EXETER — A counterattack-fueled equalizing goal rocketed into the near-post top corner from Milford sophomore winger Jordyn Shaw. And it could have deflated the Bow High girls soccer team when the first-half strike happened.
But the Falcons had been here before, and they didn’t crack under pressure.
Second-seeded defending champion Bow booked its spot in this weekend’s Division II final with a dominant performance, 2-1, over the third-seeded Spartans at Exeter High’s Bill Ball Stadium on Tuesday night.
Bow (14-1-3) controlled the first half up until the last five minutes. Coach Jay Vogt knew the Falcons had it in them to go ahead again. They just needed to get the job done.
The Falcons regained possession and kept it. In signature fashion, the Falcons connected well down the sidelines, particularly down the right.
Early on, they generated chances. Three crosses sent in from the right — from freshman Addison Young, junior Marissa Reyes and senior striker Anna Zerba — all yielded dangerous chances for the Falcons.
Whether it was in-and-out passes from junior Autumn Betteridge at right back to Zerba and out wide to winger Jaeden Kennedy, or junior Ava Popielarz to Young, Bow knocked on the door early. Spartan sophomore goalie Delaney Barber stopped most chances.
Freshman forward Hannah Couture volleyed the first two crosses but had one fly high and the other saved by Barber. The Milford goalie also came up big on a full-stretch stop on Zerba’s cross, but the rebound fell right to Falcon sophomore midfielder Celia Roberge and led to the game’s opening goal.
Roberge — who scored the game-winner against Kennett in the quarterfinals — wasted no time with a volley attempt off the ricochet. Firing high, Roberge’s drive hit off the crossbar and over the goal line at the 20-minute mark to make it 1-0.
She admitted her overtime goal to beat Kennett was still her favorite, but she was just as happy to score again in the semis to send her team forward. “We need to play as a whole, defend together, attack together and play our game,” Roberge said, looking forward to the final.
Shaw’s goal sent both teams into halftime tied up, 1-1. Barber kept the Spartans fighting with a strong sweeper-keeper presence in the box.
Still, the Falcons found their rhythm again when they needed to go ahead. This time, Couture was on the right wing and won a ball back with strong pressure. She sent in a low cross that Popielarz let slide through to the incoming Young, who buried the chance convincingly with 23 minutes remaining.
“We knew we had to win it and had to want it more than them,” Young said.
After that, it was all a possession game against the Spartans.
Bow heads to its third consecutive state final with a familiar foe in its sights. No. 1 Hollis-Brookline beat Pembroke Academy, 2-1, in the other semifinal to return to its fourth consecutive title match.
The Cavaliers won state honors over Bow in 2024, 1-0, and the Falcons took them back last year, also by a 1-0 count. Both know each other well enough to expect a close match.
“We just have to believe in ourselves and believe in our style and believe in our game,” Vogt said.