Telegraph photo by TOM KING Nashua North's Ariana Dumaine and Nashua South's Kylie Dawe (5) race to the ball as the Panthers' Kendra Santoro looks on during the Titans' 1-0 win Tuesday at Stellos Stadium.

NASHUA – There is a different look and feel to the Nashua High School North girls soccer team this season.

And for the Titans, that’s a good thing.

Tuesday night they showed what experience and cohesion can do in a 1-0 season opening win over rival Nashua South.

“I think it’s the connection,” said Titans senior Emilee Deleo, who scored the game’s only goal. “We have a ton of players coming from playing the last few years. It feels really good missing only a few seniors from last year. So I feel the connection and the relationship between us all, it feels like family.”

Remember, last year North won just four games struggling with an abundance of injuries and having to rely on junior varsity players to fill key roles for a good portion of the season.

“I’m very happy,” North coach Jacqueline Thompson said. “Honestly coming into this game I was thrilled. I had high energy. Our seniors, this is what they’ve been waiting for, the majority have been together since they were freshmen. It has been a very tight knit group.

“We did lose last year, but they didn’t lose their heart, and we didn’t lose our team.”

And they didn’t lose on Tuesday, thanks to a takedown of Deleo around the 25-yard line that gave her a free kick with 6:47 left in the first half. Sometimes strikers will sail those high over the net, but this time Deleo found the upper corner beyond the reach of South goalie Haleigh Swabowicz for the 1-0 lead.

“I knew I wanted to win this game,” Deleo said. “I knew it was going to come down to a shot like this or one play.

“I’ve sailed it over hundreds of times. But I knew this was an important game, I put it in my head where I wanted it, and hoped for the best.”

“Deleo will definitely take those rockets and shoot them,” Thompson said.

“Emilee made a great free kick that ultimately decided the game,” South coach Lauren Keating said. “But I think we created a lot of chances too, so I’m proud of how they came out. Hopefully we’ll have a nice rematch.”

The Panthers definitely made some adjustments in the second half, and got the ball to speedy freshman Soraya Ross on right wing and also had another freshman, Ella Benzekri in the mix. But the Titans, led by senior defender Kaitlyn Laurendi and goalie Grace Cardin (five saves) were equal to the task. Cardin got some help also from her defense during a couple of first half scrambles as well.

“We look pretty strong offensively and we have a couple of kids who can score,” Keating said, adding that Swabowicz “kept us in it” with her seven saves, especially when Titans striker Ari Dumaine was bearing down on her.

Thanks to the abbreviated season playing a few opponents twice, the two teams will square off again on Saturday.

“Obviously the season isn’t ideal in a lot of ways,” Keating said, adding she was impressed with North. “But having the same opponent twice in a week, it does allow you to have a little bit of a rematch when things don’t fall your way, and hopefully we can make the best of it.”

But against these Titans, it won’t be easy.

“This,” Thompson said, “is just the beginning. They’re going to keep rising.”

Newsletter