Ridings goal in OT lifts Souhegan field hockey past Plymouth (video)

AMHERST - When Monday night's field hockey game went to overtime, Caitlin Ridings knew it was her time to step up.

The Souhegan High School senior delivered.

Ridings took the ball into the circle herself and cut through Plymouth's defense, finding the back of the cage with 7:41 remaining in overtime to give the Sabers a 1-0 win over the Bobcats in a Division II contest.

"Lily Goerlich gave me a really great outside pass and I had a lane up the field," Ridings said. "I knew that if I switched it to my one hand, I could accelerate around the corner. Then I got stuck because the ball got behind me.

"After I got around to the baseline, I know I can play a baseline. I knew I just had to dodge the one girl and pull the goalie up, and the whole left side of the cage should be open. I know how to use the sideline to my advantage."

Ridings played as a forward for most of her first three seasons with the Sabers (6-4), but this year, with a need in a more defensive spot at midfield, her opportunities to score have been limited.

"She’s a really solid versatile player, and our need for the team this year was to have her IQ back a little bit and QBing the rest of the field," Souhegan coach Kelli Braley said. "To be able to sprinkle her in up front (in overtime), which is where she started playing for us, was good. She used the end line really well, got it across and was able to finish."

The goal capped a game that saw the Sabers control play for long stretches, but where the Bobcats (6-4) had opportunities of their own, but neither could capitalize during regulation. Souhegan came close early in the fourth quarter, when a breakaway shot attempt by Hanalia Dykstra hit off the far post.

Plymouth had a penalty corner with no time left at the end of regulation, but Souhegan goalie Amelia Warecki made a save and the ball eventually went out over the end line to send the game to overtime.

Warecki finished the night with five saves while Bobcats goalie Alexis Lucas had seven while Carlotta Contini and Carys Mitchell played well defensively for Plymouth.

"Those (three) came up big for us, because I think it could have been a couple of goals against us," Plymouth coach Ashley Laufenberg said. "It’s always tough for a Monday game to come out with a lot of energy, and this is actually our first game officially on turf. They were able to make some pretty quick adjustments. They had to get used to the way the ball travels, but I think we had some big defensive saves."

The first and second quarters followed similar paths, with Souhegan getting early chances, including a handful of corners in each quarter before Plymouth countered and ended both quarters with corners of its own.

In the second half, the Sabers were able to keep ball in their offense end more, and whenever it looked like the Bobcats had a chance to breakout, the ball took a bad bounce or someone turned the wrong way.

"It didn’t necessarily take the gas out of them, but the girls felt they had a little momentum and then would get shut down," Laufenberg said. "A couple of rounds of that and they had to keep battling back. I think on the whole, my girls covered for each other when they needed to.

"Sometimes when you go from grass to turf, balls are hit too hard, but they made the adjustments quick. They kept the pressure on them. We could have gotten blown out, but we were neck-and-neck with them."