Hollis Brookline's Lauren Holt, left, and the rest of the Cavaliers celebrate their penalty kick 1-0 win over Bow in the Division II semifinals on Thursday night in Exeter. (Telegraph photo by TOM KING)

EXETER – Their secret is out.

No longer can the Hollis Brookline High School girls soccer team keep freshman goalkeeper Maya Blackman behind the curtain, or pretend she’s an afterthought.

She helped put them in the finals, as she made two lunging saves in the penalty kick phase after making another one of the two overtimes as the No. 1, 18-0 Cavaliers edged No. 5 Bow 1-0 (3-0 PKs) in the Division II semifinals on Thursday night in the chill of Exeter’s Bill Ball Stadium.

As a result, HB will take on No. 3 Coe-Brown Northwood in Sunday’s title game at 4:30 here on Eustis Field. It will be the Cavs first finals trip since three straight 1-0 losses from 2007-09.

“She’s been our secret all year long, an immensely talented keeper,” HB coach Peter Clarke said of Blackman. “The reason I say secret is our defense has been so good this year she’s only made a handful of saves and a couple of them were beauties.

“Sure enough it arose, on the biggest showcase, and she just nailed it. She was the difference.”

And as a result, the Cavs finally broke through beyond this point after two straight semifinal OT heartbreakers, including one two years ago against these same Falcons on this same field. Yet here they were in double overtime again and this time it was probably an advantage for the Cavs in a way because of their shooting ability. But the nerves were still high.

“I tell you what, Bow is one of the best programs in the state, credit them for coming in and knocking us off our game,” Clarke said. “We just had to hang in there and grind this out. This is the best team we’ve played this year.”

“We practiced the PKs, we felt good about it,” Bow coach Jay Vogt said, his team certainly a contender at 13-3-2. “They made a couple of good saves. That’s what happens on PKs, you just don’t know what’s going to happen.”

The two teams had their chances to win it in regulation and overtime, Blackman coming up big at least four times while HB striker McKenna Maguire had a ball just roll inches wide. But it came down to the dreaded PKs.

HB had the top half of the innings and got goals from Sienna Anderson, Maguire, and then Kiera King with the clincher. Bow keeper Bridget Hilton had a save on the second PK.

On the flip side, Maguire dove to her left to stop Bow’s Lexana Farr, watched as Alexandra Insana rolled one completely wide, and then dove to her right to stone Falcon Anna Zerba. Following that save, King beat a diving Hilton and it was over.

Hollis Brookline keeper Maya Blackman makes a save on the first Bow penalty kick of the PK phase of Thursday night’s Division II semifinal in Exeter. (Telegraph photo by TOM KING)

Hollis Brookline keeper Maya Blackman makes a save on the first Bow penalty kick of the PK phase of Thursday night’s Division II semifinal in Exeter. (Telegraph photo by TOM KING)

For a freshman, Blackman showed a keen sense of history and the situation.

“My feet were cold,” Blackman said. “But this game was overdue, it’s been way too long for us. I wasn’t nervous at all. I just wanted to get this game over with. I know it weighed on (her teammates’) hearts that they haven’t won a semifinal in so long. The seniors were so happy and overjoyed that they went to the semifinals and won it. I’m just so happy for them.”

The Cavs had an early goal disallowed due to a violation, but didn’t let that slow them down. It was a physical, intense game the entire 110 minutes-plus.

“It feels good, after three years we finally did it,” Maguire said. “We’re going to keep working to win the ship and keep going from there.

“We practice (PKs) many times and Maya’s insane … It’s very tough to score on her.”

If it wasn’t, the Cavs may very well have been disappointed again. But not this time.

“It’s our third straight year in overtime in the semifinals,” Clarke said. “It’s nice to come out on the other side.”

CAMPBELL IN BOYS DIVISION III FINAL TONIGHT

Tonight’s Division III title game between No. 1 Campbell and No. 2 Gilford could be just as dramatic. The Cougars won in sudden death overtime 3-2 last month after the Golden Eagles tied the score in the final few seconds of regulation in Litchfield.

Game time is 7:15 p.m. at Laconia’s Bank of New Hampshire Stadium.