LACONIA – Senior attacker and captain Sydney Westover was emotional after her last game in a Hawks uniform. A big defeat in the Division III state semifinal was heartbreaking, but she knew that she, and the rest of her team, left it all out on the field. 

The relatively young No. 3 Hopkinton Hawks (14-3) fell in the Division III semifinal to Gilford, 18-2, on Saturday evening at Bank of New Hampshire Stadium in Laconia, in a tough game where the Golden Eagles’ offense simply did not stop scoring and winning the ball. By halftime, the Hawks were down 8-1 to Gilford, and the strain of an uphill battle was layered with a thick coat of rain on the players, the field and the fans. 

“We worked really hard from day one and we really worked on our conditioning this year because that was something that we needed to improve on from last year and just worked hard every single day,” Westover said after the game.

The four seniors on the team, defender Louisa Behner, Grace Hodgdon, Ryan Lang and Westover played their last game in green against Gilford, and although the result was not ideal, the experience of making a big run was special. The team bonded well off the field, which translated into success on it even if the end result was not a state championship.

“It gave me an outlet from the stress of school, everything else going on around me and also just so much fun. It was always a fun, fun team and fun sport to go to after school and I always looked forward to the season,” Westover added.

The Hawks had not yet faced the No. 2 Gilford Golden Eagles (14-2) this season and, far from home in Laconia, tried to find a way to advance to their first championship since winning the state title in 2022.

Hopkinton faced adversity from the beginning, and quickly gave away possession on the first two draws, which Gilford’s Abigail Watson finished to take a 2-0 lead within the first two minutes of the game. 

Gilford’s defense effectively checked Hopkinton’s attackers, and the rain did not benefit Hopkinton’s slower offensive pace. The Hawks were held scoreless until, halfway through the second quarter, Westover sent a high direct pass to the cutting junior attacker, Maeve Owens, who quickly spun and shot low to score and keep Hopkinton fighting at 6-1.

However, the oppressive and quick-paced offense that the Golden Eagles put together proved to be overwhelming for the Hawks, and the door was shut on their championship hopes despite a very strong season with a young core.

Hopkinton’s other goal came in the second half by way of sophomore midfielder Autumn Meier, and by then, the difference was insurmountable, but the team and crowd still jeered the Hawks on.

Head coach Gus Madden said that Gilford’s pace and zone defense were the main challenge his team faced, and even though his team fell short in the semifinals as it did last year, he’s confident that the program will continue to build closer to the championship next year.

“Keep building our game, keep working on making good decisions with the ball in our stick, and you know, that’s all we can do is just work hard work hard. Keep working hard,” Madden said.

Alexander Rapp can be reached at arapp@cmonitor.com