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Windham girls soccer wins thriller, advances to title game

Thursday, November, 05 By David Willis
Staff writer

It took 14 rounds of penalty kicks and over 100 minutes, but Windham girls soccer earned its first ever trip to the Division 1 state championship game.

Sophomore defender Abby Irwin scored the winning PK goal, giving No. 2 seed Windham a marathon 1-0 victory over previously-unbeaten No. 3 Hanover in the New Hampshire Division 1 state semifinals on Thursday afternoon at Hanover High School.

The victory sends the Jaguars (5-4-2) to their first girls soccer state title game in program history. They will next travel to face top-seeded Exeter (13-0-0) on Sunday at 2 p.m. at Exeter High School.

“The girls are so excited,” said Windham coach Matt Bryant. “This is the first final we’ve made, and they’re proud of their place in history. But they’re not satisfied. We’ve proven we can play with anyone in the state, and we’re looking forward to the chance to prove it Sunday!”

Jaguars goalie Jess Thibodeau was a rock in net. She made seven saves, keeping Hanover (9-1-1) without a goal through regulation and into penalty kicks. She was supported by a stellar defensive effort.
Finally, in the 14 round of PKs, defender Irwin scored the game-winner, sending Windham to the title game.
“We played very well and controlled large portions of the game,” said Bryant. “They had about a fifteen minute stretch in the first half where they put a ton of pressure on us, but we weathered the storm. The last 30 minutes were spent almost entirely in their end. We were unlucky not to score to finish it off, but I’m so glad we got it done in penalties!”