Bishop Guertin girls lacrosse starts strong in playoff win over Nashua South (video)

NASHUA - When the members of the Bishop Guertin High School girls lacrosse team imagined how the start of Thursday's Division I quarterfinal was going to go, it might have looked a lot like reality.

The Cardinals took control of the pace for all 12 minutes of the first quarter, getting goals from five players on the way to taking a seven-goal lead over Nashua South.

While the Panthers were able to regroup for the final three quarters, the hole was too big to get out of, as No. 3 Bishop Guertin rolled into the semifinals with a 13-3 win over No. 6 South at Stellos Stadium.

Skylar Naftali led the Cardinals (15-3) with four goals, including two in the final two minutes of the first quarter, and Kamryn Schmitt also scored her two goals in the opening frame. Lauren Redfern added three scores on the day despite facing an early challenge from South's defense.

"At the beginning of the game, I was being face guarded, but my team was there to step up," Redfern said. "I was able to get the ball and score, but I trust the girls around me and I know that they’re capable of putting the ball away just as much I am or the other captains on the field. It’s big to have that trust and know we can push each other."

Abby Lynn added a goal and an assist while Lola Dumont, Arianna Kouchalakos and Mariella Tomasello also scored.

"Our girls did a great job of competing from the jump, which is great, and then making sure we maintained that as we go through the rest (of the game)," Bishop Guertin coach Callie Santos said. "(Naftali) was competing for us all over the field. Even as an attacker, she was working so hard on the ride. That’s something that is super important in tough games."

For South (11-8) it was a tough end to a season full of adversity, as injuries plagued the Panthers all season and led to changes throughout the year up and down the lineup.

But still, South coach Ciki McIntire knew that if her team could minimize Bishop Guertin's runs, the Panthers would have a shot. It just didn't happen soon enough.

"There’s only so much we can do to try to slow down the pace of the game," McIntire said. "I thought our defense stepped up amazingly (Thursday). I could hear them talking out there after three or four goals and it’s ‘next play, we’re good.’ We knew they were going to go on a run, it’s just trying to slow them down, but the flood gates opened all at once."

The Panthers got two goals from Nevaeh Epolitto while Ella Benzekri also scored and Karina O'Donnell had two assists. Keira Walsh finished with four saves.

At the other end, Maddy Eder-Linnell finished with six saves, but three of them came in the first half when the game was still in the balance.

"Maddy played awesome," Santos said. "The big thing is, she might not be seeing as many shots, but when you’re coming up big when you’ve been sitting there for a while, that’s helpful."

The Cardinals now move on to the semifinals for the ninth season in a row; they've played in the championship game seven times since moving up to D1 in 2015, but fell in the final four a year ago.

Awaiting them is defending-champion No. 2 Bedford, who knocked out No. 7 Exeter 15-8 in the quarterfinals. The two will play at 4 p.m. Saturday at Bill Ball Stadium in Exeter, with No. 4 Souhegan and No. 1 Portsmouth playing in the second semifinal. The winners advance to Tuesday's championship game, also in Exeter.

"For us, it’s going in with the same level of preparation, whether it’s Bedford or Exeter," Santos said before knowing the Bulldogs advanced. "We’ve got to make sure we’re putting in all of our time and effort being ready to compete no matter what."