Hollis Brookline field hockey battles through slow start to beat Pelham in D2 prelim (video)

HOLLIS - For a good 10 minutes to start Thursday's Division II preliminary-round game, the Hollis Brookline High School field hockey team was having to do a lot in its own circle.

Pelham threw a lot at the Cavaliers to start their playoff game, culminating in a penalty corner with about five minutes left in the first.

HB goalie Rae Kline came up with a save on the corner, her teammates cleared the circle, and the Cavs went the other way. HB flipped the field to end the quarter, and kept it that way to start the second until the Cavs finally cashed in.

Addison Marchant got HB on the board, deflecting in a shot by Nyah Jernberg, and then Jernberg added a goal of her own right before halftime, as the No. 7 Cavs picked up a 2-0 win over No. 10 Pelham in the first round of the playoffs.

"We typically try to press and gain possession, but we stayed back a little bit," HB coach Greg Cochrane said of the opening of the game. "We wanted to play a little bit middle of the field to see what kind of adjustments they were going to make. They surprised us with some of their frontline pace and that caught us pinned back a little bit.

"Our circle presence was strong. There was a lot of chaos, but we kept our composure, and then we started to unravel the way we wanted to play, with our layers and our speed game, and I think we did a great job there."

That early save was the only one Kline had to make on a day where HB (11-4) was able to keep Pelham (7-7-1) at a comfortable distance over the final three quarters. The Cavs maintained enough pressure in the second half, including a could of opportunities late in the fourth, to keep control of the game.

Addison Breault finished with six saves for the Pythons, who had three penalty corners to 11 for HB.

"We’re always working for that last part of the puzzle, but I feel like they have worked so hard," Pelham coach Stefani Day said. "We’ve been in almost every game we’ve had this year. That shows how much they’ve improved.

"In the first quarter, I thought ‘wow, we’re doing a great job and kind of dominating.’ We were spending most of the time in our offensive 25, which is what happens in a lot of games we play, We just can’t get that last piece."

HB opened the second quarter with the same pressure it ended the first, keeping the ball in Pelham's end until getting a corner about five minutes into the frame.

Jernberg took a shot from near the top of the circle, right down the middle, and Marchant was in the right spot to deflect it to the lower right corner for a 1-0 lead with 10:06 to go until halftime.

Moments after the goal, the Pythons got their best offensive chance of the quarter, but HB's Isabella Martinos cleared the ball out of the circle before it could reach a Pelham stick.

The Cavs had a series of corners late in the quarter, and finally capitalized when Jernberg sent a bouncing shot toward the goal. The ball made it through for a 2-0 lead with 1:12 to go in the half.

"We tried to escape that half to get set for the next quarter," Day said. "We tried to keep it together. I’m really proud of this team because we haven’t been in this situation in the last five years. It’s great for the upperclassmen to make the playoffs and be in contention. Really proud, led by a good group of six seniors."

Given how stingy HB has been defensively this season - the Cavs had seven shutouts in the regular season - the two-goal lead felt big.

"We ran one of our favorite plays and they made it happen," Cochrane said. "That was a big moment in the game. Pelham is a great team and they deserved to be here. They had some momentum and some of their top players were getting into space. That goal kind of shut that down real fast and it was a big moment for us."

For the third year in a row, HB will make the trip to North Conway to face Kennett. The two will meet in the quarterfinals at 2 p.m. Sunday.