Contoocook, n.h.
Despite the Raiders trailing badly, Ecker wanted Nowell to know that her eight saves and willingness to compete while a bit under the weather were a gut check of which to be proud. Hopkinton prevailed, 13-1.
“She went 10 days without seeing a lacrosse ball,” Ecker said, noting that Nowell missed Monday’s practice to rest after spending much of spring break on a school band trip. “She’s got to look at the saves she made and not the shots she missed.”
The Raiders, currently missing three starters and with a lack of depth even outside those absences, need such positive thinking. The host Hawks exhibited superior stickhandling, passing and poise while building a 9-0 halftime lead, then passed the ball around the perimeter during the NHIAA game’s final 15 minutes.
Hopkinton (5-0) kept several offensive standouts on the field throughout the rout, which dropped the Raiders to 0-2. Lebanon’s next four games are against Bow, Derryfield, Laconia and Pelham, which are a combined 11-2.
“What matters is that you walked off the field with your heads held high, and that’s really important to me,” Ecker told her players afterward. “You guys have to take this for what it is, which is an experience. The only thing we can do now is move forward.”
Ecker’s 2017 team started 0-5, which included a 17-6 loss to Hopkinton. Although that squad closed strong to finish 5-9, it was the worst record of the coach’s career. This spring, the Raiders have come out of the gate hamstrung, with star defender Anna Wolke (finger), attacker Ashlyn Taber (knee) and midfielder Zoe Soule (back) out hurt. In addition, starting defender Cecilia Webber has an internship at a local cancer center, which has limited her practice and game time.
“Give me these guys at the end of the season and, man, it will be a different game,” Ecker said, gesturing towards the Hawks’ bench. “We might not beat them, but it would look a whole lot different.”
The absences forced Ecker to pull midfielders Libby Stone and Katie Berthasavage back on defense on Tuesday. Freshman Lily Barber, new to the position, played there as well. Fellow varsity rookies Sydney Gonyea, Rachel Harrington and Ana Goodwin also started for a team with one substitute available.
Hopkinton scored on three of its first five shots and added a coup de gras by tallying 3 seconds before intermission. Ecker’s shouts for her troops to mind the clock and collapse on the ball carrier went unheeded on the play.
The Hawks scored on their first four shots of the second half, most of which was played with a running clock. The Raiders avoided the shutout with 40 seconds remaining when senior attacker Josie Hastings scored her first varsity goal. Junior midfielder Izzy Peress won the ensuing faceoff and was barreling down on Hopkinton goaltender Elizabeth Berliner when time expired.
“The score stinks, but our kids hustled,” Ecker said. “We had a great end to the game, and those last two positive things are great to take away.”
Notes: Ecker said Taber appears out for the season, although she wouldn’t rule out the senior’s return if Lebanon can make the playoffs. … Stuck coughing on the bench in street clothes was backup goaltender Emma Thibodeau. The senior has brighter days ahead, however, as she’s been accepted to the University of New Hampshire’s ocean engineering program. … The Raiders committed only a handful of fouls, while the Hawks seemed to be whistled on nearly every Lebanon possession. … Hopkinton took 17 shots during the first half and four during the second. Lebanon had 10 before intermission but only three after it. … The stretch of the Hopkinton Athletic Fields on which the teams played on Tuesday was previously a farm’s sand pit. … Meriden resident and onetime Lebanon High boys lacrosse coach Denis Reisch was one of the contest’s two officials.
Tris Wykes can be reached at twykes@vnews.com or 603-727-3227.