Bow's Kelly Harris (14) battles Hollis Brookline's Lily Bouchard for the ball during the first half of the Falcons' 2-1 overtime win over the Cavs in the Division II semifinals on Thursday at Exeter. (Telegraph photo by TOM KING)

EXETER – Comebacks are fun, but sometimes they bear a heavy price.

That was the case on Thursday in the Division II girls soccer semifinals, unfortunately for the Hollis Brookline Cavaliers.

Trailing 1-0, the Cavs were all over the second seeded Falcons of Bow High School in the second half at Bill Ball Stadium and they finally got the equalizer in the 75th minute, sending the game to overtime.

But the tank was on ‘E’.

They expended so much energy, the No. 3 Cavs had nothing left for the overtime and Bow’s Lyndsey LaPerle connected on a free kick – her second goal – from just outside the penalty box to send the Falcons to Sunday’s finals, 2-1, with 3:10 left in the first sudden death extra session.

LaPerle had been tripped during latest of a few Falcon rushes in the OT as the Cavs were constantly a step behind and completely spent, leading to the free kick rocket that HB keeper Maggie Crooks (six saves) had no chance on.

It was a tough blow for the 12-5-1 Cavs, who hadn’t lost a game since they fell to Bow 3-2 back on Sept. 21 and had the better play overall for most of yesterday’s rematch.

“Right from the opening, we had most of the attacking pressure,” HB coach Peter Clarke said. “But when you play like that, and then you give up a goal and have to get the equalizer, it doesn’t take a lot out of you.

“We got the goal we needed, but overtime is overtime. … It looked like they threw a player forward out of the back, took that risk, and it worked out for them.”

“We talked about that this was what we played for all year,” Bow coach Jay Vogt said. “We still hadn’t played our game yet because Hollis was coming at us the whole game, and we weren’t showing the energy. At times we did, but that’s finally how we’re supposed to play – with energy.”

“At end of the second half, we were playing not to lose, not to win. We just trying to get out.”

It didn’t work, because finally, after several close chances, the Cavs finally got the equalizer on a goal by Paige Magnuszewski, who took a cross from the right side and buried it out of the reach of Bow keeper Cailyn Benson.

But Benson had kept the Falcons lead in tact during a couple of key moments, robbing HB’s speedy freshman winger, McKenna Maguire, in the final seconds of the first half with a sliding, barreling stop. Then, in the second half, Benson stoned Rachel Brackett on a point blank shot.

The Cavs thought they had tied it a few minutes before they actually did, but Maguire’s goal was ruled off-side.

Meanwhile, HB’s Crooks was just as outstanding in net, especially in the final few minutes of regulation as the Falcons came with pressure right after HB’s tying goal. Bow had gotten its1-0 halftime lead on a LaPerle goal in the 34th minute, but the way HB was buzzing, it just didn’t seem like it would last.

“It was a really good effort,” Clarke said. “When we started this run, we loaded up with younger players, and my two best attackers are freshmen (Maguire and Lily Bouchard). They were a threat the whole time.”

So there are some perhaps even better days ahead, but the Cavs do lose 10 seniors, including Brackett, “who is one of the best players I’ve ever had,” Clarke said. “Comebacks are hard. But this was one of those games where I wouldn’t have changed anything.”

Except, of course, the outcome.