BEDFORD, N.H. — A season that began with uncertainty about whether Stevens High School’s girls soccer team — or any of the school’s athletic programs — would even take the field because of a budget deficit ended with no doubt: The Cardinals are NHIAA Division III state champions.
Stevens captured its first state title since 1988 and completed a perfect 20-0 season with a 1-0 win over Raymond on Saturday afternoon at Bedford High School.
A first-half goal from junior Payton Ferland, set up by junior Faith Norton, provided the winning margin.
But it was the Cardinals’ defense and clutch second-half goaltending from senior Audrina Pelton that delivered the championship to Claremont.
“I think it’s still a little surreal and hasn’t hit me yet,” Stevens head coach Tim St. Pierre said after the win. “It’ll be pretty emotional once it sets in — obviously, I’m happy for the kids.”
Both teams had chances to take an early lead during the first 20 minutes of the opening half. One of the best opportunities came for Stevens when freshman Liza McManus, who scored the lone goal in the Cardinals’ semifinal win over St. Thomas on Tuesday, fired a shot from inside the six-yard box that was stopped.
A low-scoring match was expected between two teams that each allowed only three goals during the regular season, but it was the Rams’ defense that eventually broke.
With 11:32 left in the first half, Norton — battling through an illness — sent a perfect through ball to Ferland, who buried it in the back of the net to give Stevens a 1-0 lead that it never relinquished.
The Cardinals opened the second half with pressure, seeking an insurance goal, but couldn’t convert. Raymond eventually steadied itself and began to mount attacks of its own.
With about 14 minutes remaining, freshman Kylie Carr had a prime chance in front of the net, only to be denied by Pelton.
Minutes later, Pelton came up big again. Raymond senior Dinkenesh Levesque launched a long free kick that was on target, but the keeper reached up with an outstretched arm, tipped the ball off the crossbar and kept it out of danger to preserve the lead.
And Pelton wasn’t done. She made several more stops in the final five minutes to help Stevens secure the shutout.
“She’s always been a great goalkeeper, but she’s not always tested or having to flail around,” St. Pierre said. “She’s been a presence for us for three seasons, and it’s about time somebody saw it.”
Pelton said she was inspired in the second half not only for her teammates but also by the memory of a friend who recently passed away.
“I came out here and I played for him,” Pelton said. “That’s all I could think of — just make him proud. That was my biggest goal tonight.”
The Cardinals’ path to the title was far from easy. After Tuesday’s semifinal win, St. Pierre reflected on the challenges surrounding the city’s schools earlier in the year. A $5 million dollar budget deficit has thrown the district into disarray, and it took an emergency fundraising campaign to ensure Stevens’ fall sports teams would be able to play.
“I think athletics became a safe space — we didn’t talk about it, we didn’t worry about it. We just came and got really focused,” he said.
Two days before the championship, St. Pierre told parents they might need to carpool to the game because the team couldn’t secure a coach bus.
The community quickly raised $4,000 to help, but in what St. Pierre called “going true Claremont,” the team declined the money, opting instead to ride to Bedford in a yellow Claremont school bus — windows down, spirits high.
And in the end, they rode that same bus home, to bring home a state championship to a city that needed a win.
