NORTHWOOD – Sophomore midfielder Avery Keefe led the Coe-Brown Bears with four goals and one assist to reach 100 points on the season, secure a playoff berth and eliminate the Pelham Pythons from contention with a 12-10 win.

“I feel like I accomplished something that I’ve been working for my entire life. In high school, it’s a big thing, and reaching that, having people that can get me there is really good,” Keefe said after the win.

Going into the game, the Bears and Pythons were tied at 7-6 in the standings and needed wins to secure a spot in the postseason. Other games within D-III girls’ lacrosse also influenced the final standings, as many were played simultaneously throughout the state.

The Bears started hot with an 8-1 lead, but four yellow cards throughout the game cost them the lead and toward the end of the second, Pelham fought back to 10-4. An injury to a Coe-Brown player significantly delayed the game, and soon after resuming play, Pelham scored one more to make the difference only five goals.

Head coach Tony Johnson was aware of the high stakes at play and was happy with the win, but thought the game was close, too close for his liking. With the penalties, he was forced to switch to a zone defense, and was happy to see his defense hold up, and the offense keep scoring.

“They have a tendency to beat themselves up with some of the mistakes, and if they can clean that up, they can compete with anybody,” he said.

Coe-Brown’s lead continued to get cut throughout the third as the team tried to hang on. Senior goalie Alexis Muse stayed focused in the face of a roaring Pelham offense, and had eight saves, including two from penalties, to keep the Bears ahead.

In the fourth, the game was as close as 10-7, but with four minutes left, sophomore midfielders Ellie Escabi and Keefe came through in clutch moments with shifty individual runs into the circle and strong finishes to secure the lead. Keefe’s last goal helped her reach 83 on the season and the highest mark on the team.

“I think working as a team and having each other’s backs. Knowing we can trust each other and shooting all we can,” Keefe said about keeping the team hot going into the playoffs.

Next, the Bears will face Lebanon on the road in the playoffs. These two teams have a history from last season. Coe-Brown earned the slightly higher eighth-seed and beat No. 9 Lebanon to advance to the quarterfinals. This year, they must travel and try to do the same to keep their run alive.

Alexander Rapp can be reached at arapp@cmonitor.com