One goal enough as Pinkerton field hockey hands Windham first loss (video)

DERRY - Games between two evenly matched teams can often come down to one moment.

When that moment came Friday, Mari Shea was ready for it.

Shea came through on a penalty stroke midway through the first half and the Pinkerton Academy field hockey team made the lone goal stand up for a 1-0 win over Windham in a matchup of undefeated teams in Division I.

"I wasn’t nervous," the Astros' senior captain said. "Whatever happens, happens. You just aim for the corners. Those are hard shots to take. I don’t usually take them and they’re really uncommon. I just take a deep breath."

The shot was just inside the left side of the goal, as the ball hit the back post and bounced back out to give Pinkerton (6-0) the one-goal lead with 13:40 left in the half. With both teams having about the same amount of opportunities - both had eight penalty corners - the stroke turned out to be the big difference.

"They played really hard and played all the way until the clock hit zero," Windham coach Katie Blair said. "You can’t ask for much more. We had opportunities and we didn’t finish. (Pinkerton coach) Katie (Littlefield) has an awesome team, they’re well-coached, they played hard, and it came down to a stroke. That was the difference in the game."

Windham goalie Kayla Antonucci finished with 10 saves while Pinkerton's Khaliyah Ellis recorded seven stops. The Jaguars had six of their eight corners in the first half, while the Astros' eight were split evenly.

"I’m very happy with the grit they showed, the determination," Littlefield said. "Coming into this knowing that Windham is a phenomenal team, so skilled, so well-coached, and knowing they were also undefeated, added to the excitement and intensity of the game. I’m so proud that with that intensity, we still stayed composed."

After the goal, Windham (4-1) came out strong, putting pressure on Pinkerton's defense while getting five of its six corners in the first half. The Jaguars shot just wide of the goal on two corners in the final six minutes, and with a little more than three minutes to go in the half, a shot by Livi Manchester, with Ellis playing out, just went wide as well.

"I think we just started connecting our passes and playing our game," Blair said of Windham's response. "They were everywhere and it set a fire, that’s what we want."

The Jaguars opened the second half with a pair of chances, but Pinkerton's defense held and the Astros began to force play into Windham's end. Pinkerton forced three corners in a row, but Antonucci was able to stop a shot on each one.

"They played a little bit of a press, so we were focusing on cutting back in front of the defense," Littlefield said. "They have fantastic blocks and we weren’t getting … even some of our hardest hitters, they were stopping them. It’s just making sure our offensive players cut back in front of the defense, that was the big thing."

Windham took a timeout with 7:02 remaining and the Jaguars were able to keep the ball on Pinkerton's side of the field for long stretches, but weren't able to get a shot on goal down the stretch.

"I think it will fuel them to bounce back," Blair said. "They faced a lot of adversity already this season with different injuries and having to step. They find a way. We’ll learn something from this, make the adjustments, and then it’s the next game up."

The Jaguars return home to face Concord on Monday at 4 p.m. while Pinkerton plays again on Wednesday, when the Astros host Bedford.