Timberlane comes back to beat Londonderry to repeat as D1 field hockey champions
BEDFORD – Repeating in any sport is difficult, but the Timberlane High School field hockey team had a difficult path back to the top.
The Owls had to squeeze past an upstart Exeter team and knock off one of the best teams in the state in Winnacunnet to get back to the title game, where they won as a No. 6 seed last season.
Now with Timberlane as the third seed in Division I, it looked like Londonderry was going to fill that underdog role, coming in as the fifth seed after having upset No. 4 Bishop Guertin and shutting out No. 1 Pinkerton.
Despite starting off with a 1-0 lead, the Lancers couldn’t stop the Owls attack, and Timberlane soared to a 4-2 victory to repeat as D1 champions.
[For results from all field hockey tournament games, go here.]
“I was very nervous facing this Londonderry squad,” said Timberlane coach Mim Ryan. “They basically followed the same path that we did last year. When you’re coming in without the expectation because you’re the lower seed, you can play a little looser. I thought my kids controlled the beginning part of the game, had a couple of balls just go wide. When they scored, it gave us the shock that we have to start playing our style.”
The Lancers jumped out early with a goal from captain Maeve McPhail with 11:09 to go in the first half. But 10 minutes later, the Owls found their groove, and effectively took all momentum.
“It set the tone,” said Ryan. “We just needed one and we could get on a roll. Give Londonderry credit, they battled until the very end, creating that stroke, getting a corner. She has a very good team over there, she’s done a wonderful job, she’ll be here many more times.”
Timberlane’s Kyle Fitzpatrick found the back of the net with 1:52 on the clock, and the game was all knotted up heading into the half.
The Owls attack didn’t let up in the second half, tallying three times in a row to take command. First, it was senior Victoria Rothwell to get them on the board off a corner.
At the 12:57 mark, it was another senior, Samantha Rothwell, who found the back of the net, and at 3:59 senior Emma Lannon capped her high school career with a tally.
With 42.5 seconds remaining, the Lancers earned a penalty stroke and McPhail scored her second goal of the game, and her second stroke goal of the postseason.
Megan Query made two saves in net against the Lancers and gave up the two goals. For most of the second half, the Owls controlled the possession game.
Playing from behind was nothing new for Timberlane, which came from behind against Winnacunnet in the semifinals in what has been a challenging playoffs.
“There was plenty of time left,” said Ryan. “I have some pretty seasoned players who have played different levels. They’ve gone far enough to know you play until the final zeroes show up. That was obvious from Wednesday night. We needed to settle and be able to execute.”
