Bow senior forward Ashley Wallen saw some space in the box to lay in a pass. Junior midfielder Anna Zerba rushed to the ball, jockeying with defenders, and swiftly hit it into the bottom right corner of the net. She had waited years for that moment.
After yet another year of sustained success for the Bow girls’ soccer team, it faced a Hollis-Brookline team that had not lost since the 2022 season and was a two-time defending champion.
In a rematch of last year’s state championship, No. 1 Hollis-Brookline (17-0-1) was ultimately upset by the No. 3 Falcons (12-3-3) at Bill Ball Stadium in Exeter on Friday night, 1-0. Not only was it a rematch of last year, but two seasons ago, the Cavaliers knocked the Falcons out of contention in the semifinal, 1-0.
“We’ve been looking for this. We’ve been looking forward to this moment since the day we lost and this is what we’ve worked all season for,” Zerba said.
Considering Hollis-Brookline’s record over the past three seasons, 55-0-1, just scoring a goal to go ahead was a big feat, but holding them to zero goals for the ensuing 70 minutes was an even bigger challenge.
In their last encounter on Oct. 10, the Cavaliers had won 3-0, so they knew it would be a very difficult 70 minutes.
After the semifinal, Bow Head Coach Jay Vogt said that to win it all, his team’s defense would have to hold physically and maintain its composure and shape tactically. That’s exactly what they did.
“We wanted them to feel like they were in a game. The first time we played them, we backed off and gave them too much space,” the experienced Vogt said. “Our defense has been fantastic all year. They just refused to be beat.”
At halftime, he urged his team to keep pushing the ball up and to focus on possession. He knew at any moment Hollis-Brookline could sneak one in.
The “offense is the best defense” strategy worked well and Hollis-Brookline was neutralized, also thanks to a strong performance by junior goalie Sierra Scull. Scull only allowed one goal in the last six games to finish the year with a championship.
The more veteran Falcons had waited for this moment a long time, and finally, they broke through a seemingly unbeatable Cavaliers team.
Even fans in the stands, who celebrated vigorously, were doing so in near disbelief after the final whistle. Bow students turned to each other, hugs and high-fives all around, after finally getting the win.
Senior defender Charlotte LaRochelle still seemed half-shocked after the award ceremony and the trophy hoisting. Alongside sophomore Zoey Lupien, they held down the last line of defense.
“It feels amazing. We haven’t won one yet for the seniors. So, we wanted to win so bad today and we got it, we focused on our composure and I think we really displayed that well in this game,” LaRochelle said, smiling wide.
Senior forward Ashley Wallen combined with her fellow senior winger Cara Van Dyke to produce the play from which Zerba scored.
The two of them had been key pieces in Bow’s attack for many seasons now, and finally had their championship. Wallen echoed Zerba’s sentiment. It felt good to win, but even more so against a rival like Hollis-Brookline.
She said she felt especially proud of their composure. In the semifinal game, Bow struggled with the physical nature of the game and nearly let Oyster River get in their heads. On Friday night, they kept cool.
Most of all, the win proved that no team is unbeatable. Despite the record, despite the style of play and despite any history between two teams. Bow showed themselves and everyone else in the state that underdogs always have a chance.
“We just told them to believe in themselves. They actually just sing this song ‘Free’ by what’s his name? I can’t think of it,” Vogt said.
“Anyways, they sing it, so I told them to be free, like let go of all your indecisions, all your nervousness, just be free and play,” he added.
Another senior, midfielder Leah Gallier, could barely contain her emotions after the win. She remembered losing to this Cavaliers team even in middle school. Six years of constantly battling this team but never truly besting them.
It felt great to win and be released from the fear of losing, Gallier said. The Falcons won the championship before she moved up to the high school level in 2021, and now she could say that she and her senior teammates were champions too.
