WEARE — John Stark defeated Merrimack Valley, 1-0, in the Division II preliminary state tournament round on Tuesday.
The Generals played to their strengths in the opening round of the 2021 tournament, and Gracie Boldue was a big part of that game plan.
Boldue’s moment came during the opening minutes of the second quarter. A game that up until that point had been gridlocked for both offenses all changed when she intercepted a pass near midfield and began to charge her way down the wide, right side of the field.
With about 20 yards ahead of her and the crease outside of the goal, she ripped a shot that traveled high and left. As the ball slammed into the back of the goal, she began to raise her arms in celebration and the first-half goal was all the Generals needed.
“We played our butts off and worked really hard, but we definitely have room for improvement,” John Stark coach Dennis Pelletier said. “I’m proud of these girls; that’s 12 wins for us. We get to play another day.”
Pelletier, while excited about his team advancing to the next round, was also analytical in that he felt his players hadn’t performed to the level at which they had in the 14 games prior. The Generals had plenty of scoring chances throughout the game, but whether it was narrow misses or incredible saves from MV goalie Taylor Gionet, they only had one goal to show for it.
Gionet was the star for the Pride and used her body as a shield for them. She forcefully rejected oncoming shots with her arm pads and took the role of soccer player every now and then with how hard she kicked the balls away from her net-front defenders. She’s just a freshman for the Pride, which has coach Jen Colgan all the more excited for next season.
“This is the first year she stepped in goal, and she did great for us,” Colgan said. “The last half of the game, she had the sun in her eyes and made some fantastic saves for us.”
Colgan threw out that Gionet’s 22 saves kept the Pride in the game, and rightfully so. MV’s offense played its best 15 minutes of field hockey during the third quarter, where it was able to turn those saves into strong offensive opportunities.
Despite drawing several corner chances, the Pride came away with no results.
MV ends the season with just five wins, but that’s what got them into the tournament. Colgan beamed with pride in talking about her team.
“I think they put everything out there on the field. I have nothing bad to say about this game,” she said.
John Stark returns to action on Friday when it hosts No. 5 Lebanon, a 2-0 winner over No. 12 Derryfield on Tuesday. The Raiders topped the Generals, 2-0, in their sole regular-season meeting on Sept. 14.
Friday’s quarterfinal match is set for 3 p.m.