Windham field hockey gets OT win against Concord

CONCORD - As the clock wound down and the buzzer rang loud, the Windham High School field hockey team thought it had secured the win when a penalty corner was called.

It was the Jaguars' last chance to score before going into sudden-death overtime. 

Windham drove the ball into the back corner of the net and started to dash to its goalie in celebration. But the refs made the call that the ball was too high, and Windham was forced to regroup, going to overtime tied 1-1 with Concord. 

“That rule is going to be, I think, the death of us this season,” said Windham coach Sophia Poulin.

A hard-fought 65 minutes later, Windham picked up its first win of the year, as Ava Pelletier scored in OT for a 2-1 win against a team the Jaguars knew would be one of their toughest competitors in D1.

“Concord is a beast of a program,” said Poulin. “They are talented and we knew that facing them in playoffs last season. That was a tight game for us as well. I knew they would come ready to play. I think they are going to have a great season. I have high hopes for Concord. I knew our girls would get it done in the end though.” 

From the start Windham’s strong stick stills, team camaraderie, and hunger to win were notable. At about the five-minute mark of the first quarter, Windham scored after moving the ball well. However, Concord’s defensive front was impressive from the start and was relentlessly aggressive in the circle. 

Offensively, Concord utilized a corner in the second quarter that tied the game 1-1, and the Crimson Tide used that goal as momentum for the rest of the half. Concord took some time to find its rhythm offensively during the first 30 minutes of the game, but once it did, speed was on the Tide's side. 

Windham opened the third quarter with multiple offensive corners but was unable to score, due to Concord’s relentless pushback on defense. The third quarter remained scoreless for both teams, and the game remained tied heading into the last 15 minutes of regulation. 

Concord felt the pressure in the fourth and continued its aggressive play, resulting in a yellow card for one of its players. As the clock kept winding down, both teams were fighting hard for the win and to avoid overtime.

Windham will play back-to-back games this week, with Manchester Central-West on Wednesday and then Bishop Guertain on Thursday. Concord will travel to Merrimack on Wednesday in hopes of picking up a victory.