Merrimack's Hunter Joseph heads the ball as Bishop Guertin's Ryan Neary, left, waits for it during Saturday's Division I clash at Stellos Stadium. (Telegraph photo by TOM KING)

NASHUA – Some tests are worth taking.

Thus after over a week off the Bishop Guertin High School boys soccer team were looking forward to facing local rival Merrimack on Saturday at steamy Stellos Stadium, and vice-versa.

For the Cards, they got more than a passing grade with a 2-0 win to stay unbeaten (7-0) on the year.

“Absolutely,” BG coach Tyler Vandeventer said. “Both of our programs are right there at the top right now. We knew coming into this match it would be an absolutel test. … It was just a great match. Shows you the quality of players in high school soccer in New Hampshire.”

There’s a lot of things in common between the two. Both Vandeventer and Tomahawks coach Mirsad Islamovic started with their teams around the same time and are in their fourth seasons, and have built things into contender status. It’s just that the Cards have an edge right now. Merrimack is 4-2-2 and winless in its last three.

“They’re a good team, there’s no question about it,” Merrimack assistant coach Ray Juneau said of BG. “They’re at the top right now.”

Guertin took a 1-0 lead with a late first half goal (37th minute) by Jacob Crane on a nice cross from right wing by Trenton Cormier.

Then, with just under 20 minutes to play in the second half Nick Chartier hit one from the left side that Tavish Keenan buried on a bang-bang play to make it 2-0. Merrimack keeper Connor Boutin had six saves as well, but had no chance on either shot.

“There was something that we saw on film leading into the game that those spaces when we get the ball wide would be there at the top of the box,” Vandeventer said.

Actually, the Tomahawks had a goal by Ryan Cirillo in the first half that would’ve given them an early lead, but it was ruled off-sides.

“It was questionable,” Juneau said. “And we had a mixup on that second goal. … You’ve got to take advantage of your chances.”

Up 2-0, the Cards needed to hold the fort. With a keeper like Beau Baughter (six saves), the odds are in their favor to do it and yesterday they did, despite being reduced late to 10 players thanks to a double yellow card.

“We put out at the beginning of the season that we don’t want any goals going in in the last five minutes,” Vandeventer said. “We’ve not let one in at the end of the game yet this season.”

It’s two teams where all the players know each other, etc., lot of hard-fought moments but respect as well. The Cards have some more tests on the schedule and so do the ‘Hawks.

“We’ll see what happens,” Juneau said. “We’ll be aiming for them in the playoffs.”

If BG keeps playing like this, a lot of teams will be.