High schools: Concord field hockey falls in quarters, MV and Pembroke lose in prelims; football, soccer and volleyball results

Published: 10-21-2023 11:58 AM

D-I Field Hockey

No. 3 Bishop Guertin 2
No. 6 Concord 1

Key players: Bishop Guertin – Addison Daddona (goal), Taylor Guibord (goal);  Concord – Ally McGonigle (goal), Amy Desrochers (assist), Deeqo Hussein (goalie), Nadia Hanna (midfield), Emma Pelletier (defense)

Highlights:  Concord put up a bigger fight against BG than it did in their previous matchup, but the Cardinals had more opportunities in the Tide’s end and Guibord scored the game-winning goal with 11:21 remaining to end Concord’s season in the quarterfinals. The Cardinals took a 1-0 four minutes into the game, but Desrochers sent a quick restart pass to McGonigle, who netted the tying goal with 1:33 left in the third. BG defeated the Tide, 6-1, on Sept. 23.

Coach’s quote:  “Our goal was to show (BG) that the team they played during the season wasn’t the same team they’d play in the playoffs. Although we lost, our Concord girls should feel proud.  They put up a good fight and played hard until the very last second.  We had scoring opportunities, and in a playoff game, it is absolutely critical to capitalize on all of those opportunities.  I think the outcome would have been different if we connected on our two offensive corners. But when the other team has 13 corners and nine shots, every play into the circle matters so much more. Our offensive line did a great job coming back to assist the midfielders with making plays to get around the BG players, but in the end, it just wasn’t enough.  I’m sad the season is over.  I am going to miss being with this group of girls every day.” – Concord’s Nicole Armaganian   

Records: BG 15-2-0; Concord 11-6-1

D-II Field Hockey

No. 8 Portsmouth 3
No. 9 Merrimack Valley 1

Key players: MV – Kaiya Mercier (goal), Julianne Guertin (assist), Grace Thompson (midfield), Lauren Bailey (midfield), Julia Michael (midfield), Caroline Wheeler (defense), Zetta St. Onge (defense)

Highlights:  The Pride responded to Portsmouth’s early goal, tying the game 1-1 early in the second quarter, but the Clippers retook the lead four minutes later and added an insurance goal in the fourth to end MV’s season in the prelims. Portsmouth opened the scoring with 38 seconds left in the first quarter and Mercier tied the game three minutes later. Thompson helped set up MV’s goal by keeping possession after the Clippers broke up the corner. Thompson kept the play alive and Guertin crossed it to Mercier who tipped it in.

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Coach’s quote:  “It was a very evenly-matched game that had that playoff intensity from the first whistle. Both teams had opportunities throughout the game, but Portsmouth was the team that was able to capitalize in the second half.” – MV’s Jen Colgan

Records: Portsmouth 9-5-1; MV 7-6-2

No. 3 Oyster River 3
No. 14 Pembroke 0

Key players: Pembroke – Annika Jawidzik (goalie), Ava Strazzeri (defense), Treic Thomas-Guerzon (defense)

Highlights:  The Bobcats scored a pair of goals in the first half to advance to the quarterfinals and end the Spartans’ season in the prelims. Oyster River scored one goal in both the first and second quarters, but Pembroke kept the deficit close thanks to stellar play from Jadwidzik in goal, and Strazzeri and Thomas-Guerzon. Phoebe Morris had a breakway with six minutes remaining, Pembroke’s best attempt to get on the board, but the attempt went just wide and the Bobcats added an insurance goal with 2:14 left.

Coach’s quote:  “(Oyster River is) an excellent passing team and we worked really hard at taking their time away and disrupting what they like to do. The girls gave everything they had, but Oyster River was just a little too strong.” – Pembroke’s Steve Langevin

Records: Oyster River 12-3-0; Pembroke 4-10-1

Football

Gilford-Belmont 37
Hanover 28

Key players: Gilford-Belmont – Anakin Underhill (5-for-5, 180 passing yards, 2 pass TD, 2 rush TD), Noah Harder (143 rush yards, TD on 26 carries), Logan Grant (142 receiving yards, TD on 3 catches), Hutch Haskins (73 yards on 7 carries, 38 yards on 2 receptions, TD catch), Neal Downs (fumble recovery), Emmett Hughes (fumble recovery); Hanover –  Jeff Vidou (170 rush yards, 2 TD on 26 carries; 3-for-4, 52 passing yards), Roger Lucas (7-for-12, 135 passing yards, TD run)

