Goffstown field hockey gets win over Hollis Brookline

HOLLIS – The Goffstown High School field hockey team got off to a fast start Tuesday against Hollis Brookline, but all of a sudden, the Grizzlies fell apart.

Two quick goals gave Goffstown a 2-0 lead less than six minutes into the game, but it took the Cavaliers just another six minutes to tie it up.

But the Grizzlies managed to regroup, scored just before halftime to retake the lead and dominated the second half to beat the Cavs 5-2 in Division II action.

Tori Florence had two goals and Sydney Dubois and Anne Steckowych had a goal and an assist each to lead Goffstown (3-0). Molly Norton also had the game-winning goal, with less than two minutes to go until halftime that turned things around for the Grizzlies after the early let down.

“We broke down,” Goffstown coach Jess Brown said. “They can really hit the ball and they’d hit and it would transition up the field and I think that we got caught. We got caught twice in those quick transitions. After that second (HB) goal, we did a much better job of finding those second angles on recovery and tightening up defensively so there weren’t too many opportunities.”

Gigi Eliopoulos and Mollie Gillis each had a goal for the Cavs (1-1), who fought to mentally stay in the game earlier after falling behind.

“Just because they were up doesn’t mean they were playing better and that’s what I told (the team),” HB captain Sydney MacLeod said. “I think the mental part is really important. I tried to not let us get that mentality into our brains that we were losing. We scored shortly after that.”

HB looked like it might go ahead late in the first half, but the Grizzlies managed to thwart all of the Cavs’ scoring chances. Norton’s goal seemed to be the momentum swing Goffstown needed.

“That never feels good,” MacLeod said of giving up a goal near the end of a half. “It’s very frustrating.”

The Cavs made another charge early in the second half, but after again turning HB away, Goffstown was able to control play for most of the half.

“It speaks to this group, that they knew that’s what they should be doing,” Brown said. “They knew that they should be taking control of this game and didn’t want to give Hollis Brookline an opportunity to come back like we had the first half. They focused on keeping it moving and tightening up.”

Florence added her second goal off a penalty corner with 15:35 left in the game and Stechowych rounded out the scoring with under two minutes to go.

“We knew they were going to be a challenge,” MacLeod said of Goffstown. “Going into the year, we lost so many players from last year, but I’ve been surprised how our team dynamic is coming along. I’ve never felt closer with a team, and I think we have a lot of potential this year. I’m interested to see how a lot of our games go.”