’s quote: “It took some time for the team to settle tonight, but when they did it was a great team effort. All it took was the exuberance of one player to turn the tide. We had controlled, calm defense and smart, aggressive offense tonight.” – C-B’s Renee Zobel
Records: Coe-Brown 7-3; Kingswood 4-6
Winnisquam 3, Mascenic 0
Key players: Winnisquam – Gabby Isabelle (18 kills, 16 digs), Emma Richardson (14 digs, 5 kills), Chloe Colarusso (24 assists, 3 digs, 2 aces), Emily O’Neil (9 digs, 2 aces), Olivia Dill (9 digs), Hanna Honeman (3 kills, 5 digs, 2 aces)
Highlights: The Bears defeated the Vikings in straight sets, 25-16, 25-11, 25-16. Winnisquam built a 21-12 lead and withstood a rally by Mascenic to close out the first set, led by Isabelle’s eight kills in set one alone. The Vikings jumped out a quick 6-1 lead in the third set, but the Bears worked to get back into the game thanks to a strong service run by Honeman (two aces) to give Winnisquam a 10-8 lead it wouldn’t relinquish.
Coach’s quote: “Nice win heading into a tough match against undefeated Inter-Lakes on Friday.” – Winnisquam’s Mike Livernois
Records: Winnisquam 8-1; Mascenic 5-3
Bow 0, Oyster River 0
Key players: Bow – Connor Wachsmuth (defense), Nate Dolder (defense), Matt Selleck (midfield), Daniel Leuchtenberger (midfield), Zach Anderson (forward), John Salerno (forward)
Highlights: The Falcons and the Bobcats limited the number of scoring opportunities for each other and the keepers on both sides made a couple game-saving stops in Monday’s scoreless draw.
Coach’s quote: “We’ll take the point. Two teams fighting for top tier recognition and not willing to blink. The boys knocked the Bobcats out of the playoffs last year. This year Oyster River was looking to avenge that setback. The Falcons had to give a supreme effort to earn the tie. We will be happy with the point and move on to the next game.” – Bow’s George Pinkham
Records: Bow 5-2-2; Oyster River 6-2-2
ConVal 1, Kearsarge 0
Key players: Kearsarge – Seth Rutledge-Davis (12 saves), James Treason (defense), Gavin Feds (defense), Nolan Grant (defense), Adam Reeve (defense)
Highlights: Rutledge-Davis and the Kearsarge defense were able to hold of defending champion and first-place ConVal’s attack until they 83rd minute, when ConVal connected on a header off a corner kick on Monday.
Coach’s quote: “I think our team had a pretty solid game. We were able to with stand the pressure they were putting on us until late in the match. ConVal is a quality team and we pushed them to their limits. I’m proud of the team for that.” – Kearsarge’s Matt Burch
Records: Conval 9-0-1; Kearsarge 5-3-2
Merrimack Valley 1, Kearsarge 0
Key players: MV – Alyssa Woodman (G), Kaylee Magoon (A), Hailey Meattey (defense), Elizabeth Philbrook (defense), Katelin Locke (defense), Miah Boucher (defense), Hayley Kenney (midfield), Emily Koufos (midfield)
Highlights: The Pride scored 15 minutes into the second half with Magoon playing a diagonal through ball to Woodman who touched it by the Cougars’ goalkeeper and into the open net.
Coach’s quote: “Well-played game by both teams. I was really proud of the defense today and how hard they worked to limits Kearsarge’s attack. The midfield did a nice job keeping us composed, finding feet and getting a few quality looks. A great team win against a good opponent.” – MV’s Nick D’Agostino
Records: MV 4-5; Kearsarge 4-5
Fall Mountain 2,
Hillsboro-Deering 1
Key players: H-D – Eva Lavalley (G), Morgan Racine (A), Gracie Atkins (8 saves), Serenedy Kelley (defense), Emily Wilkens (defense), Kimmy Nadeay (midfield), Abby VonDette (midfield)
Highlights: The Hillcats dropped a tight game on Monday night to the Wildcats.
Coach’s quote: “Great game tonight. The girls passed the ball well, creating opportunities that they weren’t able to convert.” – H-D’s Susan Else
Records: Fall Mtn. 4-5-1; H-D 2-5-0
Hopkinton 64,
Moultonborough 43,
Inter-Lakes 19
Key players: Hopkinton – Colby Marshall (18), Kody Dexter (17), Dan Miner (15), Hal Stokes (14), Andrew Fairneny (14)
Highlights: Marshall led the team with 18 points, including an impressive birdie on the eighth hole, to lead the Hawks to a pair of victories in their regular season finale. The Division IV team championship will be on Oct. 17 at Kingswood Golf Club.
Coach’s quote: “The temperature was in the 50s and the wind chill made it feel like the 30s, but the team competed well and showed some consistent scoring. With the state tournament two weeks away, the team will now have some time to work on small things to hopefully help improve. It was a great regular season.” – Hopkinton’s Dave Chase
Records: Hopkinton 18-2; Moultonborough 8-9; I-L 2-16