Nashua South's Joona Hantula gestures tot he crowd during the Panthers' OT win over Exeter last Friday. He hopes to be doing the same thing in celebration tonight when the Panthers take on Hanover for the Division I boys soccer title at Stellos Stadium. (Telegraph photo by TOM KING)

NASHUA – When the Nashua South High School boys soccer team edged Hanover 1-0 back on Sept. 13, the players knew it was a special win.

They celebrated in a respectful way as if it was a playoff win, because it came in a stretch of games against contenders. Then they gathered in a circle and discussed the fact that now a target would be on their backs for the remainder of the season, because the Panthers knew now they had a team that would be considered a Division I title favorite.

And teams would play them that way. As Panthers coach Tom Bellen said, while acknowledging a lot of the pressure is on his team, “Everybody brings their ‘A’ game when you still have the zero (in losses). …We just want to win. If we were to lost 10 games and made the playoffs and won the states, I’d be happy.”

And now the No. 1, 17-0-1 Panthers get a rematch tonight at 7:30 p.m. with the No. 3, 15-3-1 Marauders. It has a tough act to follow after the epic North-South battle in the semis on Monday night, won by South 1-0.

It’s not the only local final today. Up in Laconia’s Bank of New Hampshire Stadium, the No. 3 Campbell Cougars will be seeking their third Division III title in four years against defending champion No. 5 Trinity at 5:30 p.m.

NASHUA SOUTH-HANOVER

“I think you’ll see another nice match between maybe two of the three best teams in the state right now, but at least two of the three,” said South coach Tom Bellen, who would include Manchester Central, whom Hanover beat 1-0 in the seventh round of penalty kicks in the other semifinal.

It looks to be another tight contest. “They are probably the most organized defensively out of any team we’ve played this year,”Bellen said. “They don’t like th ball getting in behind them, and they do a good job of not allowing it.

“We’ve got to find a way to create and and make them uncomfortable, and that’s by getting the ball in behind them.”

Hanover is used to Stellos, as this will be the Marauders’ fourth game here. Last month, Hanover coach Rob Grabill talked on how South has “run the table” against contenders. “It will be a challenge for any of the teams to learn a lot from the first time around. We learned a lot from playing South.”

Hanover has 10 seniors, and started an all-senior backfield when they faced South the first time, the game won on an early goal by Jadiel Bomfim.

Nashua hasn’t had a team in the finals since The Split, and the last time the one Nashua High was in the title game was in 2000, losing to Manchester West. The last Nashua title won pre-Split was in 1998.

“It’s been a long time I think since there’s been a ‘0’ for somebody who’s won the states,” Bellen said. “We’re trying to roll it all the way through and make it a storybook finish here.”

CAMPBELL-TRINITY

The Cougars put on quite an offensive display in their first tourney win, 11-0 over Inter-Lakes. But the real tournament conditions existed in their quarterfinal 1-0 win over Mascoma Valley and 2-0 win over Bishop Brady in the semis.

In other words, defense will be what wins it.

“We have been building all year in the back from the foundation up,” Cougars coach Brian Henderson said. “I’m very proud of the backline and the work they have done this year and it’s showing itself out on the field. I ask a lot of the defense and they have really absorbed it and they keep executing at a higher and higher level.”

Of course, having a steady, experienced goalkeeper in senior Jack Noury helps.

“He’s played amazing down the stretch and really is an underrated player,” Henderson said.

A couple of years ago the Cougars (16-2-1) won with a sophomore-filled team, but a more experienced squad beat Trinity back in 2018 in penalty kicks. Now, there are 12 seniors set to face the 14-3-1 Pioneers, who haven’t lost since Sept. 24 and whose only blemish since, ironically, was a scoreless tie with the Cougars to end their regular season on Oct. 19.

“Trinity is going to be a battle, and our boys know that and we love that,” Henderson said. “Nothing better than these big games for us. … (Tonight) we plan to put all the work together and have our best game of the year.”