Winnacunnet shuts down Windham to win D1 field hockey championship (video)

BEDFORD - Going into Sunday's Division I field hockey championship, Winnacunnet High School coach Heidi Hand knew the Warriors would have to find a way to slow Windham's offense.

The Jaguars averaged more than four goals per game, and had allowed just eight, but after watching Windham's Kate Blaisdell score all three of her team's goals in the semifinals, Hand knew where the Warriors had to start.

Senior Jenna Fiore drew the assignment of shadowing Blaisdell, and from there, Winnacunnet's defense was able to stifle Windham. The No. 3 Warriors got goals in the first half and that was all they needed to knock off No. 1 Windham 2-0 in the title game at Bedford High School.

Lauren Alkire and Mieria Serna Pujol each had a goal for Winnacunnet (14-3), which won its first championship since 2015. Nikki Tredwell finished with seven saves for her ninth shutout of the year.

"Our biggest thing was watch (Blaisdell), that’s their girl," Hand said. "I think Jenna did a great job of staying on her and taking her out of the game. We played strong.

"This team, right from the start, our August goal was to win. All season long, they’ve never given up. They’ve worked hard and they’re such a team. I couldn’t be more proud of them to go out and finish off this season."

Alkire started the scoring just 11 minutes into the game, backhanding a shot from just inside the circle into the back of the net to give the Warriors a 1-0 lead.

"I saw open net and I was like 'I’ve got to take this shot right now,' " she said. "I see completely open net, nobody is on me, so I needed to take it. If not, somebody will get the rebound. I have complete faith that anybody would get the rebound."

That's what happened on Winnacunnet's second goal. Off a penalty corner, Alkire had her shot stopped by Windham goalie Kayla Antonucci, but the rebound went to Serna Pujol, and she was able to knock it into the cage with 13:30 left in the first half.

The Jaguars (15-2) took a timeout after the goal to regroup, but didn't get much going before halftime.

"I think they came in thinking it’d be an easy game and we fought hard," Hand said. "We wanted them to prove themselves to Division I. This was our time to shine."

Windham came to life in the second half and kept the ball on Winnacunnet's side of the field for most of the half. The Jaguars had five corners in the second half, but only had one shot on goal on those opportunities.

With Fiore following Blaisdell wherever she went, Windham's standout sophomore struggled to find room to maneuver.

"Jenna did a great job," Alkire said. "She was getting frustrated. I think she got completely taken out of her game."