Londonderry girls lacrosse cruises to a win over Nashua North

NASHUA – The rain on Tuesday did not slow down the Londonderry High School girls lacrosse team.

The Lancers traveled to Stellos Stadium in need of a win, and they outscored Nashua North, 13-0, in the second half, as junior Grace Chicko was the star of the show with eight goals and four assists during a 25-6 triumph.

“We have started to play more solid in the possession game, on the draws and in ground balls,” said Lancers coach Scott Walden, who saw his team rebound from a 10-9 defeat at Exeter on Monday. “We have been more patient on offense. We did well in the transition game as well, which was what killed us against Portsmouth (a 15-2 loss on May 1). Our transition game was awful in that game. I told the girls this is the stretch. No matter what the record is now, if we can make the playoffs then anything can happen.”

Outside of Chicko’s outstanding stat line, Londonderry (4-6) received noteworthy performances from junior Lauren Doherty (four goals, two assists), sophomore Madison Walden (three goals), sophomore Jenna Stowell (three goals) and senior Hannah McCutcheon (three goals).

After starting 0-5, the Titans (4-8) won four straight games, but the team is stuck in the midst of a three-game losing streak. Senior captains Campbell Haller (three goals) and Kaylee Hubbard (two goals) led the charge for the hosts.

Chicko showcased great field vision throughout the game for the Lancers, as she spotted McCutcheon right in front of the cage for a goal, giving Londonderry a 5-1 edge 4:52 into the first half. Chicko won the ensuing draw and exploded toward the net, putting the Lancers up 6-1 12 seconds later.

“Tuesday a lot of it had to do with the draws,” said Scott Walden. “Grace Chicko came out strong, while Sarah Duarte and Samantha LeClair were in the circle. We won those first five or six and that had been a problem for us previously because we had been down 4 or 5-0 in all the games we lost right off the bat in three minutes. That was a big key in terms of making that adjustment.”

A free-position goal from the left side by Chicko extended Londonderry’s cushion to 9-2 with 13:13 on the board. North responded with a solid stretch, as Haller found the back of the net from the right side with 11:35 left. Then, Titans senior Julia Gagnon picked up an impressive ground ball in traffic and set up Haller for a textbook scoring chance. Haller was fouled right on the edge of the crease, and she scored top-shelf on the free-position attempt with 9:48 left, pulling the Titans to within 9-4.

Londonderry embarked on one of its runs again. Doherty found the score sheet, assisted by Chicko, then Stowell picked the lower corner, and Chicko buried a point-blank shot off a run down the left attacking side, giving the hosts a 12-4 advantage with 3:49 on the clock.

Hubbard and senior Hannah Fortin scored for North in the final three minutes, cutting the deficit down to 12-6 at halftime.

In the second half, Londonderry did a great job of staying patient in the offensive end, wearing down the Titans with their long bouts of possession. The Lancers were also opportunistic and were not afraid to attack the cage when a strong scoring chance presented itself.

Londonderry did not give the Titans any reason for optimism, as Chicko possessed the ball behind the net and acted like she was going to pop out on the left side, but then quickly tallied a wrap-around goal on the right attacking side, pushing the lead up to 16-6 with 16:46 remaining.

“At halftime, I said to the kids, ‘They do not score,” said Scott Walden. “I was more concerned with the defensive end. Once we get into the offensive zone, we have the right people to score, but it is about getting it into that box.”

The Lancers will host Keene-Monadnock on Wednesday at 4 p.m., while the Titans will travel to Souhegan on Friday for a 5:30 p.m. start.