Strong start helps Bedford girls lacrosse beat Portsmouth for D1 title (video)

EXETER - Olivia Matthews knew on the bus ride to Bill Ball Stadium that the Bedford High School girls lacrosse team was ready to go.

The energy was high and the Bulldogs where feeling confident Tuesday when they arrived at Exeter for the Division I championship game. When Bedford finally got on the field, it showed everyone just how ready it was.

The top-seeded Bulldogs fell behind a goal early, but responded right away with a 5-0 run, getting goals from five players, and creating a lead they'd never give up as Bedford captured its first D1 title with a 14-10 win over No. 2 Portsmouth.

The Bulldogs, who won a championship in 2014 in their final year in Division II, had been to the D1 title game three pervious times, including last season, and come up short each time. With so many players returning this year, the experience of losing in the final let them know what they needed to do this time around.

"We had to play our game, focus on ourselves," Matthews said. "Portsmouth is a great team. We had to focus on the things we could do better, and coming out of Nashua South (in the semifinals), we were very successful, so we wanted to keep those things up. We had to bring the energy. On the bus, we were so excited."

The junior led the way for Bedford (18-1), as she scored five goals and assisted on two others, and was on the draw to help the Bulldogs win 10 of 15 in the first half.

"Olivia Matthews is not only one of my favorite people to play with, she’s one of my best friends, and I could not be prouder how she played (Tuesday) and the entire season," Bedford senior Sydney Grogan said. "Every single game, she’s elevated her game, whether it’s assisting or changing her level on her shot. She’s a rock star and I don’t think our offense could be as successful as it was without her."

Regan O'Brien added three goals while Eliana Enners and Audrey Purnell had two goals apiece. Grogan and Maddie Kiely also had a goal apiece, as the Bulldogs got rolling offensively early to get a cushion Portsmouth (18-3) couldn't overcome.

"Huge because they can go off at any given time," Bedford coach Christine Hodgdon said of the fast start. "They’re speedy and they’re talented, so having that little bit of a cushion made us a little bit more confident."

Avery Ruhnke and Annie Parker led Portsmouth with three goals apiece and Morgan Ruhnke also scored twice. Charlotte Marston and Ginger Vincaguerra chipped in a goal each, but for the second time this season, the Bulldogs were able to hold the Clippers to their second-lowest scoring output of the year.

"We knew going into this game, it was going to be a competition, and that’s exactly what it was," Portsmouth coach JoJo Curro said. "It was a game where you had to come in fighting and I think it took us a little while to get there. I think we had the right mindset, but sometimes, once you step foot on the field, things just change."

Portsmouth took an early 1-0 lead, winning the opening draw before Avery Ruhnke scored 2:20 into the game. But Bedford wasted no time responding, as O'Brien tied it 57 seconds later and Matthews put the Bulldogs in front with 5:02 off the clock.

Grogan, Enners and Purnell each added a goal over the next 2:24 to give Bedford a 5-1 lead with 17:34 to go in the half.

The Clippers got two of those goal back, as Avery Ruhnke and Parker scored 34 seconds apart to make it 5-3, but every time it looked like Portsmouth might put a run together, Bedford had an answer.

"Our defense was a rock," Grogan said. "If they put two in (in a row) our defense would say ‘no more.’ Whether it’s crashing early or making them drop the ball, our defense is what kept us in the game and stopped those runs."

Back-to-back goals by Matthews gave Bedford its largest lead of the half, 8-3, with 8:19 to play, but Morgan Ruhnke responded with two goals in 2:31 to keep Portsmouth close.

The teams traded goals through the first 12 minutes of the second half, but Enners and Kiely scored 36 seconds apart for a 13-7 Bedford lead with 12:10 to play, and Portsmouth took a timeout. The Clippers scored just 23 seconds after the timeout and got back within four goals, but couldn't get any closer.

"When you have the ball you have control of the game, so if we don’t have the ball, how can you control it," Curro said. "You have to be very smart and very disciplined with it. For (Tuesday), draw controls were huge. We started to gain momentum toward the end, and maybe if we had five more minutes, it might have gone the other way."