Yildirim, Salem field hockey knock off Winnacunnet in a shootout to advance in D1 playoffs

HAMPTON – Zeynep Yildirim is the starting goalie for the Salem High School girls ice hockey and lacrosse teams, but the senior never played the position in field hockey prior to this season.

Yildirim’s solid progression during the regular season turned into excellence when Salem needed it most during Wednesday’s Division I preliminary-round matchup against Winnacunnet.

After making 12 saves through regulation and a pair of overtimes, Yildirim halted seven of eight Warrior chances in a shootout to lead No. 12 Salem to a 3-2 upset victory over fifth-seeded Winnacunnet.

“It feels like everything paid off from practice. We didn’t think we’d go into shootouts, but just in case we practiced,” Yildirim said. “I never felt so pumped up playing a sport.”

Salem’s Ella Mosto and Winnacunnet’s Fiona McAfee were the only ones to score during the original cycle of five chances, leaving the round tied at 1-1.

Mosto beat Winnacunnet goalie Amber Morgado again to give Salem the lead before Yildirim stuffed McAfee and Lexi Whelan to seal the 2-1 advantage in the shootout.

“This just feels awesome. This whole season we’ve been working so hard and we come in as the 12 seed, not where we want to be, but we were happy to be in it,” Mosto said. “They beat us on our senior night so to come back here and get some revenge in two overtimes plus a shootout, it’s amazing.

Winnacunnet (12-4-1) handed Salem (7-10) its fourth-straight loss in a 1-0 decision in last week’s regular-season finale, but now the Blue Devils advance to Saturday’s quarterfinals against No. 4 Pinkerton Academy (12-3-1).

Salem will attempt to reach its first semifinal since current coach Mikayla Ramsdell was on the team in 2013.

“I’m very proud of my girls in what they’ve been able to pull off against a lot of teams all season and really hanging around with a lot of strong teams,” Ramsdell said. “I knew they could pull this off. I knew what my team was capable of and I knew that they just had to believe in themselves.”

Salem quickly made its presence felt when Avery Aliberti scored 1:05 into the game before Winnacunnet’s Megan Kelly tied the game at 1-1 entering the second quarter.

Emily Young’s goal early in the second gave Salem a 2-1 lead that stood until McAfee scored with 13:42 left in the fourth quarter to tie the game at 2-2.

The Warriors had a plethora of chances denied by Yildirim the rest of the way, including a stop of a Whelan shot with eight seconds left in regulation. Yildirim also stopped a breakaway by Sophia Donatelli and subsequent rebound by McKinley Fowler with one minute left in the second overtime.

“We’re so lucky she came out this season to be a goalie for us,” Ramsdell said. “Ever since she’s got on the field and the goalie position she has gotten better and better every game. It’s amazing to watch her grow and have the procession she has.”

Winnacunnet coach Heidi Hand knew the battle her team would be in after last week’s win over the Blue Devils. The victory marked her 200th victory of a 15-year tenure that includes five Division I championships and eight title-game appearances.

“Salem came ready to play, they came out strong, but my girls never gave up and we played right until the end. It was a great game, but it just didn’t go our way,” Hand said. “Their goalie was tremendous. She had the game for them. We had the options in the fourth quarter, but we just couldn’t find the net."