Souhegan field hockey moves on in D2 playoffs with win over Kingswood (video)

AMHERST - The Souhegan High School field hockey team hadn't played a game in more than a week going into Sunday's Division II quarterfinal against Kingswood.

But if there was any rust on the Sabers, it didn't show.

Top-seeded Souhegan scored twice in the game's first seven minutes and didn't let up throughout on the way to a 4-0 win over the No. 8 Knights. The win puts the Sabers back in the semifinals after a year out, where they will take on No. 4 Oyster River at 7 p.m. Thursday at Bill Ball Stadium in Exeter.

Ella Duclos scored twice for Souhegan (15-1-1) while Avery Wyborney and Ella Normandin also had a goal apiece. Ori Dart recorded two assists and Bella Preston had one.

"We felt really confident because we have such a big friendship on the team," Wyborney said. "Everybody works so well with each other that we could go a week without practicing and come on the field and execute very well. I think that week off, we pushed each other to be the best players we could be to prepare for this game."

Wyborney and Duclos scored back-to-back goals in under a minute to give Souhegan a 2-0 lead in the first quarter. While the Sabers kept the pressure in Kingswood's defense and goalie Jordyn Martineau, it remained a two-goal lead for most of the half.

"I think the biggest thing for us was keeping the gas on and executing very well," Wyborney said. "We are working so hard to get another goal because it doesn’t stop at 2-0. It was so big. You’re at two, and you’re kind of in a safe space, but if they score, then you have to get another one. You need to execute very well."

With time ticking down before halftime, the Sabers were able to get to a ball in the Knights' circle first and Normandin scored with three seconds remaining to make it 3-0.

"Any time you can do that, it takes the wind out of the sails of the opponent," Souhegan coach Kelli Braley said of the two first-quarter goals. "When you get here, a two-goal deficit is a tough one to overcome, but it’s also a dangerous lead. You give up one, and they’re right back in it.

"I wanted to get that third one before the end (of the half). I don’t want us getting shut out in quarters. I want them to execute."

Which the Sabers did for long stretches of the game, even if the coaches might have been the only ones who could tell.

"They read the game really well," Braley said. "For the average fan it might not have been much, but some of the things we have really stressed in practice, I saw in execution on the field. It paid off for us. We tried moving a couple of pieces around. We had some new pieces on the field, too. They all answered the call really well."

Play remained in the midfield for most of the third quarter, with Kingswood's Adelle Harrington (green) and Cassidy Libby (yellow) each getting a card.

Duclos netted her second goal just 2:07 into the fourth quarter when her shot was deflected up into the air and over Martineau. The ball had so much backspin on it when it landed, it bounced backward into the goal.

Kingswood (10-8) had a couple of rushes over the final minutes of the game, but couldn't get the ball into Souhegan's circle and the Sabers were able to close out the win.

The Sabers move on to face the only team that beat them during the regular season in Oyster River. It's also a return to the semifinals for Souhegan after falling in the quarterfinals a year ago for the first time since 2018.

"It’s only a year absence, but with the team we graduated in the meantime, only our juniors have been there before," Braley said. "It’s going to be a new experience for most of them. Sometimes the excitement and the build up can be a little overwhelming especially since we’ll have the late game. We’ll go early and check out the game before us. This group has been good about being focused on us."