Lebanon's Emily Hunnewell carries the ball out of the goal zone during the first half of the semi-final game against Derryfield held in Exeter, N.H. on Thursday night, October 27, 2016. Lebanon lost to Derryfield with a final score of 1-0. (Valley News - John Happel) Copyright Valley News. May not be reprinted or used online without permission. Send requests to permission@vnews.com.
Lebanon's Emily Hunnewell carries the ball out of the goal zone during the first half of the semi-final game against Derryfield held in Exeter, N.H. on Thursday night, October 27, 2016. Lebanon lost to Derryfield with a final score of 1-0. (Valley News - John Happel) Copyright Valley News. May not be reprinted or used online without permission. Send requests to permission@vnews.com.

Exeter, n.h. — Lebanon High field hockey has long had a stranglehold on NHIAA Division II. The Raiders have won three D-II state titles in the last four years, led by an abundance of talented playmakers who seemed to come through in the biggest of spots.

That record took a hit on Thursday night at Exeter High’s Bill Ball Stadium, as the No. 5 Raiders (10-5-1) fell, 1-0, to No. 1 Derryfield (15-1) in the D-II semifinals.

Thursday’s matchup illustrated something of a role reversal for both squads. Lebanon, the outgoing dynasty with its smallest roster in nearly 40 years, was pressured all night in the cold and wet conditions. The Cougars, D-II’s up-and-comers, continued their dominance against a Raider team it shut out twice in the regular season. Derryfield, which advanced to its first D-II final in school history, will take on No. 2 Windham in the championship game on Sunday afternoon at Bedford High.

“I thought our stickwork and skills, we came out on top of a lot of the one-on-ones,” said Derryfield head coach Lenny McCaigue, whose team in its third campaign in D-II after a lengthy run in D-III. “We were able to keep possession. I would have liked to have had a bigger reward for the number of penalty corners that we had, especially after halftime. Their keeper played well, their defense played well, but we just missed a couple with touches and deflections. We got the one.

“The semifinals and finals are always decided by one goal,” he added. “We figured whoever got that goal was probably going to win the game.”

The difference came just after halftime, as a string of seven consecutive Derryfield corners in the first six minutes of the second half gave the Cougars all the momentum they needed to break through.

Derryfield peppered Lebanon goaltender Hope Brown with eight shots before sophomore defenseman Sydney Socha put a deflection home off a hard shot by Lindsey Stagg to break the scoreless tie. Madi Kochanek was later credited with touching the ball before it crossed the goal line.

“Circumstances,” Lebanon coach Deb Beach said of the string of corners just after halftime. “We were just going the wrong way.”

Lebanon countered with some frantic play deep in the Cougars’ end, including four corners in the second half on which the Raiders couldn’t capitalize. The Raiders made things easy for Derryfield senior goaltender Greer Woolley, who had to make only two saves for the victory.

Lebanon failed to convert on eight corners on Thursday, many times failing to keep possession on Bill Ball Stadium’s slippery surface. The team finished the season having been outscored in 5-0 in three games against the Cougars.

“They far exceeded all expectations,” Beach said. “They’ve come a long, long way since August 15 (the start of training camp). They played extremely well in this game. I’m very proud of them. I think they could have easily been in that final game.”

Beach’s team hasn’t been on the short end of too many close postseason games in the last half decade; the feeling after Thursday night’s game admittedly was foreign. But Lebanon seemed to be missing the speed that has kept D-II opponents off-balance for a number of years. The absence of Kendra MacDonald and Elle Brine, both top scorers for the Raiders last season, was evident deep in Derryfield’s defensive territory as the Cougars’ defense smothered most advances toward its goal.

“We’ve been in a lot of tough games like this,” Beach said. “Hope (Brown) has been outstanding all year long. … She’s only a sophomore. She’ll be back stronger and better.”

The Raiders graduate reliable defenders Corinne Kennedy and Salena Barratt, as well as forwards Meredith Melendy, Hannah Bunten and Alexandra Horvath. Beach will have an experienced defense next season, led by Emily Hunnewell. Leah Mayes could take a more featured role with the offense.

It’s taken a couple of years for McCaigue to feel like his team has found its place in D-II. Two subpar seasons, with a combined 16 wins, opened the possibility for doubt. But Thursday’s victory against a Lebanon program familiar to the postseason spotlight puts all of it into perspective. Suddenly, he said, it seems like Derryfield belongs.

“I just said you have to justify your No. 1 seed and get to the final,” McCaigue said. “They’re the defending state champions.

“I think we’ve made our mark in D-II now. Like now, we’re for real.”

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

Correction

Emily Hunnewell is a junior defender on the Lebanon High School field hockey team. Hunnewell was misidentified in an earlier photo caption..