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# Merrimack, Bishop Guertin advance to D2 girls lacrosse final
- URL: https://www.nh-highschoolsports.com/merrimack-bishop-guertin-advance-to-d2-girls-lacrosse-final/
- Published: 2012-06-05T07:01:50.000Z
- Updated: 2012-06-05T07:01:50.000Z
- Description: MANCHESTER - The Merrimack High School girls lacrosse team scored four goals in under four minutes to beat Bedford 15-14 in the Division II semifinals on Sunday.
- Author: Joe Marchilena
- Tags: Division I, Division II, Spring Sports, Bedford, Bishop Guertin, girls lacrosse, Merrimack, playoffs, Portsmouth, #wp, #wp-post, #Import 2026-08-18 04:44

MANCHESTER - The Merrimack High School girls lacrosse team scored four goals in under four minutes to beat Bedford 15-14 in the Division II semifinals on Sunday.

The top-seeded Tomahawks trailed for most of the second half, which included facing a three-goal deficit with 4:56 to play, but regrouped during a timeout to top the No. 4 Bulldogs and return the championship game for the second straight year. Merrimack will face No. 2 Bishop Guertin, which defeated No. 3 Portsmouth in the other semifinal, for the title on Tuesday at 5 p.m. at Southern New Hampshire University.

"I said to them this is it," Merrimack coach Beth Rogers said of the timeout. "You've put yourselves in a situation where you're down by three with five minutes left and you have to make it happen. I told them that was the most important draw of the game."

![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/bc/58/bc5866d0-9fd9-4113-b959-670d6f16471d/content/images/www-nh-highschoolsports-com/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/bhsmerrglax060312-m20b20-3.jpg "BHSMerrGlax060312 M20B20-3")

Amanda Dionne had five goals and an assist to lead Merrimack (16-1), Lauren Perry added three goals and an assist, and Julia Perry scored the game-winning goal with 1:04 to play, capping a rally that seemed unlikely moments before, thanks to the 'Hawks inability to win the draw.

"We had a really hard time with the draw," Rogers said. "The draw control, the ground balls, we just weren't there and that almost hurt us in the end."

After a back-and-forth first half, the teams were tied at 7 at the break. Bedford took the lead five minutes into the second and the Bulldogs maintained the advantage for the first 15 minutes of the half.

Bedford (13-3) went up 11-9 on a goal by Aleah Mackay, but Merrimack tied the game, getting back-to-back goals from Emily Pollard just 16 seconds apart to tie the game.

Mackay, who had a game-high seven goals, brought the Bulldogs right back, scoring three straight goals off free position shots. The third goal gave Bedford its biggest lead, 14-11, with 4:56 left and Rogers called for a timeout.

"Our team wanted it, but we weren't putting it together like we knew we could," Lauren Perry said. "Those last few minutes, that was beautiful, and that's the team that I know. I think that we tend to freak out some times, but we were able to regain our composure."

Bedford also got three goals each from Caitlin Heaps and Drew Shaprio.

In the other semifinal, Bishop Guertin got out to a nine-goal lead in the first half, but needed to hang on late to beat Portsmouth 15-11 to reach the championship game for the third time in four years.

Jessica Lambert led the Cardinals (15-1) with four goals and an assist while Nicole Pettiglio had three goals and Callie Santos had two goals and two assists. All three scored in the game's final four minutes to preserve the win.

![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/bc/58/bc5866d0-9fd9-4113-b959-670d6f16471d/content/images/www-nh-highschoolsports-com/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/portbglax060312-bg6-1.jpg "PortBGlax060312 BG6-1")

"At this point, all the teams are competitive," Pettiglio said. "At the beginning, we came out really excited and pumped to play the game, and toward the end (of the first half), the momentum started going their way."

Bishop Guertin led 11-2 with 3:54 left until halftime, as the Cardinals seemed to be scoring at will. Somehow, Portsmouth (14-3) found way to swing momentum, and scored four goals before the break.

The teams traded scores to open the second half, but the Clippers netted the next four, completing a 9-1 run that got them within 12-11 with 7:41 remaining.

"I had all the confidence in the world that they'd make it work, but I'd be lying if I said I thought it was in the bag," Bishop Guertin coach Ron Cote said. "I don't know if I'd call it nervous. A little anxious, a little frustrated watching how that happened versus how the first half of the game happened. I know my kids, I know my team, I can see on them that they know. Where we end up at the end of the game is because of us and nobody else. If we win, we put ourselves there; if we lose, we put ourselves there."

Portsmouth, which defeated Bishop Guertin in the semifinals and Merrimack in the final last year, got four goals and two assists each from Parker Devon and Emily Whitney.