BOW – Welcome back to the finals, Spartans.

They didn’t have the most opportunities, but the Milford High School girls soccer team made the most important one count in Thursday’s Division II semifinals. Senior captain Rachel Gizzonio scored off her own rebound in the 37th minute and the defense hung on from there, lifting Milford (8-0) to a 1-0 victory over the Bow Falcons (8-1-2).

“It wasn’t a pretty win for us, but sometimes it’s better to be lucky than good,” Milford head coach Russell Matthews said. “And that was kind of the case with us.”

The Spartans will now play at Merrimack Valley on Sunday, seeking their first title since 2012.

The Falcons controlled the run of play for most of the second half outshot the Spartans, 7-6, and had a 5-0 advantage in corner kicks, but sophomore goalie Caroline Tessier made seven saves to help secure Milford’s spot in Sunday’s championship, the program’s second championship appearance in the last three seasons.

It was a relatively even first half in the battle of two (previously) teams before Gizzonio, Milford’s leading scorer, scored on an opportunity set up off a counterattack. The deficit was a rare position for the perennial powerhouse Falcons, who have made the Final Four every year since moving back up to D-II in 2016.

“I felt like at that point we were getting more push (forward). It was just a matter of time before we broke the seal,” Matthews said. “My gosh, it was a relief.”

“Our forwards are really good at making those runs and really sprinting to the ball,” said Gizzonio, who has eight goals through eight games this season and was a First Team All-State selection last year (18 goals and 12 assists). “We got a lot of confidence from that (goal) and it really helped us out.”

“We told them we couldn’t leave (Gizzonio) alone,” Bow head coach Jay Vogt said. “That one little second and (she scored).

“We talked at halftime about not playing our game, not looking to play our possession and move the ball. We got away from it. I think we were playing kind of scared in the first half. In the second half we got more aggressive to the ball.”

The Falcons had all the scoring opportunities in the second half. Sophomore forward Lyndsey LaPerle hit the crossbar in the 45th minute and freshman forward Juliette Tarsa had a shot from point-blank range in the 61st that forced Tessier to make a diving save.

Senior defender Chloe Binder set up several opportunities with well-placed free kicks and corner kicks, including one in the closing seconds of the match, but Bow couldn’t find the finishing touch in the box.

“Renee (Wilson), our center back, she’s top-notch,” said Matthews. “She reads the game so well and she led the backline really well today. Sarah Sawyer, our right back, she’s a strong, fast player. Emily Dube (left back), they all played pretty solidly.”

Freshman midfielder Keely Giordano played well off the bench in the second half, breaking up Bow plays along the left flank.

“We didn’t get to possess like we usually do in the back and work our way out of jams because of Bow’s speed, but (the defense) held their own back there,” Matthews said.

Now Milford’s attention turns to Sunday’s final against MV. The Pride (7-5-2) upset Pembroke Academy, 2-1, in the other semifinal.

Gizzonio and several of her teammates were on the Spartan squad that fell to Hanover in penalty kicks in the 2018 final at Nashua’s Stellos Stadium.

“It feels really good. It feels good to be back,” said Gizzonio. “We’re probably going to do our combination plays and play through the middle. Hopefully we can find those through balls through the back.”

“I think we just need to get back into our rhythm,” said Matthews. “Defend the whole field, get the ball forward and defend from the top. When we defend well at the top we score goals, so that’s the big point for us, we’ve got to start from the top and punish them for any mistakes they make.”

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