Winnacunnet, Windham field hockey battle to a tie (video)

WINDHAM - High school sports can be a lot like the weather in New England.

If you don't like it, just wait a few minutes. Or in the case of the Winnacunnet High School field hockey team, give it a week.

One week ago, the Warriors were in a stretch that the program hadn't experienced in a long, long time, having lost three games in a row.

Now? It's a different story, as Winnacunnet continued to bounce back Wednesday, scoring late to force overtime and then hanging on for a 1-1 tie against Windham in a Division I game.

Emerson Parish scored with 5:46 remaining in regulation to tie the game and Amber Morgado made a handful of key saves in overtime to keep the game going. Winnacunnet (6-3-1, No. 7 in the NHHSSports Coaches Poll) has now gone unbeaten in three straight after its skid.

"We had those three loses and we were kind of low in the standings, and we know we’re better than where we were," Winnacunnet coach Heidi Hand said. "We’ve been in every game. These last few games have been huge, just knowing that we can compete. That’s the biggest thing."

Hayden Adams had an assist on the goal by Parish while Julia Allan, Mazie Snell and Annika Savage were strong defensively in front of Morgado.

Sophie Ponzini scored the goal for Windham (10-0-1, No. 1) on a penalty stroke with 6:28 remaining in the third quarter. The stroke was awarded when, while defending a penalty corner, a Winnacunnet player stopped the ball from going into the open net with her leg.

Dana McAleer finished with two saves for the Jaguars, as the defense of Ella Reeners, Eliza Meuse and Ella Gallinelli helped limit the Warriors' opportunities.

"I was happy with the way they showed up," Windham coach Sophia Poulin said. "I thought they were ready to perform and I thought they did. I think they took the challenge well.

"Winnacunnet played a great game. Defensively, their structure, and they have great sticks. They had some great shots. I was glad our defense could hold them."

Windham did that for long stretches, although neither team had a lot of opportunities in the first half. The Warriors took charge in the opening minutes of the second half, forcing McAleer to make a stop and then getting a corner.

The Jaguars were able to clear it and then had a run of corners of their own, ending with the goal by Ponzini.

"It’s a comforting choice," Poulin said. "I let them choose (who takes it). They figured it out, who is confident in the moment. What are they seeing, who is steering the ship? Whoever feels great in that moment, go take it. She stepped up and took it."

Winnacunnet looked to tie it up right away, getting a corner after the goal, but couldn't convert. Windham had a couple of corners late in the third, and then two more early in the fourth, but the Warriors' defense was able to keep the Jaguars off the board.

With under six minutes to play, Winnacunnet go the ball into the circle and Adams sent the ball toward the goal. It made its way across to the far side, where Parish was waiting to put the ball in the cage.

"It doesn’t have to be fancy, just get the ball in the net," Hand said. "That’s what they did. They took that wide shot and Emerson was there right on the post.

"They fought for every ball and you could tell they were tired, but they were hustling and getting there as fast as they could."

Windham had a chance to win it in the final minute, getting a corner, but Winnacunnet cleared the circle and sent the game to overtime.

Both teams went back and forth to start the extra frame, but the Warriors gained an advantage when the Jaguars' Ava Sanchez was given a green card with 7:03 remaining. Windham was able to survive being a player down, and Ponzini got an opportunity to end it, but her reverse shot bounced just wide of the goal.

Winnacunnet had the only corner of the overtime, but couldn't score, and at the other end, Morgado came up with a couple of saves on Windham's Sophie Manchester. The Warriors goalie also came out of the goal late to kick a ball out of the circle as the Jaguars were racing toward it.

"She saved us there," Hand said. "If she had hung back, that could have been a goal. To have that confidence, and that’s what I want to see out of her, she really stood out.

"There’s stuff we still need to improve on but I think we gave a hundred percent right until the end. For them to go into overtime, they were tired, so they stuck together as a team and never let up. We fought back."