> ## Content Index > Fetch the complete content index at: https://www.nh-highschoolsports.com/llms.txt > Use this file to discover other available public pages before exploring further. # Merrimack Valley girls soccer continues hot streak with win over Pembroke - URL: https://www.nh-highschoolsports.com/merrimack-valley-girls-soccer-continues-hot-streak-win-pembroke/ - Published: 2017-10-04T13:36:34.000Z - Updated: 2017-10-04T13:36:34.000Z - Description: PENACOOK - Merrimack Valley High School girls soccer coach Jeff Richard wants his team to finish the Division II regular season strong. The Pride took a step in that direction Tuesday when it cruised to a 5-2 home triumph over Pembroke Academy. Merrimack Valley (9-3) has won six of its past seven co - Author: Alex Hall - Tags: Division II, girls soccer, Merrimack Valley, Pembroke, slider, #wp, #wp-post, #Import 2026-08-18 04:44 PENACOOK - Merrimack Valley High School girls soccer coach Jeff Richard wants his team to finish the Division II regular season strong. The Pride took a step in that direction Tuesday when it cruised to a 5-2 home triumph over Pembroke Academy. Merrimack Valley (9-3) has won six of its past seven contests. First-half goals from Emily Knouse, Kaylee Magoon and Kaliana Palhof gave the Pride a 3-0 halftime advantage. Knouse, who finished with two goals, opened the game’s scoring in the ninth minute while Palhof doubled the Pride’s advantage five minutes later. Palhof scored a rebound goal on an empty net in the 37th minute. The Pride senior drew Pembroke goalie Vickey Mudgett (one save) off her line with her initial shot that bounced off the keeper’s legs, collected her own rebound and launched the ball into the unprotected net. Merrimack Valley held a healthy possession advantage and utilized through passes to test the Spartans’ back line over the opening 40 minutes. “We practice using that width and (we’re) really kind of focusing on getting that width consistently so our strikers have space inside,” Richard said. Knouse credited the Pride’s first-half success to the amount she and her teammates talk with each other on the field. “We played well together,” Knouse said. “We did everything that we worked on in practice. It definitely showed in this game.” Merrimack Valley quickly showed in the second half that it was not satisfied with its three-goal lead. Abby Grandmaison fought past a Pembroke defender and scored on a low shot from inside the penalty box three minutes into the second half to build a 4-0 Pride lead. Despite the four-goal hole they found themselves in, the Spartans (6-6) did not go down quietly. Junior Katie Muise scored through traffic inside the box following a Pembroke corner kick in the 54th minute to put the Spartans on the board. Classmate Kayla Paquin cut the Pride’s lead to 4-2 with 11 minutes remaining. “We just need to work on finishing more chances and working together to be kind of creative in their final third,” Pembroke coach Jess Croft said. “But when it was a 4-2 game, it felt close and it felt like there was plenty of time left to make something happen.” Pembroke kept Pride junior goalkeeper Madison Merchant (seven saves) on her toes in the second half, logging seven of its nine shots on goal over the final 40 minutes. The Spartans also earned two of their four corner kicks in the second half. Knouse dashed Pembroke’s comeback hopes when she capped the game’s scoring just one minute after Paquin’s tally. “Pembroke is well-coached,” Richard said. “I know they’ve had a bit of a down year but they can play and we knew they were going to bring some of that intensity today. We just wanted to make sure we matched it.”