Nashua North's Amos Karnuah (17) and Preston Thompson battle Exeter's Jamie O'Keefe for the ball during the Titans' tough 2-1 season-opening loss to the Blue Hawks Friday at Stellos Stadium. (Telegraph photo by TOM KING)

NASHUA – One team was playing in its third game in a week; the other was just starting its season.

And, over the latter stages of the Exeter’s 2-1 comeback OT win over the Nashua High School North boys soccer team Friday morning at Stellos Stadium, you could see the difference.

And when Blue Hawk Sean Cheng scored 2:15 into sudden death overtime, that difference showed up on the board.

“I think especially having a younger group of guys, a lot of these guys, other than last year, which was a mess due to the pandemic, it was their first time playing versity,” North coach Josh Downing said. “Unfortunately we hadn’t had a game yet. … They had a lot of really, really, really good moments.

“But I think the one thing that got us was (Exeter’s) size. My guys are used to be able to use their speed.”

And they did that to get a 1-0 lead off the foot of Caura Soares De Freitas nearly 15 minutes into the game, a boot from about 20 yards out that found the upper right corner.

But the Blue Hawks, as Downing said, “kept pressing.” They had a few chances vs. North keeper Simon Costa, who was superb with nine saves, and even hit a post in the first half, but were still off the board after 70 minutes.

Until, that is, Sam Henry found the far corner with Costa way out of the net area trying to cut down the angle to no avail with just under 10 minutes to play.

“We did not play the way we like to play,” Exeter coach Dave Curran said, his team now 1-2. “But these guys, with 10 minutes left, made the decision we’re gonna play the way we should.

“We got that equalizer and I think once we equalized and got back into the game I felt good about the overtime.”

Exeter used its possession game in the overtime and it didn’t take long. Again, the Titans, who had other chances in regulation by Sam Paintsil and Amos Karnuah but couldn’t cash in, were on the defensive against a bigger team. Cheng boomed a rocket that Costa had no chance on.

“All summer we’re going against our own guys, who are smaller,” Downing said. “And they use their speed to kind of slip around them. But when you’ve got big guys, they just body you. It was a really good learning experience.”

Plenty of soccer left for the Titans, which is a good thing.