Bishop Brady field hockey beats Hopkinton to remain undefeated

CONCORD - It was a Division III field hockey showdown on Tuesday afternoon between Bishop Brady and Hopkinton high schools.

Bishop Brady surpassed Hopkinton, 3-0, to continue its undefeated fall season. The Giants currently stand at 4-0 on the year, with wins over Conant (4-0), Gilford (2-1), St. Thomas Aquinas (1-0) and now Hopkinton. 

Bishop Brady has made it to the D3 championship for the past four years but has lost the past two. The team is eyeing a fifth appearance this fall, but not without coming home with the win. 

For Hopkinton, Bishop Brady is one of the toughest competitors it will face all season. The two are slated to play again on Oct. 13 for their last game before the playoffs. 

The weather cleared up just in time, as the sun peeked through the clouds and the air filled with humidity. Although used to their long and thick grass field, the conditions posed a challenge to the Hawks in regard to moving the ball effectively. However, Bishop Brady used this to their advantage against Hopkinton.

For most of the first quarter, Bishop Brady controlled the game offensively. The Giants were close to scoring multiple times, but the game remained scoreless heading into the second quarter. 

The second quarter is when the action started to pick up for Bishop Brady. After moving the ball well up the field all quarter, Bishop Brady scored with about three minutes left in the half. Not even two minutes later Bishop Brady added another goal while the clock wound down. 

Heading into halftime, Bishop Brady was up 2-0 over Hopkinton. 

In the second half, Bishop Brady once again came ready for action. Less than a minute into the second half, Bishop Brady scored again off of a strong drive during a corner, putting the game score at 3-0. 

Hopkinton from the start of the game struggled offensively and was forced to be strong as a defensive front. The Hawks saw little time as a team overall in the circle. 

For the rest of the half, the score remained the same, 3-0. Bishop Brady continued to control the narrative of the game, with some glimmers of aggressiveness from Hopkinton. However, Hopkinton would not be able to score for the rest of the game. 

Hopkinton is now 2-2 on the year and will play Monadnock on Friday at 4 p.m. Bishop Brady will have the rest of the week off before its next matchup on Monday vs. Berlin.