Bishop Guertin goalie Beau Boughter gets his fingertips on a shot by Nashua South's Kevin Araujo for a save in the first half of Tuesday's Division I game at Stellos Stadium. (Telegraph photo by TOM KING)

NASHUA – Familiarity breeds…a goal and a win.

That was the case for Nashua High School South boys soccer senior Nirav Chenji. He and Bishop Guertin standout goalie Beau Boughter have known each other for awhile, and are teammates on a Seacoast United team in the spring and summer. So when Chenji had a penalty kick just under two minutes into the second half of Tuesday’s Division I showdown, he knew where to go in getting the game’s only goal for a 1-0 Panthers win at Stellos Stadium.

“He’s my club teammate,” Chenji said with a grin as the Panthers improved to 12-0-1 atop Division I while handing the Cards’ (9-1-2) their first loss. “I looked him in the eyes and placed it where I was most confident and it went in. I looked straight at him. Then I saw the right corner open and placed it there and it went in. … He’s a great keeper, man, I just had to place it where I was most confident. He’s a great keeper for sure.”

How big was this win? “Super huge,” Chenji said. “Two Nashua teams, it’s always good to end up in first place, stay in first place and be undefeated.”

The Panthers have won 12 straight since tying Bedford to start the season. And the Cards are having their best year in ages.

They made just one mistake, when Panther sparkplug Damien Rodrigues was taken down in the penalty area in a bang-bang play by Jame Guidry early in the half. Chenji usually takes the PK’s, and Panthers coach Tom Bellen basically leaves it up to the players.

“He (Chenji) has been taking the pens this year, he’s been doing a good job with them,” Bellen, who coaches that club team, said. “I don’t assign them, it’s whoever wants them to take it, they make their own decisions with it. We live and die with it; he’s been on it, so good for him.”

“At the end of the day, it’s one of the best games we’ve had all season,” BG coach Tyler Vandeventer said, adding “The way (South) combined on the counter attack in the second half put us in vulnerable positions, and they got a penalty (kick) out of it.”

The question was whether it would hold up? While Boughter had eight saves – including a reaching fingertip deflection on a high shot by South striker Kevin Aruajo in the first half – South keeper Antonio Pancine had six, as the Cards had chances, won the time of possession, but their offense, led by Trenton Cormier and Liam Ireland, couldn’t connect and had one blast hit the crossbar.

“I don’t think we gave up any dangerous stuff,” Bellen said. “Second half, we tend to do that, we get the lead and we sit back. I think we had as many chances dangerous in the second half and way more in the first half. It’s like the old Bill Belichick, give up some space, give up a field goal. Here, give up some space and they’re taking 35-yard shots. But we’ve got to do getter on getting pressure on the ball, don’t get me wrong.”

Nashua South’s Damien Rodrigues, left, battles Bishop Guertin’s Jame Guidry during the first half of Tuesday’s big Division I clash at Stellos Stadium. (Telegraph photo by TOM KING)

Bellen agreed with his goal scorer on the value of this win.

“It’s huge,” he said. “When we saw this coming up, we both had three games left. We share information. I wanted to come into this, both undefeated, have a good, fun game. It’s Nashua based kids, I’m all for it, man.”

“We get out of it we can compete with one of the top programs,” Vandeventer said. “To not concede an open play against them is a big deal to me.”

Meanwhile, of course Chenji and Boughter had done this dance before in club team practice.

“Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah,” beamed Chenji. “That’s why it’s always fun, I had to look him in the eye and make sure what’s up.”

These days, it’s South, that’s what.