Nashua North field hockey comes back in second half for win over Merrimack
After a tough offseason, all the Nashua High School North field hockey team wanted was to open the season with a win.
NASHUA – After a tough offseason, all the Nashua High School North field hockey team wanted was to open the season with a win.
With the help of some encouraging words from first-year head coach Becky Batchelder, the Titans were able to do just that Tuesday, rallying with three goals in the second half to beat Merrimack 3-1 in a Division I game at Stellos Stadium.
Gabby Masseur scored the game-winning goal with 6:23 to play while Danielle Upton had a goal and an assist and Emily Sweet also scored for North, which became the first Nashua public school to beat Merrimack in field hockey.
“I thought for the first game with a new coach, they played fantastic, absolutely fantastic,” Batchelder said. “In the first half, we were controlling the tempo and then we kind of lost it. I don’t know if it was nerves, first game, or if we got tired. Going into the second half, I kind of told them I expected a little bit more. They should want to be scoring and it seemed to work.”
Batchelder was coaching her first game for North (1-0) after taking over the field hockey team just a few weeks ago, after former co-coaches Kristine Tingley and Karen Gagnon were removed from their positions with the field hockey and girls lacrosse teams at the end of the 2015-16 school year.
The pair appealed their removal by Nashua athletic director Lisa Gingras, but that was denied by the assistant superintendent in July, and earlier in August, the Board of Education voted to support both decisions.
“It was a big one for us,” Masseur said of the win. “With the new coaches, they prepared us really well during the preseason and they put all of their heart into us. They just motivated us to go out there and win.
“The first day (Batchelder) came in, she was friendly, happy and positive. They (the coaches) wanted to teach us field hockey. Win or lose, they just wanted us to have fun. They’ve been amazing and motivational. They’ve believed in us.”
North got six saves from goalie Zoe Fillebrown, most of which came in the second half as Merrimack (0-1) tried to break a 1-1 tie.
The Tomahawks lone goal came from Olivia Kapsembelis, who scored with three seconds left in the first half after North had controlled play for the opening 30 minutes.
“We had to just be consistent and we kind of let our guard down in the second half,” Merrimack coach Ann MacLean said. “We did some nice things but (Masseur) controlled the field. She’s very strong and disciplined. She’s a really, really good player.”
After Merrimack had controlled a long stretch of play late, Masseur helped set up her own goal by getting the ball to the other end of the field. North was set up to play the ball into the circle and Masseur switched up where she normally stands to give herself a better opportunity.
“In practice, I’ve always stayed on the post and I couldn’t see because the defender was in my way,” she said. “I’d watch the ball go by me. I had to get the ball, I had to stop it this time. Jenna (Tingley) hit the ball right to me and I was able to hit it up in there and reverse and hit it in to the goal. I think being able to see her helped me get that goal.”
Upton added a goal on a breakaway moments later to make it 3-1 and North held on for its first win over the Tomahawks.
