Late first-half run enough to get Bishop Guertin girls lacrosse past Merrimack in D1 quarterfinals

NASHUA - With two young teams meet Wednesday at Stellos Stadium in the Division I girls lacrosse quarterfinals, there were bound to be some nerves.

After a back-and-forth start, it was No. 4 Bishop Guertin that got over its playoff jitters first.

The Cardinals went on a 5-0 run in the final six minutes of the first half and withstood a comeback attempt by No. 5 Merrimack in the second half to advance to the semifinals with a 10-5 win. Bishop Gueritn will face No. 1 Pinkerton, who beat No. 8 Londonderry 16-5 in the quarterfinals, on Saturday at 7 p.m. at Exeter.

Emily Santom led Bishop Guertin (13-5) with three goals and an assist and Madison Keating and Lindsey Hult added two goals apiece, as six different players scored goals for the Cardinals.

"We played as a team," Bishop Guertin coach Kerry Gobiel said. "We made mistakes as a team and we capitalized as a team, as well. I think it’s all good things. We have a young team, so getting all those playoff jitters out, we’re making sure we get them out now.

"Once we get in the groove, we’re in it. It’s just getting that groove as fast as we can."

Bishop Guertin also got a goal each from Sydney Todd, Katie Lupo and Kennedy Wright (assist) while Abigail Ahearn had an assist and Grace Young made nine saves.

Merrimack (11-6) got two goals each from Jolie Jacoby and Molly Baulier (assist) while Autumn Howe also had a goal and Isabella Beaton made nine saves.

"They definitely stepped it up," Merrimack coach Sarah Rothhaus said. "They definitely had confidence in themselves in that second half. They seemed a bit timid in the first half, but they came together in the second half and played as a team. It definitely came out in the second half. You could see the youth."

Both teams had opportunities early in the game to get on the board, but both missed the goal and hit a post. Baulier gave Merrimack a 1-0 lead with 18:35 to go in the first half when she got around Bishop Guertin's Claire Donovan and buried a shot while falling to the ground.

The Tomahawks won the ensuing draw, but turned the ball over. Todd raced down the field and eventually scored on a free position to tie the game just 1:10 later.

Santom and Hult added goals over the next four minutes to give the Cardinals a 3-1 lead with 13:19 to go, but Merrimack was able to keep Bishop Guertin from pulling away any further until late in the half.

The Tomahawks possessed the ball for a few minutes, but misfired on a pair off shots before Bishop Guertin's Amelia Piercy intercepted a pass and started the Cardinals going the other way. The turnover led to a goal by Keating at the other end, making it 4-1, and Merrimack took a timeout with 5:25 left in the half.

But Bishop Guertin had already picked up the momentum, going on a 5-0 run in the final 5:25 of the half, with the Cardinals' success on the draw leading the way.

"When you win the draw, if you’re able to push the man-up opportunity and you’re going full-speed with the ball, it’s just a lot easier to see things," Gobiel said. "It’s hard for a defense and a goalie. In a transition, people are able to get back more. Sometimes you’re just whipping the ball into places that you shouldn’t."

Santom scored with 10.7 seconds left in the first half to make it an 8-1 lead for Bishop Guertin.

"It was the mental breakdown and again, we’re a young team, and that’s part of the experience," Rothhaus said. "You could see them come together. They just needed that mental break at halftime."

Jolly stopped the Bishop Guertin run with a goal 3:17 into the second half, but Keating answered 28 seconds later to make it a seven-goal game again.

Merrimack wasn't done, however, as Melanie Hutchinson won the draw, raced down field with the ball and found Howe for a goal just 11 seconds after that. The Tomahawks got within five goals on Jolly's second tally with 18:33 to play, but Santom made it a 10-4 game with 13:46 remaining.

Baulier scored with 6:31 left to make it a five-goal game again, but Young came up with a pair of big saves down the stretch and Bishop Guertin was able to hold on for the win.