Bedford field hockey responds late to hand Londonderry a loss (video)

LONDONDERRY - Both sides expected Friday's game between the Bedford and Londonderry high school field hockey teams was going to be a close one.

The Bulldogs and the Lancers didn't disappoint.

After a scoreless first half that was largely spent in the midfield, Bedford took the lead in the first minute of the second half and kept coming through the rest of the third quarter. But Londonderry was able to hold up on defense and eventually tied the game with 7:12 remaining.

The Bulldogs answered right back, scoring just 1:28 later to retake the lead and they held on for a 2-1 win over the Lancers in a game between teams that were tied atop the Division I standings.

"It was going to be a tough battle," Bedford coach Kate Gaudreau said. "They’ve had an amazing season. We knew that this was going to be a close game, no matter what the outcome was, it was going to be close. I thought it was a good field hockey game."

Mary Lenti scored both goals for the Bulldogs (11-1, No. 1 in the New Hampshire Orthopaedic Center/NHHSSports Coaches Poll) with Eloise Montagano and Teagan O'Donnell each registering an assist.

Bedford might have had more in the second half if not for Londonderry goalie Molly Tharrington, who finished the game with nine saves for the Lancers (10-2, No. 2).

"There’s those Molly moments, which was nice to have that intensity," Londonderry coach Nichole Treadway said. "You don’t have a lot of shots and then you have to come up big. I thought we played a good game and we knew it was going to be a battle.

"Sometimes, you go into games, and it’s not even about the win or loss right now. Show up and play the game you know I can play, and if the end you do that, and we still lose, that’s all right. I’m proud of the way the girls played."

Gemma Murray scored for Londonderry, knocking in a pass from Sadie Moore on a penalty corner while Bedford's Mia Katane tried to get the ball away from her.

"Gemma, she’s a workhorse out there," Treadway said. "She’s a competitor. She definitely puts in everything she has."

Following a third quarter in which Lenti scored the game's first goal just 50 seconds in and in which Bedford had five corners, Londonderry regrouped and got itself back in in the fourth.

"They came down on fire and put a great goal in," Gaudreau said. "I thought it was going to be an overtime game. I was surprised we got out in regulation. It was a little bit of a scrum, but I feel like that’s how a lot of these games are. You don’t have that space because the ball is moving at a different speed."

Neither team did much in the first half, as each side had a corner and Bedford registered three shots on goal.

"We just have been trying to get the ball moving," Gaudreau said. "It was a lot of back and forth between the 25s. They do such a good job of putting pressure on the ball and backing each other up. They’re a great team and it was exciting to come compete and have a good game."