White River Junction
That desperation showed, as the Wasps amassed eight corners and seven shots on goal in a 1-0 victory. Woodstock’s goal came in the second half from senior Lily Doton, amid an onslaught of counter-attack chances in the first half that kept Hartford goalkeeper Rachel Loseby on her toes.
“I’m very proud of them overall,” Woodstock head coach Annie Doton said. “There were points where we were kind of on our heels and hesitated a little bit. Hartford has a lot of speed; I thought our girls contained that really well. Our girls played fantastic defense.”
Hartford head coach Heath Haskell put it more bluntly.
“I think Woodstock just wanted to come and beat us today,” he said.
Woodstock improved to 6-3-1 in coach Doton’s second year at the helm. Eleven of Doton’s 22 athletes are seniors, including many of Woodstock’s most talented athletes. And some on the team feel this is the year to make a run in Vermont Division II.
With field hockey numbers down across the board, it’s hard to predict when Woodstock will be able to accumulate the same amount of talent again.
“It’s nice for these girls,” Doton said. “We have a big senior class. For the first couple of years for these girls, the program was kind of struggling a little bit. I think it’s just nice for them to come out in their last game against Hartford, in their senior year to play well.”
The Wasps earned revenge for a 1-0 loss on Sept. 21 to the Hurricanes at home, Woodstock’s first defeat of the season after starting 4-0. For Haskell, Hartford’s second-year head coach, Thursday’s game played out in a similar fashion.
“It’s always that way when we play them,” Haskell said with a laugh. “They’re always really good in the first half, we’re always better in the second. Over there, we beat them 1-0 with a goal in the second (half), and today they beat us 1-0 with a goal in the second.”
Woodstock got plenty of chances in the first half, taking advantage of Hartford’s difficulties picking up a transitional defense. Lily Doton, Mariah Luce and Miranda Johnson all racked up offensive chances for the Wasps, who amassed four corners and five shots on goal before halftime.
Hartford was able to muster only one shot on goal in the first half.
“Woodstock plays really solid defense,” Haskell said. “They pack everyone in the circle. We were not really cutting that much. We were trying to let the wings create all this offense when we just couldn’t get anything through. Kudos to Woodstock’s defense.
“The people who stepped up for Woodstock today are the people who aren’t usually really solid. Annie obviously did some good coaching and she beat us on that end.”
Lily Doton finally broke through with 16 minutes, 28 seconds left in the second half, a rebound off of Loseby that Doton found on her stick. It was her third goal of the season.
“It was pretty intense, I think a lot was happening all at once,” Lily Doton said. “I think I just got in there with my stick down. Their goalie (Loseby) is really good, it takes a lot to get by her. We were fighting really hard.
“I don’t think I even looked at the goal before I shot it, honestly,” she added.
The loss was Hartford’s second in three games, all one-goal decisions. While the Hurricanes’ defense has allowed only seven goals this season, Hartford’s lack of scoring has suddenly become problematic. Hartford has scored only one goal in October. Brooke Hurd, the Hurricanes’ leading goal-scorer, hasn’t found the net since Sept. 26.
“We want a top four. We want to be home (for the playoffs),” Haskell said. “Our field is fast, the school takes really good care of it, we get good support here. … Our strength of schedule helps us.”
Doton and Haskell are close friends, giving matchups between Woodstock and Hartford an extra twist. Doton said the two coaches share “silly” personalities, but when the game starts, the Woodstock coach is focused. Wins and losses allow for post-game bragging rights.
“We get along really well,” Doton said. “We talk about our teams. But we also talk about, like if we play a team, we’ll talk about that. It’s nice to have a buddy you can talk shop with. … I’ll see him, I’ll give him a hug, but once the game starts I’m not thinking about it. I’m ultra-focused.”
Hartford travels to Rutland next Wednesday, trying to cure its offensive woes, before closing out the season at home against undefeated, D-III leading Bellows Falls. Woodstock travels to Bellows Falls next Tuesday before hosting its season finale against Mount Anthony.
Josh Weinreb can be reached at jweinreb@vnews.com or 603-727-3306.