Big second half gives Berlin a win over Stevens in D3 field hockey semifinals (video)

EXETER – Nicole Arguin knows that her Berlin High School field hockey team has been better in the second half of games.

So when the Mountaineers went into halftime of Wednesday’s Division III semifinal scoreless against Stevens, no one was too concerned.

Sure enough, No. 7 Berlin did what its coach has come to expect, scoring twice in the second half while playing solid defense against No. 3 Stevens, to get a 2-0 win at Bill Ball Stadium in Exeter.

The win means the Mountaineers (12-5) will play in the D3 title game for the first time since 2015, where they will face top-seeded and defending-champion Gilford at 7 p.m. Friday at Bedford High School.

“This is the most nerve-wracking game, because you can just taste that you’re almost there,” Arguin said. “Next game, it’s just play. Do what you’re capable of doing and just play.”

Arayanna Bedard scored with 7:34 left in the third quarter to put Berlin in front and Madison Valerino put home a rebound with 13:28 remaining in the game to give the Mountaineers some room to breathe. McKenna Kelley made three saves as Berlin recorded its ninth shutout of the season.

“Defense has been our strength all year,” Arguin said. “We haven’t been putting up big numbers, but we’ve been strong all around, from our offensive players to our defensive players. (Stevens) played a heck of a game. They contained us and slowed down some of our fast players, so they did a really good job of that.”

It looked like Berlin might get on the board at the start, as the Mountaineers gained possession early and went right into the circle. Emily Smith put a reverse shot on goal and Stevens goalie Sarah Wheeler (four saves) was able to make the stop, but the rebound hung out in the circle for a moment before the Cardinals (12-3-1) could clear it.

“I think we definitely were confident that we could do it,” Berlin senior captain Olivia Clorite said of the start. “We weren’t underestimating the other team at all. We knew it was going to be fight the whole time, but we always try to hype ourselves up and get confident.”

The Mountaineers had three penalty corners right after that first shot, but couldn’t get anything going on them, and Stevens had two late in the second quarter, but put a couple of shots wide. Aside from that, play stayed in the midfield for most of the half, as the teams went to the break scoreless.

Kelley came up with a save for Berlin early in the third quarter and the Mountaineers went the other way, with the ball eventually finding its way to Bedard, who knocked it into the left corner.

“I think it fully changes the mindset,” Clorite said. “There’s like a sigh of relief for everyone and we can now focus on our game instead of the thought of scoring.”

Berlin still found a way to get another goal though, as the Mountaineers got the ball into the circle again to start the fourth quarter. Smith took the initial shot and Wheeler made the save, but the rebound went right to Valerino, who was standing alone at the left post to put it in the goal.

“That was a relief for them and they were able to let go what they’re doing,” Arguin said. “That’s where we get a lot of our goals, in the second half. Conditioning has been a big thing. We have second-half legs and we get it going.”

The Mountaineers kept the pressure on the Cardinals’ defense the rest of the way, getting four penalty corners after the goal. Olivia Richard also had a chance on a breakaway with about six minutes to play, but Wheeler came out to knock the ball away.

Stevens had four corners in the final minutes, but couldn’t capitalize and Berlin held on for the win.

While it will be the first championship game appearance for the Mountaineers since 2015, when they won the third of three straight titles, they also finished as runner-up in 2020. That year, Berlin won its semifinal, but was forced to forfeit the championship game due to COVID-19.