Bilodeau scores game-winner in OT to get Bishop Guertin field hockey past Pinkerton (video)

NASHUA - Sophie Bilodeau was the first player off the bench for the Bishop Guertin High School field hockey team in overtime of Thursday's Division I preliminary-round game.

It was a big moment, one that Bilodeau was nervous about being a part of, but fortunately for the Cardinals, she was.

Bilodeau sent a reverse shot into the corner of the goal with 4:15 left in overtime to give No. 7 Bishop Guertin a 1-0 win against No. 10 Pinkerton at Stellos Stadium. The win sends the Cardinals to the quarterfinals, where they will go on the road to face No. 2 Exeter at 2 p.m. on Sunday.

"I started off as a sub," Bilodeau said. "I was nervous. I’m still nervous. I didn’t want to go in, but I’m glad that I did.

"It was an assist from my teammate Gianna (Pezzetti). Taylor (Guibord) took the ball down the right side of the field and passed it to Gianna in the middle. The goalie deflected it, Gianna got it back and I did a reverse shot into the top left corner."

Bishop Guertin coach Erica Chareth had Bilodeau as her first substitute for the 7-on-7 overtime to give the second wave of players a boost.

"She was the first sub for a reason," Chareth said. "Let these girls go out, if they can score, amazing, but we’ve got our first couple of subs ready to bring in more energy. Whoever can do it."

In game where opportunities were become less and less as time ticked away, Chareth tried to impress upon the team that it needed to take care of business soon.

"I think they were working hard all across the field," the coach said. "We had to make a couple of adjustments. We knew Pinkerton was going to show up and give us a game, and of course they did. It’s tough that it was scoreless. We’re going to OT, we’ve got to score. I tried to reiterate to them, we don’t win it’s over, so we’ve got to win. I don’t want to be done. I kept saying it."

Bella Rioux made four saves for Bishop Guertin (11-5-1) and the Cardinals finished with 13 penalty corners, including a run of five in the final seven minutes of the first half. They had two more to start the third quarter, but for most of the second half, play went back and forth in the midfield.

Elise LeBlanc finished with seven saves for the Astros (7-10), who embraced the role of the underdog heading into the game.

"They played like they had nothing to lose," Pinkerton coach Katie Littlefield said. "They were the underdogs for sure and there was no pressure at all, just having fun. We know that when we have fun, take the pressure off ourselves and still compete, we play our best. We did that.

"I think some players were wanting to do too much on their own instead of passing it around. They all want it, they want to be the person who is the spark to make something happen. Sometimes it backfires and doesn’t go as you want."

Pinkerton had a shot to end the game in the final minutes, getting two corners in the final two minutes, but the Cardinals were able to clear the ball and time ran out in the fourth quarter.

Bishop Guertin started with the ball in overtime, but the Astros got it back and had an extended possession inside the Cardinals' 25-yard line. Pinkerton's Abigail Shawley sent the ball to the far post, but no one in red was there and Bishop Guertin sent it the other way, setting up Bilodeau's goal.

The Cardinals will head to Exeter for the second time this year, having lost to the Blue Hawks 5-2 on Sept. 28.

"They’re a really good team," Chareth said. "They have a lot of technical skill and a lot of talented players. When we played last time, we scored first, so I’m hoping we can do that again, and not let them respond."