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Owls dethrone Winnacunnet on late Padellaro goal

Monday, October, 31 By David Willis

As the ball went into the scrum near the net, Timberlane coach Mim Ryan and the rest of the sideline loss view for a moment — until the celebration broke out.

With four minutes remaining in the game, sophomore Sarah Padellaro knocked the loose ball into the net to give the Owls the lead, and in the final seconds goalie M.K. Livingston stopped a shot and the defense cleared the ball to clinch No. 6 seed Timberlane’s 2-1 victory over top-seeded Winnacunnet in the New Hampshire Division 1 field hockey title game.

“It is just amazing,” said Owls coach Mim Ryan. “The kids are beyond ecstatic, and it is well deserved. I am so thrilled for them. They worked so hard and they deserve it.”

The win gave Timberlane its first field hockey state title since 2009. Winnacunnet was the two-time defending state champ, and had won four of the last six crowns. The loss was just the second on the season for the Warriors.

Winnacunnet had beaten the Owls 2-1 in the regular season, but Ryan saw a different kind of confidence in her team’s eyes heading into the title game.

“We were very confident,” said the 14-year head coach. “We were intimidated the first time we played then, and they put us on our heels. This time we studied film and we saw what we had to do, and the girls were not afraid at all.”

The Warriors grabbed a 1-0 lead in the first, and held it through halftime.

But with 12 minutes to go in the game, Kylie Fitzpatrick blasted home a goal to tie the game.

“Kylie brought he ball into the circle and just fired it home,” said Ryan. “It was a great goal, and after that you could feel something was happening. We had put sustained pressure on net, and you had the feeling something was coming.”

Padellaro had left the game in the second after taking a shot on the leg, leaving a painful bruise. But with the title within reach, Ryan sent the sophomore back in, and she made it count.

With four minutes left, Fitzpatrick sent a ball into a mob of players in front of the net, and Padellaro was there to send it home for the go-ahead tally.

“It was really a scrum in front and Sarah found a way to put it in,” said Ryan. “She was really limping around after being hit by that ball, but she stepped up when we needed her.”

Winnacunnet had a corner in the final minute, but Livingston was up to the task in net.

“There was about 40 seconds left on that last corner but we were able to get it out,” said Ryan. “Both of my goalies had huge saves. Juliana Mancinelli did a great job in the first half of stopping some tough opportunities. Then M.K. made some great saves on point-blank shots after halftime.”

The Owls then celebrated their unlikely title win.

“This team pulled together and it made all the difference,” said Ryan. “When we hit the postseason the girls were on a mission and believed we could win it all. We were confident, and everything worked out for a reason.”