Claremont
With 8 minutes, 26 seconds remaining in overtime on Tuesday, midfielder Miller twisted a shot from about 25 yards out that was just high enough to go off the leaping fingers of Bishop Brady goalkeeper Mackenzie Wetherill and into the back of the net.
The goal gave Stevens a 3-2 win over the Green Giants in a New Hampshire Division III girls soccer game at the Coach Parker Sports Complex.
It has been an erratic start for the Cardinals, who have been dealing with a series of ailments. Coach Tom Belaire said that there were seven girls on the injured list.
“They were not all starters, but that’s still a lot of injuries,” he said.
It was also a game that Belaire knows could have ended up in the loss column. While there were moments the Cards played well, there were also some moments that were a bit frustrating for Belaire, who was an aggressive player when at Stevens.
“We talked to them after the game about attacking the ball when it’s in the offensive zone,” he said. “We left some chances out there.”
There was one particular incident late in the second half when a Stevens shot deflected off the ankles of Wetherill and agonizingly rolled straight out for 10 yards with no Cardinal in sight.
The charging knight on the white horse was Miller, who with 90 seconds played in the overtime, let go a shot that, “I knew had a chance,” she said.
“Their goalkeeper was kind of short so I shot it high.” said Miller, who had never scored a varsity goal.
The game was between two teams trying to figure things out. Stevens (2-3) went into Tuesday’s game losing three of its first four games, while Bishop Brady (1-2) had played only twice as the Giants are sharing a field with a Concord college and has had limited game days. They have four games next week.
The Brady program also has been down for several years. Coaches Andrew Mattarazza and Annie Alosa are new to the program this year with the hopes of turning things around.
“That’s why we are here,” Alosa said.
Added Belaire: “They look like a couple of people who know what they are doing.”
Stevens had a 2-1 lead from the 27:13 mark of the first half until there was just 10:42 to go in the second half, when senior Brady defender Abby Santis booted in Maddie Boyer’s corner kick to tie the game.
Santis was a force all day at fulback, as were Sarah Doherty and Alex Sacco.
Stevens, which had a 13-6 edge in shots on goal and 8-3 in corners, had two solid chances to win it in regulation. Kelsey Belisle, who received special words from Belaire for her effort, was the recipient of a Jazzy Griffin pass that set her up from 12 yards or so, but Wetherill (nine saves) was equal to the task and cleared the ball.
With 30 seconds to go, Griffin’s shot was taken off the body by Wetherill, who pounced on the rebound.
But a good deal of the second half belonged to Brady, which slumbered a bit after seeing a quick 1-0 first half lead dissipate.
“We had some soft moments early, but we came to play in the second half,” Mattarazza said. “We’re still a work in progress, but I saw a lot of good things today. I’m looking forward to the rest of the season.”
The game was less than two minutes old when Brady connected on a direct kick from about 20 yards as a result of a hand ball. Olivia Crainich took the shot and put it where Stevens keeper Amber Duford couldn’t get it as it went under the crossbar and over her hands.
Stevens tied the game 10 minutes later when Griffin sent back in a rebound that Wetherill couldn’t handle.
Shortly thereafter, the Cardinals took a 2-1 lead when sophomore Brooke Bonneau cleared from a scramble to get the ball past a screened Wetherill.
Brady had the best chances the rest of the half as Jane Bradley sent a ball from the side across the front of the goal that went through without being touched, then Crainich hit a knuckler from long range that Duford was able to corral.
Stevens goes to Laconia on Thursday.