Nashua North's Amos Karnuah, left, and Sam Paintsil battle Londonderry's Christian Levantovski-Correa for the ball during the visiting Lancers' 4-1 win Tuesday at Stellos Stadium. (Telegraph photo by TOM KING)

NASHUA – This wasn’t what Nashua High School North boys soccer coach Josh Downing nor his Titans expected.

“No, no, no, I wasn’t expecting two goals in the first eight minutes,” Downing said after the Londonderry Lancers took advantage of their quick start for a 4-1 win at Stellos Stadium on Tuessday. “But I’m not too concerned about it, to be honest with you. I know what I have in my team, and I know on any given day we can play with the best teams.

“Sometimes we have. … a mindset. When we’re playing a better team, we can’t hold on to the ball too long. Those first two goals, we had possession of the ball at midfield both times, which transitioned to two goals for them.”

It happened quickly. Lancer Owen Gingrow ended up with a hat trick, scoring the first two goals nearly three minutes apart, the first on a break-in set up by a perfect Tyler Kraft feed and he beat North keeper Yazd Poolakal at 4:35 in. The second came off a rebound after Poolakil lunged to make a save and had no chance nearly three minutes later.

“It was good to see us start quick,” Lancers coach Todd Ellis said, his team now 10-5 in Division I. “Tyler Kraft did a good job of setting up some goals today, and had a heckuva game.”

“That kid Tyler is game-changing,” Downing said as the Titans fell to 7-8. “He’s a phenomenal soccer player. He made a gorgeous pass, a 40-yard dart that landed on a kid’s foot for a goal. Everything was perfect.”

The Lancers cemented their lead on a goal by Devin Sen, converting a Pat Tewksbury cross at 22:15 of the opening half. But you knew things weren’t going to go the Titans’ way when Lancer keeper Jason Riley stopped North’s Arthur Santos on a penalty kick inside of two minutes left in the half.

“I thought Jason (four saves) played great, made a great save,” Ellis said. “He doesn’t save that PK it’s a whole different thing.”

“It would’ve been a little different, we would’ve had a little more energy,” Downing said. “It was not one of our better first halves.”

Londonderry made it 4-0 on Gingrow’s third goal in the 62nd minute, and North averted a shutout on Preston Thompson’s goal inside of five minutes remaining.

Downing has full confidence in his team, but this was a surprise.

“I actually thought it was going to be pretty even,” Downing said. “We played better in the second half, and of course there’s substitutions, etc., but it showed for me we can play with that team.”