Goffstown field hockey shuts out Milford to pick up first win of season (video)

GOFFSTOWN - The Goffstown High School field hockey team played well during the first week of the season, but after two shutout losses, didn't have much to show for it.

That changed on Wednesday against Milford.

The Grizzlies scored early, getting two goals in the first three minutes, and never let up, cruising to a 9-0 win over the Spartans in a Division II game.

Makayla Strickulis had three goals, all in the first half, including one on a penalty stroke just 27 seconds into the game. The senior also had an assist while Maggie Jorzcak had two goals and Kendall Dubois had three assists. Ava Jones also had a goal and an assist while Bethany Dubreuil, Avery Brisiel and Savannah Bergeron each had a goal. Grace Murphy added an assist.

"They are a phenomenal group," Goffstown coach Jess Brown. "Personality, character, how hard they work at practice, but I think when you start the season with those losses, it can kind of get in your head sometimes. What I like about this is that it settles us, it proves we can put the ball in the net, gives us a clear picture of what we need to continue to work on."

Coming off losses to John Stark and Lebanon, two games that were close, but ultimately, the Grizzlies (1-2) couldn't find a way to get on the scoreboard, getting off to a good start against Milford (0-3) was key.

Goffstown went right down the field to open the game and got the ball inside the circle, forcing Spartans goalie Heather Whittier to cover the ball and set up a penalty stroke. Strickulis buried the shot in the upper left corner of the goal with 14:33 still to play in the opening quarter, and a little more than two minutes later, Jorzcak scored off a penalty corner to make it 2-0.

Strickulis made it 3-0 with 2:52 left in the first when her shot to the far post hit a Milford stick and went into the cage.

"We had a really good game against Lebanon," Brown said. "It felt like the big difference there was just not having enough dangerous opportunities in the circle. It felt like (Wednesday) we built off that and were able to take shots, create shots, and finish shots. It’s always nice when those pieces start to fall in line a little bit."

While the Spartans allowed a season high in goals, the final outcome might have been worse had it not been for the play of Whittier and freshman goalie Chloe Marchand.

"It’s so tough," Milford coach Katy Kolasinski said. "Our starting goalkeeper, Heather, she came out strong and made a tough decision to get that early stroke. That’s one of those things where, as a goalkeeper, you are mentally putting yourself in there to make the best decision for the team at the team.

"(Marchand) is our freshman goalkeeper, so this was her first time to really experience a game. This was invaluable experience for her."

Both goalies made a handful of saves throughout the game, including several in the fourth quarter by Whittier to limit Goffstown to just one goal in the frame.

The Grizzlies got three more goals in the second quarter to take a 6-0 lead, but late in the half, the Spartans had a chance to get on the board. Milford had its only corner of the game and kept the ball in the Goffstown end for a long stretch, but couldn't find the back of the net.

"It’s going to be tough, but we know those are things we’re going to work on in practice," Kolasinski said. "It’s still early in the season, this is going to be one of those games where we have a lot of good opportunities to look back on and make sure we improve for the rest of the season."

Brown liked how her team was able to adjust to the quick change despite not seeing the ball much on defense throughout the opening half.

"It’s indicator of your mental game, when all of a sudden, you can make that transition," she said. "We kind of got caught a little bit in how it lead to a defensive corner against us. I liked how they stepped up, took control, and started to make that transition back.

"It is a young crew back there and (Wednesday) we saw a couple of different combinations. I liked that regardless of who they were getting matched up with, they were able to hold steady and keep the shutout."