Exeter shuts down Winnacunnet to win second-straight D1 field hockey title (video)

BEDFORD - The Exeter High School field hockey team played a good first half in Sunday's Division I championship game against Winnacunnet.

But as the coaches and players talked at halftime of the scoreless game, they realized the Blue Hawks just needed to do a little bit more.

Exeter got that, as Addison MacNeil and Ella Raymond each scored a goal in the second half and the No. 2 Blue Hawks took care of the rest on defense to get a 2-0 win over the top-seeded Warriors at Bedford High School. It's the second championship in a row for Exeter and third overall.

"At this point, coming into a game like this, they know what they have to do," Exeter coach Deb Grott said. "They have to get out there and play those first couple of minutes, because you’re all amped up from being here at this game, playing against Winnacunnet.

"Honestly, wouldn’t have wanted to come up against any other opponent at this final game this year. We knew it was going to be a good game and we wanted to play hard and we wanted to play determined."

MacNeil and Raymond each scored in the first five minutes of the third and fourth quarters, respectively, giving the Blue Hawks (17-1-1) all the offense they would need. At the other end, goalie Peyton King (five saves), Ainsley Grant, Lindsay Ducharme and the rest of the defense kept the Warriors (16-2-1) from getting many great opportunities to score.

Winnacunnet had four penalty corners, none in the second half, while Exeter had seven, but didn't score on any. Warriors goalie Amber Morgado finished with nine saves, including a handful before MacNeil's goal at the start of the third quarter.

"Amber held us in there," Winnacunnet coach Heidi Hand said. "She’s a freshman, so I’m so excited to have her for three more years. She really stepped up (Sunday) and took control out there. She held us in this game and I’ve got to give her credit."

But in the end, the Blue Hawks were the ones getting to the ball first and taking advantage of opportunities, according to Hand.

"I’ve got to give them credit, they came out strong and fought hard," she said. "They’re a great team, Exeter, and we knew this was going to be a game. Every ball was there ball and they stepped it up, and unfortunately, it didn’t go our way.

"I’m so proud of my girls. To get this far, and the team that this is, I couldn’t be more proud of them. They fought hard, it just didn’t go our way."

The Warriors had three of their corners late in the first quarter, but were unable to get a shot on goal, and the Blue Hawks went the other way right after. It looked like MacNeil gave Exeter the lead with about two minutes left in the quarter, but the shot was ruled to be outside the circle and the goal waved off.

But from there, Exeter started to take over the game, controlling play for long stretches, and when Winnacunnet did change fields, the Blue Hawks didn't let it happen for long. Despite that, it was still scoreless at halftime.

"We maybe need to be a little faster, a little more controlled," Grott said of the halftime discussion. "Even though they were doing a good job, it was a time to make sure they understood what was going on."

The players knew they also had to keep up their intensity in the second half.

"We knew that we kept knocking on that door," MacNeil said. "We kept getting the ball in the circle and trying to get it in the back of the cage. We knew that if we went out in the second half with a lower intensity, we wouldn’t be able to. We knew what we had to and we were able to get it done."

MacNeil gave Exeter the lead with 11:31 left in the third quarter, as she sent a shot toward the front of the goal that deflected in off a Winnacunnet player. It was the senior's third goal in a championship game, as she had both of the Blue Hawks' scores in last year's title win.

Exeter kept the pressure on, getting a corner moment's later, but it remained a 1-0 game. Winnacunnet had it's best chance late in the third, but King was able to come up with a couple of saves.

"The way we play in our midfield, we have a midfielder who stays back most of the time," Grott said. "That’s Ainsley, but she and Addison switch up. We have four good defenders in the backfield, so that helps her, but she’s a very good goalie on her own. We know that if it got by, she would stop it."

Raymond gave Exeter some breathing room with 10:57 left and the Warriors took a timeout. Although down two scores, Winnacunnet was in a spot that it had been plenty of times this season and still found ways to win, including in the regular season against Exeter.

"That’s exactly what it was, we knew that we couldn’t fool around," MacNeil said of the talk in the timeout. "We had to stay level-headed and keep our composure."

The Blue Hawks did and they came away with another title.