White River Junction
Led by two goals and an assist from Sarah Jones, the defensive-minded Hurricanes had their offense firing on all cylinders at Maxfield Sports Complex.
“Once we have a defensive system that we’re comfortable with, then we start looking at offense,” Hartford coach Jeff Acker said after his team advanced to the quarterfinal round by improving to 8-3-4. “But it’s halfway through the season before we even start thinking about offense.”
Offensive futility was a major concern earlier this fall, when the Canes went four consecutive games without scoring a goal. They seem to have remedied their situation, however, evidenced by nine goals for and only one against in their last four games.
Hartford goalie Morgan White (10 saves) acknowledged the team’s recent emphasis on its attack mode.
“We’ve been practicing a lot of offense,” White said. “Usually, it’s been defense, defense, defense. But we realized we’re strong on defense and need to finesse our offense. We’ve been practicing a lot more shooting, constantly crossing (balls) and finishing them.”
Hartford, the No. 5 seed, didn’t find the back of the net until six minutes before halftime. Jones scored on a cross from the left side by senior midfielder Kyra Wood. The ball was deflected by the goalie, but had enough velocity to still trickle into the goal.
The 1-0 advantage just prior to intermission provided breathing room for the Canes, who led all girls teams in the state with four regular-season ties.
The 12th-seeded Vikings (5-9-0) came out with greater intensity after halftime, amassing 10 shots after just two in the first half.
With the wind at their backs, the hosts finally added to their advantage in the game’s 72nd minute when Jones converted a pass from Maya Bolger-Chen. Bolger-Chen served a volley into the left side of the box, where Jones settled before beating two defenders and Lyndon goalie Marek Upton.
Belle Leister scored Hartford’s final goal — assisted by Jones — with 4:30 remaining in the contest. It was Leister’s team-leading eighth goal of the season.
Wood, after playing in the first home playoff game of her career, spoke to her team’s cohesive play against Lyndon.
“Maybe because it’s a playoff game and maybe it’s because, if we had lost, we’d be done for the season,” Wood said. “But we really played together as a team today. Not that we don’t most of the time, but this game was special. We connected with each other and supported each other, and that’s what’s really important.”
Hartford’s offense was aggressive, amassing 32 shots.
“They just kept hammering,” said Lyndon coach Frank Leafe, who took a gamble by beefing up his offense, sending defenders forward in the second half. “They didn’t give up.”
The unbridled attack was part of the home coach’s game plan.
“We’re working on trying to take the shots quicker, not looking for the perfect shot necessarily, but just taking that one-touch shot,” Acker said. “You take that extra touch, they close on you and you lose the angle, you lose the space. So get the shot off quickly; if it’s not perfect, it’s not perfect, but if it gets to the goal, it has a chance to go in. If you hold the ball too long and it gets blocked, you’re done.”
Jones, who leads the team with 14 points — seven goals, seven assists — helped the Canes dominate the midfield while keeping consistent pressure on the Viking defense.
“I think we controlled the ball a little better today instead of just getting it and kicking it,” Jones said. “We really passed to each other, made a lot of really good runs and moved without the ball a lot more. We were taking a lot more shots than usual, too.”
Hartford moves on to play in Saturday’s quarterfinal match at U-32. The No. 4 Raiders are 9-3-3 after defeating No. 13 Randolph, 4-1, on Wednesday. U-32 needed penalty kicks to beat Hartford in last year’s quarterfinal round.
The teams did not meet during the regular season.