Sat, Jun 04, 2011
08:00 PM @
Londonderry
| Team |
1 |
2 |
Final |
| Exeter |
4 |
7 |
11 |
| Londonderry |
8 |
7 |
15 |
Londonderry keeps on winning
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Saturday, June, 04
By Christopher Smith
Staff writer
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."
Game Statistics:
Goals: L — Alexa Bedell 2, Jenny Thompson 4, Leah Walter 2, Kelsey Derhak 2, Amy Johnson 2, Julia Wasserman 3; E — Erica Estey 4, Molly Taylor 3, Kim Arkell, Allison Rogers 2, Olivia St. Martin
Assists: L — Wasserman, Derhak, Bedell
Saves: L — Sarah Ford 3
