> ## Content Index
> Fetch the complete content index at: https://www.nh-highschoolsports.com/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover other available public pages before exploring further.

# Bedford beats Keene to capture first D1 field hockey title (video)
- URL: https://www.nh-highschoolsports.com/bedford-beats-keene-to-capture-first-d1-field-hockey-title-video/
- Published: 2025-11-03T16:00:31.000Z
- Updated: 2025-11-03T16:00:31.000Z
- Description: BEDFORD – Having over a dozen seniors on high school roster gives a team an edge when it comes to experience. But those seniors also know that at some point soon, their high school careers are going to come to an end. All season, Kate Gaudreau reminded the 13 seniors on her Bedford High School field
- Author: Joe Marchilena
- Tags: Division I, Bedford, championship, field hockey, Keene, playoffs, slider, #wp, #wp-post, #Import 2026-08-18 04:44

BEDFORD – Having over a dozen seniors on high school roster gives a team an edge when it comes to experience.

But those seniors also know that at some point soon, their high school careers are going to come to an end.

All season, Kate Gaudreau reminded the 13 seniors on her Bedford High School field hockey roster of that, to not take it for granted, and Saturday, the Bulldogs ended it by playing in the Division I championship game for the first time in program history on their home field.

No. 2 Bedford got a quick two-goal lead in the second quarter and made it hold up the rest of the way to get a 2-1 win over No. 1 Keene to win the program’s first championship.

“All year, we’re like this is going to end,” Gaudreau said. “At some point, the season is going to end. Our goal was that we want to do better than we did last year in the playoffs, and we wanted to be able to make it to the last game and we did.

“The girls were loose, they were enjoying it, they wanted it. They waited for so long, but there was no stress. They just wanted to go and play, and I think they just went and played.”

Teagan O’Donnell had a goal and an assist and Mary Lenti also scored, with the goals coming 2:18 apart midway through the second quarter to give the Bulldogs (17-1-1) all the scoring they would need. Eloise Montagano also had an assist and the defense, led by Mia Katane, Carly Hodgdon-Rogers, Anna Ray and goalie Irene Tsai (four saves) kept the Blackbirds (16-2-1) scoreless until the fourth quarter.

“Our defense just needed to continue stepping up like we were doing,” Katane said. “We had to just act like it was even, or act like we were down, and play the same way we would if we were in that situation. I think our team did that and executed very well.”

Keene’s goal came on a penalty stroke by McKenna Nelson with 10 minutes remaining in regulation. The stroke was awarded on the last of the Blackbirds’ eight penalty corners.

Dayna English finished with eight saves, including three straight early in the second quarter that kept it a scoreless game for the moment.

But after that flurry, O’Donnell found a bit of space for a reverse shot, and while it felt off to the senior, the ball smashed into the back of the cage to give Bedford a 1-0 lead with 9:28 left in the second.

“I didn’t think it went in,” O’Donnell said. “I didn’t have a reaction because I thought it went left and then I felt Eloise jump on my back. I didn’t know it was going in, but I’m really happy it did.”

A little more than two minutes later, Lenti scored the kind of goal Gaudreau told her players they would need to score to win the game. The ball was put into the circle by hits from Montagano and O'Donnell before Lenti was give it the extra push into the goal.

“Our first goal was fancy,” Montagano said. “I feel like our second goal, coach Gaudreau always just says we have to play gritty, and I feel like it was. It was a little pass to me, a little pass to Teagan, a little pass to Mary, and Mary was able to find the back of the net. It doesn’t matter if it’s fancy or not, both count as a goal.”

That made it 2-0 Bedford with 7:10 left in the first half, but Keene came roaring back. The Blackbirds got two penalty corners in the final five minutes of the half, but couldn't capitalize on either.

Over the final 35 minutes of regulation, Keene had all eight of its corners, while Bedford had one in the final two minutes of the game.

"My heart was kind of my stomach all the time," O'Donnell said of the second half. "Then I got a (green) card (in the fourth quarter), so I couldn't really control anything that was happening. But I mean, I trust my teammates more than I trust myself sometimes.."

Keene had four corners in the first five minutes of the final quarter, and on the final one, a shot that was headed for the goal went off a Bedford defender's foot, giving the Blackbirds a penalty stroke. Nelson buried it to give Keene a spark, but the Bulldogs were able to hold on for the win.

“It’s honestly better,” Katane said of how it felt winning the title. “I couldn’t have wished for a better group of girls to do this with. It’s great to see that our hard work really paid off.”