Winnacunnet field hockey outlasts Pinkerton to return to D1 championship (video)

EXETER – Carolyn Thompson dreamed about what it would be like to represent the Winnacunnet High School field hockey team in a championship game.

The sophomore will find out after scoring on a penalty corner to send the Warriors to the Division I final.

Thompson took almost a half dozen whacks at the ball, finally knocking it past Pinkerton goalie Khaliyah Ellis, in the fifth round of corners to give No. 3 Winnacunnet a 3-2 win over No. 2 Pinkerton in the first semifinal Thursday at Bill Ball Stadium in Exeter.

The Warriors return to the final for the first time since 2016, where they will face No. 1 Windham at 1:30 p.m. Sunday at Bedford High School.

The goal came after the teams had played most of the second half tied 1-1, and then two 15-minute overtimes tied 2-2.

“I can’t be more proud,” Winnacunnet coach Heidi Hand said. “They fought to the end, they never gave up. Our biggest goal was just to play to the end and they gave their all. I’m proud that it ended this way. The seniors wanted it and they came out and played two overtimes and the corners, it was fun to watch.”

Dailyn Annis scored with 18:38 left in the first half to give Winnacunnet (13-3) a 1-0 lead that it would take into the second half.

Pinkerton (14-2) tied the game just 3:23 into the second half on a goal by Justine Doyle and the game stayed that way despite the Warriors’ best efforts. Winnacunnet carried most of the play in the second half, putting pressure on Ellis and the Astros’ defense.

But with about six minutes left in regulation, Pinkerton got its first corner of the second half and Lillian Auger lofted a shot that went over everyone and landed in the netting of the goal to give the Astros a 2-1 lead with 5:44 to play.

“For me and the other seniors, we were like ‘this can’t happen right now,’ ” Fiore said. “Coach was saying we’ve worked too hard to lose right now.”

Winnacunnet got a corner right after the goal, but couldn’t cash in, and with time ticking down, the Warriors threw everything they had at Pinkerton.

“It’s not over,” Hand said. “We came here for a reason and we can’t back down. They’re a good team, but we can come back. That’s what we did.”

After the ball had been knocked out off Pinkerton, the Warriors got a restart at the 25-yard line. A couple of passes saw the ball get down to Fiore in front of the goal, who battled Ellis until she was able to knock it in to tie the game with 1:11 left.

“The goalie was covering it a little bit and it popped out, and I tipped it in with the bottom of my stick,” Fiore said. “I had no idea (how much time was left).”

Both teams had chances, but Ellis and Winnacunnet goalie Nikki Tredwell were both up to the task, keeping the game tied through two overtimes.

“I’m so happy it went this way for her because she’s a hard worker and she fought to the end,” Hand said of Tredwell. “She didn’t give up on herself. She could have held her head down on that goal they scored, but she came back.”

Tredwell helped keep Pinkerton off the board through the first five rounds of corners, setting up Thompson’s winner.

“It was sent to the top and went down,” she said. “I just fought with the goalie to get it across the line and that’s all it was. I think it was five (tries), just trying to get it passed her stick.

“To score that goal and go to (the final), it’s been my dream for so long. I’ve gone to watch them, but now I finally get to go there.”