> ## 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.

# Rafuse scores twice to lead Souhegan field hockey to win over Pelham in D2 quarterfinals (video)
- URL: https://www.nh-highschoolsports.com/rafuse-scores-twice-to-lead-souhegan-field-hockey-to-win-over-pelham-in-d2-quarterfinals-video/
- Published: 2019-10-29T14:12:56.000Z
- Updated: 2019-10-29T14:12:56.000Z
- Description: AMHERST - Kelli Braley felt that the Souhegan High School field hockey team played well enough to have a lead in the first half of Monday's Division II quarterfinal against Pelham. If the Sabers could keep it up, all they'd need was a bounce to go their way to get it. Instead, Souhegan got two boun
- Author: Joe Marchilena
- Tags: Division II, field hockey, Pelham, playoffs, slider, Souhegan, #wp, #wp-post, #Import 2026-08-18 04:44

AMHERST - Kelli Braley felt that the Souhegan High School field hockey team played well enough to have a lead in the first half of Monday's Division II quarterfinal against Pelham.

If the Sabers could keep it up, all they'd need was a bounce to go their way to get it. Instead, Souhegan got two bounces, both on a shot by Juliette Rafuse, to get the only goal the Sabers would need.

Rafuse sent a shot toward the goal early in the second half that deflected off two Pelham sticks and trickled across the goal line and the junior added an insurance goal late in the game to give No. 4 Souhegan 2-0 win over the No. 5 Pythons. The Sabers move on to the semifinals, where they will face No. 1 Derryfield at 7 p.m. on Thursday at Bill Ball Stadium in Exeter.

"I think a girl from their team popped it in," Rafuse said of her game-winning goal. "It bounced off her stick and went in. I’m not complaining, a goal is a goal. I felt like I was on another level and a weight was lifted off my shoulders."

That score gave Souhegan (13-2) a 1-0 lead with 27:01 left in the game and Braley knew her team would be spending a lot of that time trying to keep the ball out of its end of the field.

"It didn’t leave our end a whole ton and they turned it up after we got that big one (goal) as time ticked away," the coach said. "That’s what I expected. They’re competitors. It was going to get a whole lot harder and a whole lot more intense."

The Pythons (11-4) had five of their nine penalty corners after that goal and had all four of their shots on goal after Souhegan scored, as Sabers goalie Ellie Byram stopped all four.

After Pelham had a corner in the game's first minute, Byram and the Sabers' defense didn't see much action for the rest of the half. Pelham had three straight corners late in the half, but was unable to get a shot off on any of them.

Souhegan looked like it had taken the lead with under five minutes to play, but a penalty stroke was awarded to the Sabers seconds before Rafuse knocked a loose ball into the goal. Cari Mastergeorge's attempt went wide to the left of the goal with 3:40 remaining in the half and it was still scoreless at halftime.

"If we could continue to control the way that we had controlled the first half, it was a matter of time before it fell," Braley said. "We do tend to get a little complacent and it seems that we get happy enough to control the play and not let it out, and we miss those extra touches. We’ve worked hard at that this season. I think that was the biggest area of improvement. We had our opportunities, but it was a matter of putting it away and finishing."

Mastergeorge, Izzy Aiello, Sarah Geary and Avery Karavas teamed up to keep Pelham's Abbey Bevens in check, and Rafuse put the game away with her second goal with 60 seconds remaining.

"I kept looking at the clock over and over, eight more minutes, six more minutes, until I could relax," Rafuse said. "I noticed on the field it was tense, but after the goal, I saw everyone finally relax and play and have fun."

Souhegan will take on Derryfield for the second time this season, as the Cougars won 3-0 on Oct. 8 in Amherst. It was the first time all season the Sabers allowed a goal.

"We need to go in there and execute and take care of business," Braley said. "Luckily, we had them really recently, so we saw the way that they played. We know where they’re good at inside the circle. We need to keep them outside of the circle so they can’t draw corners."