Hopkinton needs double OT to beat Newfound, move on to D3 field hockey final

EXETER - As the player who inserts the ball on penalty corners, Charlotte Presti has practiced taking shots on the goal at odd angles.

That practice paid off Thursday night for the sophomore and her Hopkinton High School field hockey team.

With under two minutes to go in the second overtime, the ball came to Presti, who was almost on the end line, and she fired a shot back across the goal and just inside the far post to give the top-seeded Hawks a 1-0 win over No. 4 Newfound in Division III semifinals at Bill Ball Stadium in Exeter.

Hopkinton (16-0) moves on to the final, where it will face No. 6 Bishop Brady at 1:30 p.m. Sunday at Bedford High School. The Hawks will be looking for their first title since 1992.

"I’m just so proud of them," Hopkinton coach Kate Hohenberger said. "I can’t say enough about them. Competitive, strong, we just couldn’t find the net. We were definitely coming together and we played a lot in our attack zone. We like to keep it exciting.

"We came out knowing it’s a different game and it’s playoffs, it’s anyone’s game. You can’t just assume things. I know we beat them in the regular season, but we knew it was going to be a game. A great game all around for both teams."

It was a game in which neither team could capitalize on numerous opportunities to score, whether that be because of a tough bounce or a great defensive play. Hopkinton dominated play in the first quarter with five penalty corners, but Newfound goalie Ali Normandin (11 saves) was up to the task.

Play settled into the midfield for most of the second quarter, but in the third, it was the Bears' turn to dictate, as they had four corners in the first eight minutes, but couldn't get one past Hopkinton's Abby Simpson.

After withstanding Newfound's offensive pressure for most of the third, Hopkinton was able to counter late. It looked like the Hawks were going to take the lead when Normandin made a save, but the rebound was put back on net and deflected up.

Mattison Douville was there to get her stick up and knock the ball away for the Bears (12-3-1) and keep it a scoreless game going into the fourth quarter.

"They played excellent defense," Hohenberger said. "We’d try things and they’d be right there on us."

Newfound had two corners in the fourth quarter, but fatigue started to set in on both sides as time wound down and play stayed in the midfield.

After a back-and-forth first overtime, the Hawks had a chance to end it midway through the second, when a shot was stopped from going in by a Newfound defender's leg. Hopkinton was awarded a penalty stroke, but the shot by Kate Bouchard was turned away by Normandin.

Hopkinton kept the pressure on, getting three corners, including one that led to Presti's game-winning goal.

With a little more than two minutes to go in the second overtime, Presti sent the ball in to Hannah Hoyt, who sent a shot toward the goal. Normandin came out to cut down the angle and turned aside Hoyt's attempt, but the rebound went to Presti off to the side.

"I was concerned that I wasn’t going to make it," Presti said. "It was a perfect corner. It was a last-minute choice to pass it to (Hoyt), but I’m glad it happened. The goalie wasn’t there, so I had a clean shot, but the angle was just so tough. I’ve been practicing from that angle a lot and I guess I just got lucky."

The ball hit the inside of the far post and bounced just inside the goal line with 1:51 left in the overtime, and after going in to retrieve the ball, Presti was mobbed by her teammates.

"When we get tired, we tend to just hack it at the goal," she said. "That was a relatively clean shot. I think the (overtime) drains people easily. It’s really just a big mindset thing. A lot of us get frustrated, but the key is to put it into your game rather than taking it out and giving up. Use it to better your game."