Bishop Guertin girls lacrosse gets going early to grab win over Bedford (video)

NASHUA - Strong starts have been a focus of the Bishop Guertin High School girls lacrosse team this season.

The Cardinals needed just 33 seconds to take the lead in Friday's game against Bedford, and once they had it, they weren't giving it up.

Bishop Guertin scored the first four goals of the game, led by six at halftime and eight at the end of the third quarter in a 12-5 win over Bedford in a Division I game at Stellos Stadium.

Jordan Gaebel and Abby Lynn each had three goals to lead the Cardinals (6-1, No. 2 in the MerchSquared.com/NHHSSports Coaches Poll) while Madisyn Mendell had two goals and three assists.

Charlotte Accomando also scored twice while Sarah Brunelle had a goals and an assist, Bella Dawson scored and Mari Tomasello dished out two assists.

"Starting off strong is critical in every one of our games this season, and making sure we’re working as a unit throughout the entire thing," Bishop Guertin coach Callie Santos said. "I’m really proud of our girls’ effort."

The Cardinals were also locked in early on defense, as they forced a handful of turnovers on early possessions for Bedford (4-3, No. 4). Bishop Guertin led 4-0 when the Bulldogs got on the board with 1:19 left in the first quarter, and the Cardinals scored three more in a row in the second quarter to go up 7-1.

"I think our biggest thing was working as a unit and knowing who their stronger players were, making sure they were marked up and working together," Gaebel said. "None of that would have been possible with just one of us. It started with the communication from our goalie and then everyone working together, and knowing we’re trying to play our game and not their game."

Bishop Guertin goalie Maddy Eder-Linell finished with seven saves and got solid play in front of her from Gaebel and Elena Marziano.

"Our defense has been the backbone of our season," Santos said. "We’ve done a really great job in every single one of our games to hold our opponents to limited goals. We’ve only had one game this season where we’ve had double digits scored against us. They’ve definitely stepped up in the ways we’ve needed them to."

That was the case late in the half, when Bedford scored off a failed clear attempt with just 35.1 seconds left until the break. The Bulldogs won the ensuing draw and had a chance to cut further into the lead.

Instead, Bishop Guertin's defense forced a turnover, with the groundball picked up by Gaebel. The senior raced down field as time ticked away the half, eventually getting the ball around to Dawson, who scored with 4.9 seconds left to make it 8-2.

"It was great to see Jordan (Gaebel) get that ball up the field, hit Maddie (Mendell) on the elbow and then Bella (Dawson) inside, it was great," Santos said. "I think our girls are doing a great job of getting the ball up the field and working together."

The Cardinals scored twice late in the third quarter to make it 10-2, but Bedford's Maddie Kiely scored three goals in the fourth to keep the Bulldogs in it. Her final goal made it 11-5 with 4:31 remaining, but after a Bishop Guertin timeout, Gaebel tacked on another score and the Cardinals were able to close out the win.

"Our energy is something that is critical for us throughout every single game," Santos said. "Now we’re just focusing on one opponent at a time, making sure we’re working together. We can only take it one game at a time, but it’s a great way to start our tough section of the season. It’s a good way to get into that."