Nashua North's Allison Frye (5) tries to maneuver against the Nashua South double team of Brynn Tefft (center) and Addison Varley during Tuesday's Battle of the Bridge at Stellos Stadium. (Telegraph photo by TOM KING)

NASHUA – There was no way the Nashua High School North vs. South Soccer Battle of the Bridge Tuesday could end in two ties.

Not if Panthers senior Ava Kopicko had anything to say about it.

And she did.

Kopicko headed in Addison Varney’s corner kick with about two minutes left in what was a scoreless game to give South a dramatic 1-0 win over the Titans at Stellos Stadium.

It was the second late Panther goal of the day in the rivalry, as the South boys salvaged a 2-2 tie earlier.

Kopicko was also thinking about last year’s loss to the Titans.

“After last year, losing, we really had the energy this game,” she said. “I knew Addison was going to kick it where I needed to be, and I was there and just hit it in.”

It took a change in corner kick strategy by South coach Curt Dutilley to produce the game winner. The Panthers had been using a back/far post strategy on their corner kicks, but North’s second half keeper Rachael Gauthier, had defended it well (five saves), and the emotion of the game sometimes produced a long hit.

“I walked down to Addison and said ‘Let’s go front this time, take a little bit off of it,” Dutilley said. “Those two players connecting, that’s a beautiful thing. That was just a great high school girls soccer game.”

The Panthers are now 5-3, five wins in their last six. North fell to 5-2-1 after riding a six-game unbeaten streak.

“Going in, it really is a battle of emotions in these (rivalry) games,” North coach Jacqueline Thompson said. “It proved that it came down to the end who really wanted it and they (South) finished strong. … She (Kopicko’s) a good finisher.”

South did a good job of keeping North’s Allison and Sarah Frye at bay – Sarah actually did a good job at center back – as well as the other Titan scoring threats.

“I don’t think there was any marking up on the Fryes to be honest,” Thompson said. “It was more we definitely didn’t play our game, we played a lot more ‘kick ball’ than we did anything else, than we should have.

“But again, it’s a battle of emotions, keeping our composure, and that’s where we fell apart a little bit.”

But South keeper Corinne Rivera was a reason things got frustrating for North. She made eight saves playing with an injured thumb. Her two biggest moments were diving to her right to rob Allison Frye point blank late in the first half, and punching out a booming 45-yard free kick by Sarah Frye in the second half, keeping the game scoreless. Thompson called her “phenomenal”.

“Unbelievable,” Dutilley said. “And she was playing with a hurt thumb. We don’t play for seven days, so she’s not going to see a shot for the next six days. That girl is so tough, she’s our motivator down there. She gets everybody driving.

“And Ava, she controls the field.”

South had some chance in the first half, Titans first 40 minute keeper Nora Ross standing tall. In the end, something had to give.

“Both keepers made incredible saves on high balls,” Dutilley said, referring to all three goalies. “That was a blast, a hard-fought game and both teams played really well.”

Besides, a win beats a tie any day.