Armaganian hoping to give Concord field hockey one more shot at title

Maria Armaganian has always had the unique ability to move on from a moment, whether its good or bad, and continue playing.

But in the last year, that's been a little tougher for the Concord High School senior to do.

Last fall, with the Crimson Tide on a run that would lead them to the Division I field hockey final, Armaganian started to feel sick leading up to the game and ended up playing through illness. Concord ended up losing to Windham 2-0.

During the winter, the Concord girls hockey team was turning in another historic performance, earning the No. 1 seed in the D1 tournament and ending Hanover's reign as champions with a win over the Marauders in the semifinals.

The Crimson Tide were preparing to play Berlin-Gorham in the program's first championship when the NHIAA suspended, and then canceled, all sports due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

"I'm over it," Armaganian said. "All summer, I was more focused on keeping up my fitness and my field hockey skills. Seacoast United hosted weight training skill sessions. I went for runs on my own. I tried to keep up with a higher intensity."

All that work was put in with an eye on getting Concord back to the D1 field hockey final, and this time coming away with a win. The Crimson Tide begin that quest at 4 p.m. Wednesday, as they face Bedford in a preliminary-round game.

Concord coach Andy Briers would have expected nothing less from Armaganian.

"She's extremely driven every time she's on the field," he said. "Her drive is always constant, whether its club (field hockey) or high school, she's always focused."

That focus has been there for as long as Briers has coached Armaganian, even as a freshman, when she not only played on varsity, but was a key contributor for Concord.

"She has been an elite-level player for four years," the coach said. "Even as a freshman, she had exceptional skill. Her decision making has gotten to an extremely high level. Her execution of what every she wants to do on the field is outstanding."

Growing up, Armaganian played multiple sports and wasn't entirely sure which was the one she would focus on in high school.

"I played four sports in middle school and all four were pretty equal," she said. "I'd go from field hockey practice to soccer practice, and if I wasn't too tired, I'd make it to hockey practice."

Armaganian, who also plays lacrosse, started playing club field hockey once she reached high school and that helped her decide which sport she wanted to continue playing in college. She's already committed to keep on playing at Northeastern University.

"I just love the fast pace and the intensity," she said. "Field hockey is a big community and everyone is friends. It's like a second family. My mom (Nicole) played it, too. She didn't talk about it much when I was younger, but we did once I started liking it more."

That love for field hockey led Armaganian to different opportunities, which has included playing for the AAU Junior Olympics team and getting to play in England a couple of summers ago.

As she became more involved in field hockey, Briers could see Armaganian start to gain an even better understanding of the game.

"She brings a lot of knowledge to the field," he said. "She's very easy to talk about tactics with because she understands the game. Her leadership, along with the other captains, is fantastic.

"All the fundamentals are there. She can hit the ball well. She can hit the reverse remarkably well. She really is a complete player."

Armaganian helped Concord to an 8-0-1 record during the abbreviated regular season. The Crimson Tide enter the postseason having outscored opponent 28-2 this year.

"We're very smart on the front line," Armaganian said. "I think our strongest suit really is getting the ball in the net. We have a good defense, but we want to keep it up field."

And, Armaganian hopes, keep Concord going until the final game.