Westminster, Vt.
So it was perhaps appropriate that, through 60 minutes, the Hurricanes and Terriers found themselves in a 0-0 stalemate. Both teams had squandered scoring opportunities, and Hartford goalkeeper Rachel Loseby had to be at her best for a long time, making several acrobatic saves.
But she couldn’t stop them all. With less than five minutes played in the seven-on-seven overtime, BF got one by her for a 1-0 win.
It started with a penalty corner. Corners are supposed to give the team with the ball an advantage. It doesn’t always work out that way, but between that and the shorthanded sides, the field is wide open.
The corner flick went out to BF’s Abbe Cavinho, who was stationed to Loseby’s left and at the edge of the scoring circle. Cavino directed the ball across the front of the net, just out of Loseby’s reach, and BF’s Madison Streeter one-timed a shot home as Loseby flashed her right pad just a tad late.
“It just got under her,” said Streeter.
Overtime game-winners are getting to be old hat for Streeter, who perhaps smiled in her sleep on Monday night. The winner over Hartford joined one from an earlier OT defeat of Otter Valley this season.
“Gosh, this feels good,” said the sophomore.
Bellows Falls is the defending Vermont Division III champion and plays in the same Marble Valley League A Division as does Division I Hartford. Both teams are slamming their way through the season. Bellows Falls is now 8-0, and Hartford is 7-2-1. Each team also came into the game with five shutouts.
And as if the rivalry needed any more intensity, Hartford coach Heath Haskell is a 1994 BF graduate who once returned to his alma mater to coach both field hockey and spirit.
Haskell’s main observation about Monday’s loss was that his team did not cut to the ball.
“We didn’t play the way were taught,” he said. “We’ve been playing really good, but were not at our best today. We’ll just have regroup and get ready for Mount Anthony on Friday.”
The first half of the game was played in a steady drizzle and left both coaches displeased.
“We played better in the second half,” said BF coach Beth Coursen. “It was because we can’t practice on Sunday when we have a Monday game.”
Although a penalty corner decided the game in the Terriers’ favor, “what about all (nine of) the other corners?” Coursen asked. “We’ll have to practice them some more.”
Streeter might not agree with her. “We practice corners all the time,” she said with a smile.
Defense played a big part in this game as well.
In addition to the stellar play of Loseby, the BF goalie tandem of Emma Lober and Bridgid Hodsden held the fort as well. Hartford center midfielder Brooke Hurd was a wall at times and showed some razzle-dazzle by moving the ball forward while bouncing it on her stick.
Both teams failed to capitalize on penalty situations as two-minute sentences to the sideline chairs were issued for a five-yard violations to players from each team.
Prior to the game-winning goal, Hartford had a big chance when a Michela Ricker cross went under the swinging stick of Emma Libbey, who was stationed to the right of Hodsden.