Highlights: The Golden Eagles took advantage of a pair of fumble recoveries on defense and a strong running game from Harder to build a 22-7 lead midway through the second quarter. Vidou scored to make it 22-14 at halftime and scored again on Hanover’s first drive of the second half to tie the game 22-22. But Underhill was perfect in the pocket, tossing a 38 yard TD pass to Haskins to give the Eagles the lead again (29-22), the Bears missed the game-tying extra point and Underhill connected with Grant for a 44 yard TD in the fourth to make it a two-possession game. Hanover had the ball with 3:11 left and drove to the 20, but ran out of time. The big road victory keeps Gilford-Belmont’s playoff fate in its own hands heading into next weekend’s season finale at home vs. St. Thomas.

Records: Gilford-Belmont 4-4; Hanover 4-3

Merrimack Valley 32
Kennett 7

Key players: MV – Reece Clermont (2 rush TD, 2 INT on defense), Michael Heine (TD catch), Colby Sheffer (TD run), Brayden Hussey (TD pass), Nolan Beck (lineman), Eddie Amonor (lineman)

Highlights: The Eagles led 7-0 after the first quarter, but the Pride led 12-7 at halftime and recovered two kicks that led to touchdowns, which allowed MV to extend its lead to 25-7. MV hosts its season finale next weekend when Pembroke visits to play the annual Cloe-O’Brien Bowl rivalry game.

Coach’s quote:  “We had a couple of bounces go our way in the second half and we were able to keep the momentum. Our offensive line played extremely well despite missing some pieces.” – MV’s Matt Shaw

Records: MV 3-5; Kennett 4-4

Boys’ Soccer

Windham 2, Concord 1

Key players: Concord – Nicholas Reynolds (goal), Irankunda Myuvekunda (assist), Matthew Jenness (7 saves), Jonah Gaby (defense), Nicholas D’Agostino (defense)

Highlights:  The Jaguars scored in the 32nd minute to lead 1-0 at halftime, but Reynolds took a feed from Myuvekunda to tie the game halfway through the second half. Windham scored the game-winner with under five minutes to go. The Tide end the season in 16th place in the Division I standings, one spot out of playoff contention.

Records: Windham 14-2; Concord 5-11

Plymouth 3, Coe-Brown 2, OT

Key players: Coe-Brown – Tommy Maskwa (goal), Bruce LaPierre (goal), Brady Colgan (assist), Alex Readel (goalie, saved a PK)

Coach’s quote:  “We had our chances throughout the game to give ourselves a cushion and avoid the overtime drama. Some of the concerns we had going into the game manifested in Plymouth’s second and third goals – a follow up rebound to a distant shot and giving up a foul close to our own goal. Our boys worked hard tonight and were really disappointed about not getting the win. We’ll need to connect our passes better and finish our chances to have a good performance next week in the playoffs. This team is capable of anything on any given day, so we'll have to see what happens.” – Coe-Brown’s Christian Gompert

Records: Coe-Brown 8-7-1; Plymouth 7-7-2

Gilford 3, Hopkinton 0

Key players: Hopkinton –  Colby Boissy (5 saves)

Highlights: The defending champion Eagles scored in the 30th, 40th and 42nd minutes and held the lead from there. The Hawks will be a top-five seed for the D-III tournament.

Coach’s quote:  “The Hawks got beat in all aspects of the game today, as we were obviously outcoached in the build up to the game and then were thoroughly outworked during the game. We created some dangerous chances in the first half, including an Owen Wuellweber shot in the 20th minute that a Gilford defender miraculously saved off the line. But the goals against just before and just after halftime allowed Gilford to put the game away. Boissy made a few nice saves but each of the Gilford goals were simply unsavable as the Gilford players scored from inside the 6-yard box.” – Hopkinton’s Scott Zipke

Records: Gilford 13-1-2; Hopkinton 13-3-0

Girls’ Soccer

Bow 2, John Stark 1

Key players: Bow – Olivia Selleck (goal), Lexana Farr (goal), Juliette Tarsa (assist); John Stark – Elsa Winther (goal), Reaghan Lamothe (assist), Lexi Boudreau (9 saves)

Highlights:  Bolstered by the performance of their six seniors – Selleck, Tarsa, Sidney Roberge, Kendall Murray, Julianna Lampman and Bridget Hilton – the Falcons ended the regular season with a victory on Senior Night. Sellect scored Bow’s first goal nine minutes into the match and Farr’s corner kick was deflected into the net to give the Falcons a 2-0 lead late in the first half. The Generals will have the No. 4 seed for the D-II playoffs, while Bow will have the fifth seed.

