NASHUA, N.H. - Down two goals with about nine minutes to play, Hanover girls soccer won a free kick 30 yards from goal. Senior Sami Daigle stepped up and powered it straight into the back of the net, and suddenly the Bears had a one-goal game and a real chance.
Bishop Guertin held on. The eighth-seeded Cardinals beat ninth-seeded Hanover 2-1 at Stellos Stadium on Tuesday afternoon in the opening round of the tournament, ending the Bears’ season.
Both teams had chances in a scoreless first half. Freshman Tess Palm forced a turnover in Bishop Guertin’s end and sent senior Maeve Bradley in behind the defense, but Bradley’s shot was saved by sophomore goalie Ella Calder. Three minutes later, sophomore Alienor Baertschiger slipped a through ball to senior Cassidy Loughman, who used her speed to get past her defender before mishitting her shot. At the other end, Hanover goalie Beya Kelley tipped a long-range try from Zoe Horton-Sousa over the crossbar to keep it 0-0.
The Cardinals broke through with 30 minutes left. After a blocked shot, the ball rolled back to junior Kareena Sondhi, who rocketed it into the net for a 1-0 lead. Sondhi started the second goal too, sending in a low cross that led to a handball in the box, and senior Emerson Brown converted the penalty kick with a little more than 12 minutes to go.
Daigle’s strike gave Hanover life, but Bishop Guertin kept the Bears from finding another quality chance at the equalizer.
“It was a good game,” Hanover coach Doug Kennedy said. “We came in with a plan in the first half and we made that work. We felt good going into the second half and I think we had a couple of passes that didn’t quite go where we wanted, which wasn’t enough against a good team like Bishop Guertin.”
It was the second time in eight days the Cardinals got the better of Hanover in Nashua. Bishop Guertin won the regular-season meeting 2-0 on Oct. 20. Tuesday’s win was the Cardinals’ sixth straight, and they move on to face top-seeded Pinkerton, which beat Hanover 3-0 this fall, on Friday.
Hanover finishes 7-6-2. Before the season, Kennedy said the senior class would decide how far this team could go. “Our seniors will be the key to our performance; if they fully commit themselves to all aspects of play, we will do well,” he said.
After Tuesday’s game, he talked about what that class became. “It was an interesting group,” Kennedy said. “We had a group of 12 seniors and they were all very different people. They came together and were able to coalesce and put together this effort tonight. They weren’t necessarily all from the same friend group to begin with, but they found out how to be a team.”
Other relevant play on Tuesday, October 27:
Timberlane 1 at Exeter 8 Exeter rolled into the quarterfinals.
Merrimack 0 at Winnacunnet 6 Winnacunnet cruised at home.
Londonderry 1 at Dover 0 Londonderry won a one-goal game at Dover, which played Hanover to a 0-0 draw this fall.
Concord 0 at Goffstown 6 Goffstown rolled at home.
Windham 1 at Portsmouth 2 Portsmouth edged Windham to move on.
GIRLS VOLLEYBALL
Hanover vs. Milford | Tuesday, October 27
Hanover girls volleyball’s tournament run is off and rolling. The Bears beat Milford 3-1 at home Tuesday night in the opening round of the tournament for their fifth straight win.
Hanover improves to 13-2 and has not lost since a 0-3 setback against Oyster River on Oct. 9. The Bears have dropped only four sets during the five-match streak. Milford, which came in at 3-10, finishes 3-11.
Next up is Gilford, which swept Coe-Brown on Tuesday to set up a quarterfinal in Hanover. A year ago the Bears’ season ended in the quarterfinals, so Thursday night is a chance for this group to go one step further.
Coach Avery Kretschmar built this team around defense and smart play. “We are focusing on making the smart play, not the most flashy one, to earn points and win matches,” Kretschmar said before the season.
Hanover girls volleyball is next at home against Gilford in the quarterfinals on Thursday, October 29, at 6 p.m.
Other relevant play on Tuesday, October 27:
Coe-Brown 0 at Gilford 3 Gilford, Hanover’s quarterfinal opponent, swept Coe-Brown.
Plymouth 0 at Oyster River 3 Defending champion Oyster River, one of two teams to beat Hanover this fall, swept Plymouth.
Fall Mountain 1 at Laconia 3 Laconia moves on to face Oyster River.
ConVal 1 at Kingswood 3 Kingswood won at home.
Manchester West 0 at Souhegan 3 Souhegan swept Manchester West.
Hollis Brookline 3 at Campbell 2 Hollis Brookline won in five sets on the road.
FIELD HOCKEY
Hanover vs. Bow at Bill Ball Stadium in Exeter | Tuesday, October 27
Hanover field hockey’s season ended one step short of the final. Second-seeded Bow beat the third-seeded Bears 3-1 in the semifinals Tuesday evening at Bill Ball Stadium in Exeter.
These two teams knew each other well. Bow edged Hanover 5-4 on Sept. 3, and Bow coach Sarah Vaughn expected Hanover’s quick-passing midfield to give her team trouble in the rematch. “Our defense needs to be on. That’s always been our focus: defense. Our offense takes care of the job lately,” Vaughn said before the game. Her defense delivered, holding a Hanover attack that had scored 87 goals in its first 16 games to a single goal.
The Bears came in at 13-2-1 on an eight-game winning streak, including a 5-0 quarterfinal win over Lebanon on Friday that was their fourth straight shutout. Their only losses this fall came against Bow, twice, and Pinkerton.
It was still a step forward. Hanover lost in the quarterfinals a year ago, and with nearly the same core back this fall, coach Mallory MacKenzie said before the season the team was “hoping for a big playoff run this year.” The Bears got to the final four.
Bow, playing in its fourth straight semifinal, moves on to face top-seeded and unbeaten Souhegan in the final on Saturday at 7 p.m. at Bedford High School. Souhegan, which tied Hanover 1-1 on Sept. 10, beat Bow in last year’s final.
Other relevant play on Tuesday, October 27:
St. Thomas Aquinas 1 at Souhegan 4 Top-seeded Souhegan stayed unbeaten and meets Bow in the final.
That wraps up the day for Hanover High School sports. We’ll see you next time!