MANCHESTER, N.H. — Londonderry coach Bob Slater certainly had faith in his sophomore goalie, Sarah Ford, despite how she was only the varsity team backup until about five days ago.
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Girls Lacrosse, 06/06/11 » 0 Comments & 0.0 Stars
MANCHESTER, N.H. — Londonderry graduated eight seniors off last year's state championship team but the Lancers just keep on winning.
Fifty-two straight victories to be exact.
Yes, Londonderry High girls lacrosse won its 52nd straight game against a New Hampshire foe yesterday, beating Exeter 15-11 in the Division 1 semifinals to advance to yet another championship game.
No. 1 Londonderry (15-0 in New Hampshire) will play No. 2 Concord (14-3) tomorrow night at 7 p.m. at Southern New Hampshire University.
Londonderry beat Concord 8-6 at Concord on May 6, then won 12-9 over Concord at home May 10.
"It started when we went to Florida at the beginning of the season," Londonderry's Jenny Thompson said. "We've had a huge transition from last year's team. We lost eight seniors, but we all came together. So were kind of used to each other the past two or three years playing together and then all those seniors left so we had to rebuild. We've done tremendous ever since we started practice. Everyone has been giving 110 percent."
Thompson, a junior, scored five goals yesterday and has 10 in two playoff games and 61 on the season. Thompson already has received an athletic scholarship offer from Boston University and is looking at William & Mary, UMass Amherst and UConn.
Thompson said Londonderry's late season 12-9 loss Andover was a positive for the Lancers.
"It was perfect timing," Thompson said. "It was the week right before playoffs. It got us in the right mindset. It got us physically ready to play a good team because we hadn't played as good of a team as that. I think the loss, it had a toll on us but it obviously didn't bring us down at all. If anything, we were more confident. We wanted to show who we are and what we can bring out on the field and I think we have."
Londonderry coach Bob Slater added about Thompson: "She took control of the offense and running the plays as a junior, which is very important because our whole offense is junior, sophomore, freshmen."
Sophomore Julia Wasserman netted three goals and added an assist for the Lancers.
"She started out at defense and I made a switch the first week of the season or second week and made her an attack," Slater said about Wasserman. "It's paid off big. ... She played an excellent game."
Londonderry was ahead 14-7 but Exeter scored four straight goals to bring the score to 14-11 with 5:46 left.
Slater called a timeout. And it worked. The Lancers gained possession right away out of the timeout and kept possession until Kelsey Derhak scored with 34 seconds left to make it 15-11.
"That was the key," Slater said. "That should have started maybe at 10 minutes. But it's tough. You can't stall a game 10 minutes in. You got to still keep going to goal because it can go upside down on you in a hurry."
Londonderry senior starting goalie Crystalle Parent again was not in net for the Lancers for the second straight game. Instead, sophomore Sarah Ford started for the Lancers. Parent actually is no longer with the team, Slater said.
"She is not with us any longer," Slater said. "Sarah took over the position as our starting goalie."
Slater was asked why Parent is no longer with the team and he said: "Just discipline reasons. I made the call the other day. It was the school and me. We run a very disciplined program. It's a privilege to play a sport and if you can't go by the rules, and you don't want to follow the disciplinary (rules), then we move other people up."
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Girls Lacrosse, 06/04/11 » 0 Comments & 0.0 Stars
Jenny Thompson, Leah Walter and Alexa Bedell each netted five goals as No. 1 Londonderry girls lacrosse won 17-4 over No. 8 Manchester Memorial in the Division 1 quarterfinals. Backup goalie Sarah Ford stopped six shots.
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Girls Lacrosse, 06/02/11 » 0 Comments & 0.0 Stars
Freshman Alexa Bedell scored six goals and added two assists as Londonderry girls lacrosse won 13-7 victory over Hollis-Brookline.
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Girls Lacrosse, 05/24/11 » 0 Comments & 0.0 Stars
ANDOVER — On the schedule it might have appeared to be just a late-season game between cross-state opponents. But the trip south the Londonderry girl’s lacrosse squad made last night had a playoff atmosphere.
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Girls Lacrosse, 05/22/11 » 0 Comments & 0.0 Stars
Usually a defender, Amy Johnson was called on at the offensive end and responded with four goals as Londonderry won its 50th straight, downing Souhegan 11-9. Souhegan entered the game 9-1.
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Girls Lacrosse, 05/16/11 » 0 Comments & 0.0 Stars
Londonderry beat Concord for the second time in five days, 12-9. Jenny Thompson had four goals for the 10-0 Lancers, who've handed the Tide their only two losses.
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Girls Lacrosse, 05/10/11 » 0 Comments & 0.0 Stars
Londonderry rallied back from a four-goal deficit to stay undefeated, beating previously unbeaten Concord 8-6. Alexa Bedell scored a team-high three goals.
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Girls Lacrosse, 05/06/11 » 0 Comments & 0.0 Stars
Londonderry's Crystalle Parent and Pinkerton's Diana Kraus locked up in an entertaining goalie's duel, but Parent's huge late saves and clearing passes got the Lancers some clutch goals and a 10-8 lacrosse victory.
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Girls Lacrosse, 05/03/11 » 0 Comments & 0.0 Stars
Leah Walters scored with 2:30 to play to lift Londonderry girls lacrosse to a 12-11 win over Mass. power Duxbury. The Lancers, who have now won 44 straight matches, battled back from an early 3-0 deficit. Alexa Bedell had four goals and three assists and Jenny Thompson added three goals in the win. Duxbury is ranked No. 9 in the state by ESPN Boston.
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Girls Lacrosse, 04/30/11 » 0 Comments & 0.0 Stars
