The Mascenic field hockey team left it all on the slick turf field at Exeter Tuesday night, but undefeated No. 1 Gilford struck one more time and held off the Vikings for a 3-2 Division III semifinal win.
“I felt like we controlled the majority of the game,” Mascenic head coach Selena Shaw said. “I thought that we had the momentum a lot of times. A couple times slow to get back on defense and they capitalize – that’s what their strength is, their speed and getting you back on your heels.”
Gilford took advantage of the fast, wet turf field, slamming the ball ahead and using their speed to change fields quickly, and the Golden Eagles’ offensive attack netted a quick goal from senior Allysen Pichette and another from senior Lexi Shute before the first quarter buzzer sounded.
“They’re fast and they’re aggressive and they put a lot of teams on their heels,” Shaw said.
The No. 4 Vikings (12-4) found themselves in the same position as they were during the regular season, when Gilford went up 2-0 early and hung on for a shutout win. But this time, Mascenic had a response. While Gilford’s game was speed and slammers, Mascenic’s was grit and grind, as they chipped their way into the offensive end and earned corner after corner. The Vikings needed a goal before the half to gain momentum and boost morale, and they got one from fiery senior captain Lexis Vautour, who banged one in with just 1:45 left in the half and leapt into co-captain Leah St. John’s arms.
“Lex just brings that extra level of passion to everything she does,” Shaw said.
The Golden Eagles struck quickly in the second half for an insurance goal that would prove crucial. Gilford’s advantage was speed, but Mascenic’s was stick skill, and with Ava Johnson, Madelyn Damery, Millie McClain, Jade Traffie and Autumn Hughes going hard and making midfield stops, the Vikings were able to put the pressure on again.
“Our stick work, our skills definitely showed on the turf,” Shaw said.
Vautour scored again to cut the deficit to one with four minutes left, but that was all for the Vikings, as Gilford hung on for the 3-2 win and a trip to the finals against No. 7 Bishop Brady, who beat No. 3 Newport 2-1 in overtime earlier on the rainy evening.
“We had plenty of opportunities,” Shaw said. “We had lots of corners, and we did score on some of them, but we also let up some close ones that you just can’t in a semifinal game. You have to capitalize on every single opportunity. But overall, super proud of how they played tonight and all season.”
Mascenic will graduate seven seniors, and it was an emotional sideline for those who’d just played their final game as a Viking; Hughes seized control of the postgame huddle to remind her teammates just how far they’d come together.
“Look around,” Hughes said. “Do any of you regret how you played tonight? It doesn’t matter who won or lost the game – it matters that we’re here with each other.”
The semifinal appearance was the first since Shaw took over the Viking program.
“That’s what I wanted them to understand,” Shaw said. “What they’ve done for this program is huge. It’s been a long time, and they’ve stepped that up for the next players coming up and showed that anything’s possible. We’re going to continue to carry this torch forward, and that comes from here, from this team.”
Bishop Brady 2, Conant 1
Conant came up just short in their road playoff game at Bishop Brady Tuesday afternoon despite scoring in the final minutes.
“All our girls played with so much heart today,” said head coach Devon Spirka. “They did not stop. That’s been my favorite thing about this group. To see them have the ability to keep forging ahead even when things are not in their favor. I hope they realize that when they do that, when they keep pushing even when it’s mentally or physically hard, or when they’re down, they are still capable of not only competing in the big games but also winning them. They proved that to themselves this season.”
Bishop Brady scored twice early before Conant calmed down and held them scoreless the rest of the way.
“Once we settled in, we did much better possessing the ball, playing to feet and making better decisions,” Spirka said.
Conant finally scored late in the game on a Riley Vitello goal assisted by Rhianna Aho.
“We knocked on the door all half, and finally got one as time was ending,” Spirka said. “If we had had five more minutes, I think we would have pulled it out.”
Kelly Williams played aggressively in net and made 10 saves.
“I am proud of our five seniors, Kelly [Williams], Jordan [Morace], Iris [Hill], Kim [Chea] and Izabelle [Rollins], for everything they put into the season,” Spirka said. “They helped me as a first-year coach change the direction of the program. It’s not easy for seniors to step into their last season with a brand new coach, but we all had the same vision and all moved in the same direction. They will be very missed on the field in future years, but I hope they can see how big of a role they each played in shifting this program. Their efforts will get to live on through the rest of the girls below them.”
Conant finished at 8-9 on the year.