Exeter, n.h. — Freshman midfielder Jasmine Lou gave the Hanover High girls lacrosse team its first lead of the game with 6:54 remaining in the first half of Saturday’s New Hampshire Division II semifinal game against No. 3 Windham. That didn’t last long, as Windham’s persistent offense struck twice before the half to take a one-goal lead into the break.

But the Marauders put it all together in the second half, showcasing new offensive and defensive schemes, as well as stellar goaltending from Katelyn Hurd, as No. 2 Hanover defeated the Jaguars, 12-11, at Bill Ball Stadium, getting some revenge from last year’s state championship game loss in the process.

“I had heard from other people that (Windham coach Maura Murphy) said that Windham had something to prove because we had beat them twice this year,” Hanover head coach Chris Seibel said. “Before the game, we said to the girls, ‘We have something to prove. They beat us last year. Last time we were on this field, Windham beat us.’ If we’re going into this game with the mentality that we’re the favorites, we were going to be sorely mistaken.”

Hanover (15-5) will play No. 1 Portsmouth (17-3) in the D-II championship game on Tuesday at Bill Ball Stadium. The Clippers defeated No. 5 Winnacunnet, 10-8, on Saturday night. The Marauders are 1-1 against Portsmouth this season.

Seibel, in his fourth season with the program, has led Hanover to three state title appearances, two years ago falling in the semifinals. But despite the string of success, the Marauders are still searching for their first state championship since 2008. Seibel hopes an eager group of contributing underclassmen, coupled with a group of veteran juniors, is finally the right recipe for success.

Hanover got off to a slow start on Saturday, falling behind 5-2 with 13:55 left in the first half. The Marauders gave up seven turnovers in that stretch and were struggling for draw controls. Windham’s offense, meanwhile, used the momentum to play keep-away deep in Hanover’s defensive zone.

The result was three goals in a span of 2:15, putting the Marauders in a deep hole.

Molly Seibel stopped the bleeding 24 seconds later, coming out from behind the net to no defensive resistance for her second goal of the game. She scored again three minutes later, after two goals from Hanover’s Perrin Milliken just 48 seconds apart, to tie the game at 6-6. Lou’s goal at 6:54 put the Marauders on top.

Windham’s Emma Lundquist scored her fourth goal at 4:04 into the second half to stretch the Jaguar lead to two . But Hanover’s defensive mistakes from the first half were no longer present. Playing a possession game, the Marauders outscored Windham, 5-3, in the second half, sealing the deal on a designed play in front finished off by Johanna Copeland. Hanover possessed the ball for the last minute and a half of play protecting a one-goal lead. Windham’s defense couldn’t recover.

“I think it came from the leaders on the field,” Coach Seibel said. “Mahler Meyerrose, Maddie Lyons, Molly Seibel … those kids have all been here (to the D-II semifinals) before. … These kids understand what pressure is and how to handle pressure. They did a great job.”

Seibel and Copeland, Hanover’s offensive leaders, led the way with three goals each, and Seibel added four assists. Lyons scored a goal and added three helpers, and Cate Wagner added a second half goal to help Hanover advance. Windham’s Lundquist led all scorers with five goals. Abigail Lagos, Lexi Lewis and MacLeod each scored twice for the Jaguars. Hurd made six saves for the Marauders.

“We started changing out offensive and defensive set after our game against Pinkerton (a 13-5 loss on May 26),” Seibel said. “Then today, we made a adjustment defensively where we would send a double from a different spot. I think that gave Windham a headache.”

For Seibel, strategy changes late in a season are useful in several different ways, namely for keeping his team — and its opponents reviewing scout tapes — on their toes. So far, the changes have worked in Hanover’s favor, one win away from ending an eight-year championship drought.

“During this week, we had this game plan that we planned to execute,” he said. “But we tell them, ‘Game day, there could be some on-the-fly changes that we have to adjust to.’ They did a really nice job. We had the ball with about four minutes left with a goal lead, and we stalled the ball out. That’s a hard thing to do at this level. They did a great job of it. … I’m really happy with the way the team performed.”

Josh Weinreb can be reached at jweinreb@vnews.com or at 603-727-3306.