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Cards, Titans follow soccer script in doubleheader split

By Tom King - Staff Writer | Oct 16, 2019

Telegraph photo by Mathew Plamondon Bishop Guertin goalie Erin Morriss makes a sliding save on Nashua North's Ari Dumaine during the Cardinals' 3-0 win Tuesday at Stellos Stadium.

NASHUA – Soccer very often doesn’t follow the script, especially in rivalry games, but that wasn’t the case Tuesday night at Stellos Stadium as the favorites prevailed in the Nashua High School North-Bishop Guertin doubleheader.

The Guertin girls, who are contending for a Division I title, beat North 3-0 and the North boys improved to 7-5-1 with a 3-1 win over the struggling Cards in the nightcap.

The Cardinal girls, now 11-1, actually followed a script they’ve used all season, mixing their youth with some experience, but they had to earn it.

“It’s a rival,” said Guertin coach Pat Mulcahy, lauding the efforts of the Titans, who have been injury riddled much of the year. “We just kept reminding them it’s a rival game, it was going to be a big game for (the Titans), and we kind of have an ‘X’ on our back right now because we’re doing so well.”

They were in control much of the way. Freshman Katie Boudreau scored off a Hanna Lord corner kick just over 12 minutes in, and they made it 2-0 on senior Brenna Paquette’s blast that deflected off the back of a Titan defender and beat Grace Cardin (seven saves) at 27:42. Boudreau is a Cardinal key.

“She’s had a great season,” Mulcahy said. “She’s very athletic, she’s very fast. She’s big, but most importantly, she’s not scared to mix it up.”

They removed any doubt in the second half on Delaney Romano’s goal from about 20 yards out in the 62nd minute, making it 3-0.

It could have been worse with a couple of Guertin chances hitting the crossbar. But, with the game tight in the first half, North (4-9-1) had a chance when Ariana Dumaine broke in but was thwarted by a sliding and colliding BG goalie Erin Morris (four saves). Emilee Deleo also had a good chance.

“Ari is a phenominal player,” Mulcahy said. “We wanted to make sure we had our eyes on her.”

“I think they played great, I’m very proud of them,” Titans coach Jacqueline Thompson said. “This was the first time they’ve all been together and had that fire. Even though we had legs for Battle of the Bridge, they weren’t 100 percent.

“It’s not over. They came to compete. We’re on the bubble, but I think they can do it.”

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In the boys game, North’s Colin Miller turned and fired from about 15 yards out, beating Cards goalie Michael Poublon (seven stops) 10 minutes in for a 1-0 Titans lead.

North got an insurance goal midway through the second half on a nice give-and-go spurt by Joseph Morse, who had two goals. He knows that you never know about rivalry games.

“Never, ever,” he said. “Never. We just stuck with it, kept our composure, and finished it.”

Morse blasted one from the right side that curled to the far corner, with a diving Poublon having no shot, for the 2-0 lead.

“That was a team win,” North coach Josh Downing said. “We played well all over the field. A big, big win.”

That goal was major because the Cards, now 3-8-1, haven’t scored more than one goal in a game all season. But they got that one at 63:39 on a hard free kick from 30 yards by Calvin Jozokos to make it 2-1.

“We’re moving the ball to the front now,” Cards coach Valdemir Roque said. “The problem is to put it in the net, that final touch. We’re not scoring this year.

And Morse later got robbed on close by a tremendous stop by Poublon, while at the same time, North goalie Simon Costa came out with sliding snares of loose balls, beating Guertin’s Connor Silloway and Colin McCarthy to the ball while North nursed that 2-1 lead in the final five minutes. With 30 seconds left, Morse added a penalty kick goal.

“This was a beautiful game, shows how much we’re improving,” Roque said. “They did fantastic.”

But couldn’t alter the kick.

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