LITCHFIELD, NH — It’s hard to know which of the “What If?” moments will stand out in the minds of the Trinity High girls soccer players, coaches and fans over the next nine months.
Maybe the shot that hit the crossbar. Maybe the shot mishandled by Campbell keeper Sam Roche that rolled back toward the goal line before she pounced on it; Or perhaps the shot that cleanly beat the keeper off a corner, only to be blocked at the goal line and cleared by a Cougar defender.
The 9th-seeded Pioneers (8-8-1) will likely re-live those moments and others, in the weeks to come, following their 0-0 (4-3 PKs) loss to 8th-seeded Campbell High (10-7-0) in the opening round of the Division III State Tournament, Tuesday afternoon in Litchfield.
“There’s not a whole lot to say. My guys put in a complete, 100 percent game today,” said Trinity Coach Mike Martinez. “Sometimes the ball just doesn’t find its way into the back of the net.”
Trinity High had multiple near-misses in their D-III tournament game against Campbell High before falling 0-0 (4-3 PKs). @ManchInkLink @nhsportspage @nhhssports pic.twitter.com/EG38fVcrJD
— Bill Gilman (@bgilman66) October 26, 2022
Trinity dominated play, outshooting Campbell, 12-4, and taking four corners to none for the Cougars. But when it comes to goal scoring, Campbell has been Kryptonite for Trinity in 2022. The teams met twice during the regular season with Campbell winning both, 1-0. In its other 14 games, Trinity was 8-5-1 and averaged 2.8 goals a game.
“When we have been ‘on’ we’ve scored in bunches,” said Martinez. “Other times, it’s been a struggle. But give Campbell credit. They played hard and they are well coached. They play a similar game to ours. Sometimes it’s like looking in a mirror.”
Trinity looked to have broken a 0-0 tie with just over 11 minutes to play in regulation. A low Trinity corner kick was deflected and skittered past Roche toward the empty net. Out of nowhere, Campbell midfielder Alex Wallenmajer came sliding along the goal line and and kicked the ball clear.
In overtime, Trinity continued to press the attack, owning the midfield and keeping the Cougars back on their heels. The best scoring bid came on a semi-break in by Kenzie Goldstein, whose bouncing shot was mishandled by Roche and dribbled tantalizingly toward the goal line. But Roche was able to recover and smothered the ball before it crossed.
After two scoreless, 10-minute overtime sessions, the game went to best-of-5 penalty kicks, putting the pressure squarely on the shoulders of Roche and Trinity keeper Kayla Sisson.
Campbell’s Morgan Wagner gave her team a lead with a goal in Round 1, while Roche stopped Addie Bosworth. Trinity tied it in Round 2 with a goal by Goldstein, after Wallenmajer missed wide, clipping the post, for Campbell.
Campbell re-took the lead in Round 3 on a goal by Heidi Smith but Ava House knotted it at 2-2 with a goal in Round 4.
Trinity found itself on the receiving end of more bad luck in Round 5. Campbell’s Gabby Kim-Levesque ripped a shot that clanged off the left post but it deflected to the right, behind Sisson and into the net for a 3-2 Cougars lead.
That left things up to Isabella Skoglund to keep her team alive. She responded by cleanly beating Roche to tie the PKs at 3-3 and forcing extra rounds.
Campbell went first in Round 6 and Anais Smith gave her team the lead, 4-3, with a clean goal past the diving Sisson. Trinity senior Carolyn Burleigh tried to force a 7th round but her toe caught the natural turf behind the ball and she wasn’t able to get as much force on her shot as she wanted. Roche made the save and sent Campbell into the D-III quarterfinals against top-seed and unbeaten St. Thomas Aquinas (16-0-1) on Friday.
