Winnacunnet field hockey hands Merrimack first loss

MERRIMACK – No one was more surprised by the goal than Meg Chase.

But all that mattered for the Winnacunnet High School field hockey team was that her shot found the back of the cage.

Chase scored the only goal of Monday’s game against Merrimack, as the Warriors (6-2) won 1-0 to hand the Tomahawks (7-1-1) their first loss of the season in Division I.

Liz Auffant had an assist on the goal and Winnacunnet goalkeeper Haley Morancy needed to make just two saves to preserve the win for the Warriors. At the other end, Merrimack’s Amanda Dionne made 19 saves to keep the ’Hawks in the game.

“We definitely did not play to our potential,” Merrimack coach Ann MacLean said. “We did control the ball and I thought we were the better skilled team, but in the second half, we just didn’t go to the ball. We kept breaking down there (in their end). Now we have to figure out what we need to work on and move forward.”

Merrimack had its best opportunities in the first half, but couldn’t capitalize, as the Warriors found ways to clear the ball out of their end each time.

Winnacunnet was awarded a corner with less than four minutes to go until halftime, and Auffant rifled the ball toward Chase at the top of the circle. Merrimack’s Julia Perry deflected the ball out, but slipped, allowing Chase to regain control.

The Winnacunnet sophomore tapped the ball back inside the circle and then fired it toward the goal.

“I was really surprised,” Chase said of the shot going in from that far out. “To score in the first half, it felt good and it was a good accomplishment. It was really big because they were undefeated and we really wanted to beat them. The whole team really wanted to beat them.”

Warriors coach Heidi Hand made sure her team understood Monday’s game was a big one before arriving at Merrimack. That extra incentive seemed to get the Warriors going.

“They came out strong right away,” she said. “We came off a tough loss and I think they really wanted it. I told them it was a big game and I think it gave them more fuel. It’s good to see the team really come together.”

The ’Hawks continued to struggle in the second half, as they were unable to keep the ball in the Warriors’ end. Every time it seemed Merrimack was about to put something together, a Winnacunnet player found a way to clear it.

“We definitely didn’t play like a team,” MacLean said. “First half, I thought we did some nice things. I called the timeout (late in the second half) to calm everybody down. We just weren’t able to do anything.”

Hand used that break to get her team regroup.

“When they came back, I told them to stay strong,” she said. “We couldn’t back down and had to keep at it. I told them ‘play like its 0-0.’ ”

Winnacunnet did, handing Merrimack its first loss and snapping its six-game winning streak. The ’Hawks will look to start a new streak on Wednesday at home against Exeter (7-1).

“It was nice to be where we were, and we can be there again, but we have to look at what we did wrong, and improve upon it,” MacLean said. “We have to move forward to Exeter.”