By Chris Laclair
Eagle Times Sports Editor
NEWPORT, NH — After the first period of play, it felt like a “one goal game” when the final buzzer sounded. It was just that; a 1-0 battle of warriors on both sides.
The visiting No. 7 seed Berlin Mountaineers faced the No. 2 seed Newport Tigers for the in the quarter finals for second time in two years. Last year, the Tigers were the 3rd seed and prevailed 4-3 over the 6th seeded Mountaineers.
This year, the Mountaineers returned the favor.
The Tigers came out very aggressive in the first minutes of the game. They earned corners on back-to-back opportunities, yet they couldn’t get a shot off on goal. With 1 minute left in the quarter, junior Maddox Lovely had a great scoring chance as she split the defenders, but her shot was deflected by the defense out of bounds.
The rest of the first half was dominated by the defensive end for both teams. Neither was willing to budge, which limited scoring chances from both sides.
“They are a great team and just adjusting to that bang and chase, they hit the ball hard … We knew that coming into the game so kind of just adjusting to that,” said Berlin Head Coach Nicki Arguin. “They did a good job containing us as we didn’t get many shots on net, and we just kind of capitalized on the last one down.”
The Mountaineers had a shot and rebound attempt stuffed by freshman goalie Hailey Hill. She made two great saves to keep Berlin from getting on the scoreboard.
Lovely had the best chance of the game to get her team ahead in the third period. She made a fabulous push past the defense to face the goalie in a showdown. She was able to get the ball through the legs of the goalie, slow down and tap the ball into the unmanned net. With the goalie’s quick thinking, her post defender was able to knock the ball out of bounds for a corner.
“Sad to see it end; was hoping for a little more playoff time,” Lovely said. “We had a great season though with a small amount of girls … and we should be proud of that. We look forward to competing next year and giving it a good run.”
With only 6 minutes remaining in regulation, Olivia Richards was able to put the ball into the back of the net for the Mountaineers.
Newport played with a frantic pace after a timeout to regroup, but they were never able to score.
Berlin, who is the most Northern field hockey team in the state, will face 3rd seed Stevens who defeated 6th seed Mascoma Valley 3-2 Monday afternoon in OT. It will be the first time that the teams meet this season.
“We just couldn’t find the back of the net,” said Newport Head Coach Shannon Martin. “We will miss our two seniors next year. It is hard to be upset when you don’t give up. We didn’t have our stuff today and we just couldn’t find the net, you know?”
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