No. 1 BG, No. 2 Bedford square off in Div. I girls lacrosse final
Jun. 6—Bedford High School girls lacrosse coach Christine Hodgdon said her team welcomes the competition that comes in the NHIAA Division I tournament.
To end this year's tournament run with a championship, the Bulldogs will have to defeat their toughest competition for the past four seasons.
Second-seeded Bedford (16-2) will face top-seeded and three-time defending champion Bishop Guertin of Nashua (17-1-1) in the Division I final on Tuesday at 7 p.m. at Bill Ball Stadium in Exeter.
Bishop Guertin beat Bedford, 10-9 in overtime, in the 2018 Div. I final and defeated the Bulldogs in the semifinals each of the past two seasons. Bedford's only in-state loss this spring was to the Cardinals, 12-7, in Nashua on May 12.
"I think if we prep really well, we stick to that game plan and work together, we'll be right in the mix," Hodgdon said after the Bulldogs advanced to the final with a 12-3 semifinal win over Pinkerton Academy of Derry on Saturday.
Bishop Guertin coach Leslie Why said whenever her team plays Bedford, it cannot play to not lose or preserve.
"You have to play to win," Why said before the playoffs began. "Bedford, they won't give up. They will always rally. ... The late-in-the-game surges, that's what Bedford has been able to do against us in the past. We need to protect against that. You can't fall asleep at all with them."
Bedford ended its semifinal win over Pinkerton on a 7-0 run and opened the postseason with a 19-2 quarterfinal win over seventh-seeded Londonderry (11-9).
Clemson University commit Julian Bell scored a game-high four goals while Olivia Matthews and University of Pennsylvania commit Regan O'Brien each had hat tricks for Bedford against the Astros. O'Brien also added three assists.
"I think this momentum is just really going to help us and the confidence," Hodgdon said after the semifinal. "That high level of play is going to prepare us."
Why said the Bulldogs have four or five strong players on offense that energize the rest of their team and that their low defenders have improved throughout the season.
Souhegan of Amherst coach McKinley Sbordone picked Bedford to win the final. The Bulldogs defeated Souhegan, 15-5, in Amherst on April 25.
"I think Bedford is incredibly strong," Sbordone said. "They have a lot of grit and depth and composure so I really think it's going to be a very interesting (final) matchup."
Bishop Guertin enters the final unbeaten against New Hampshire competition, its only record blemishes being a 12-7 loss to Newburyport (Mass.) on May 17 and an 11-11 tie at Central Catholic of Lawrence, Mass., on April 18. The Cardinals went 5-1-1 against out-of-state competition overall.
BG advanced to the final with a 21-5 quarterfinal win over No. 8 seed Exeter (9-10) and a 17-8 semifinal triumph over fourth-seeded Souhegan (13-5). Besides their 10-9 double-overtime win over Pinkerton on May 19, the Cardinals had at least a five-goal cushion in their victories over New Hampshire competition.
Bishop Guertin jumped out to a 3-0 lead in their semifinal win over Souhegan on Saturday before the Sabers knotted the score at 3-3 on a goal from Emma Kennedy (hat trick) 6:59 into the first half.
Cardinals senior and Stanford University commit Rylee Bouvier (game-high five goals) scored with 12:12 left in the half to break a four-goal deadlock and begin a 3-0 BG run. The Cardinals ended the half on a 5-0 run to take a 12-5 lead into halftime and never looked back.
Cardinals senior and University of Virginia commit Katie Campel secured 14 draw controls against the Sabers.
"They're a fast team and I do think we did a great job slowing them down in the midfield and limiting their fast-break opportunities but if you give them an inch, they're going to be able to capitalize," Sbordone said of the Cardinals.