Coaches’ quotes:  “I would like to thank and recognize our six seniors for being such great leaders of this team. It was a tale of two halves, we played the game we wanted to play in the first half and were rewarded for our efforts. In the second half, John Stark put a lot of pressure on us and took us out of our game. They are a well-coached team. It was an exciting game and certainly helped prepare us for the playoffs.” – Bow’s Jay Vogt

“This match was a tale of two halves. Bow played extremely well in the first half and created challenges for us.  I was very proud of how our team refocused at halftime and we did a nice job playing our brand of soccer in the second half. Losing is an education, so we will take lessons from this match and work to apply them for next Sunday’s playoff match.  Congratulations to the seniors on both teams for wonderful soccer careers.” – John Stark’s Eddie Marceau

Records: Bow 11-3-2; John Stark 12-3-1

Pembroke 3, ConVal 0

Key players: Pembroke – Bailey Gatchell (2 goals, assist), Lily Ricci (goal), Taylor Renna (assist), Kayla Amyot (assist), Laila Al Shawafi (shutout)

Highlights:  The Spartans celebrated their six seniors with a 3-0 victory to end the regular season. Gatchell scored in the ninth minute for a 1-0 halftime lead, and Gatchell and Ricci scored in the second half to extend the lead, giving Pembroke it’s fourth straight win.

Coach’s quote:  “We played for each other and especially our seniors tonight. This game had home field playoff implications and the girls rose to the occasion. Special thanks to Tia Bocci, Abby Shaugnessy, Zoey Mayeu, Taylor Renna, Carly Wood and Mackenzie Hawkins for their four years in our program.” – Pembroke’s Jess Kaufman-Desrochers

Records: Pembroke 9-7-0; ConVal 5-7-4

Girls’ Volleyball

Coe-Brown 3, Kingswood 0

Key players: Coe-Brown – Annie Jerome (11 kills, 4 aces, 7 digs), Emma Zeblisky (11 kills), Annika Gunderson (7 kills, 5 digs, 2 aces, block), Haile Comeau (11 digs)

Highlights:  The Bears defeated the Knights, 25-16, 26-24, 25-23, to end the regular season. Coe-Brown will be a top-four seed for the D-II tournament.

Coach’s quote:  “We knew tonight was going to be a competitive match and it did not disappoint. Both sides brought strong serving, solid defense and aggressive offense. We maintained our composure beautifully and focused on playing one point at a time even when the score was tight or we were down a few points. I’m proud of what this team has accomplished together through the highs and the lows of this season.” – Coe-Brown’s Renee Zobel

Records: Coe-Brown 13-3; Kingswood 12-4

Winnisquam 3, Laconia 0

Key players: Winnisquam  – Triniti Carter (12 kills), Caidyn Carter (8 kills, 7 digs, 4 aces), Lucy Prunier (25 assists, 3 digs, 2 kills, 2 aces), Bella Dill (9 digs, 3 aces, 3 assists), Victoria Kelly (5 kills), Loralie Nelson (8 digs), Kaylin Stankatis (7 digs), Alyse Damato (4 kills, 3 digs)

Highlights: Laconia jumped out to a 6-0 lead in the first set, but Caidyn Carter’s strong service cut it to 6-4. Winnisquam eventually tied the set at 15 before pulling away to win, 25-21. The Bears jumped out to a 6-1 lead in set two thanks to Caidyn Carter’s service and went on to win, 25-21, and Winnisquam capped the match with a 25-20 victory in set three. The Bears have the No. 10 seed for the D-II tournament.

Coach’s quote: “Nice win on Senior Night. This is a match we probably would have lost earlier in the season. The girls played with a lot of energy and determination.” – Winnisquam’s Mike Livernois

Records: Winnisquam 7-9; Laconia 6-10