Two days after Central setback, Trinity fires back

Pioneers hold off late charge to split two-game set with Little Green

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Carolyn Burleigh fires a hard shot on net.
Carolyn Burleigh fires a hard shot on net during the second half of Trinity’s 9-8 win Thursday.

MANCHESTER, NH – The Trinity High School girls lacrosse team bounced back from an 18-11 home setback to cross-city rival Manchester Central Tuesday to exact revenge with a 9-8 victory Thursday.

To earn their third win of the season, the Pioneers had to hold off a late Little Green charge in the closing seconds at Gill Stadium.

“It was a huge win, to come back from a loss earlier in the week and take one day of practice and come back to make the adjustments we did, it was great to see as a coach, and I know it felt good for the players,” said Trinity head coach Lauren Perry.

“I think it was great that we went 1-1 because I think we’re in very similar positions, especially in our own divisions,” said Central head coach Erin Boucher. “And it’s hard because I think we’re both kind of plagued by injuries, so I’m honestly just happy we came back and made a game of it.”

Coming off the seven-goal setback earlier in the week, the Pioneers showed up the the field Thursday ready for a different result, said Perry.

“We talked about in practice, the way we take the field really sets the tone for how we play on the field, and I noticed we showed up ready to go, fired up and ready to play,” she said. “These girls are really excited to play and are willing to make those little adjustments that make a big difference.”

Trinity seemed to have the game well in hand, leading 9-4 with less than 8 minutes remaining in the contest, but that’s when Boucher called a timeout and huddled her players up.

“I asked them to figure it out,” said Boucher, “essentially, ‘ put it on the field. I can’t do it for you,’ you know, ‘you’ve got to play like you want it,’ and they did. We didn’t end up having enough time, otherwise I think we could have tied it up or won.”

Indeed, Central stormed back with goals from Alex Howe, Brea Preston, Ava Demers and Sophia Leonard over a six-minute span, but Trinity’s defense, in front of goalie Kevynn Knoettner, was able to prevent a last-second equalizer.

Knoettner made 11 saves in the victory while Courtney Ingram led the attack with five goals and two assists, in addition to winning four ground balls. Maeve Smith tallied twice for the Pioneers and earned five ground balls, while Lexie DeFreitas and Faith Ampuja also scored for Trinity.

Leonard led the Little Green’s losing effort, finding the back of the net three times, while goalie Lilly Tague-Bleau made eight saves to keep the contest close.

Both coaches agreed, the girls enjoy competing against each other.

“The inner-city matchup is great,” said Perry. “We both have good programs that we’re building, so it’s nice to see some good competition within the city itself, especially because a lot of the time the girls know each other from other programs, and it’s fun to hear them matching up and talking to each other out there. It brings a sense of community to the field.”

Trinity closes out the regular season with two more contests against another city foe, Memorial-West, who they play this afternoon at 4:30 and then again Thursday, May 27, with a road with Campbell in the middle on Tuesday. The Pioneers are then scheduled to open the Division III tournament with a 5 p.m. Memorial Day matchup against Campbell.

Central, which earned its second win of the season Tuesday, closes with back-to-back clashes with Concord this coming Tuesday and Thursday and then opens the Division-I playoffs against Exeter the following Monday at 5 p.m.

“I don’t have a lot of just straight-out lacrosse players on my team. I have a lot of multi-sport athletes, so lacrosse is not their primary sport, so really we’re just trying to focus on learning, building and having fun,” said Boucher. “At the end of the day, they’re not going to remember what their record was during their 2021 lacrosse season. They’re going to remember the fun things they did, what they learned and how empowered they were, so hopefully that’s what they take away.”

 

About this Author

Nathan Graziano

Nathan Graziano lives in Manchester with his wife and kids. He's the author of nine collections of fiction and poetry. His most recent book, Born on Good Friday was published by Roadside Press in 2023. He's a high school teacher and freelance writer, and in his free time, he writes bios about himself in the third person. For more information, visit his website: http://www.nathangraziano.com