Deroy's goal is the difference as Dover field hockey downs Winnacunnet

HAMPTON - The last team to defeat the Dover High School field hockey team was Winnacunnet in last year's Division I semifinals.

The two teams met again on Wednesday, and undefeated Dover had a little extra motivation to make sure its road trip to Hampton wouldn't be a second consecutive loss to the Warriors.

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In a tight battle up until the final buzzer, it was Dover sophomore's Hannah Deroy's goal with a minute left in the first half that proved to be the difference-maker, leading the Green Wave to a 1-0 win.

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"Anytime you have a playoff loss to somebody, you're kind of looking at that next season to come back and get a win against them," Dover head coach Sarah Michaud said. "Winnacunnet always has a strong program, they have a lot of players and depth in their program, so today was a big win for us."

It was the third straight loss for the Warriors, now 4-3, and the sixth consecutive shutout for the Green Wave, who improved to 7-0.

"We were pretty motivated," Dover goalie Hayley Tosh said. "We were trying to stay hype, and we definitely are very good at that. We came in pretty energized, and I think we pulled it together when we had moments where it went down, but it always went back up."

With 68 seconds left in the half, there was a scrum for the ball right in front of the net, and the ball bounced right to Deroy's stick and she was able to get a shot past goalie Amber Morgado.

"(Winnacunnet) is a hard team, and losing last year, it was motivating to win (today)," Deroy said. "Rylen (Gray) got the ball and then brought it across the net and then I tapped it in."

Deroy, who has two three-goal performances on her resume this season, is no stranger to finishing off possessions with a score.

"It was another one of those team goals where a lot of people touched the ball before it went in," Michaud said. "But Hannah has done a great job this year of picking up the rebounds and finishing."

Winnacunnet head coach Heidi Hand knew the game would be a battle.

"I thought we came out strong," Hand said. "I knew it was going to be a good game, Dover is an unbelievable team, and I knew just the competitiveness between each other was going to be great. First quarter, I thought was an excellent game. Second quarter, you've got to give it to Dover, they wanted it more it seemed like. But I also give credit to my defense, they really held us in that second quarter."

Both defenses were on full display and made it hard for either offense to get into a consistent rhythm. Michaud and Hand appreciated that effort.

"The defense just came together as a team," Hand said. "They connected, they didn't give up and did all they could to keep (the ball) out, and to keep battling. Their communication with (Morgado) and each other was good, the sticks were low and I just thought they came ready to play today."

Dover has now outscored the opposition this season, 30-1.

"I thought our defense played very well, it felt like they played as a unit," Michaud said. "Every game, they seem to be progressing more and more. Their confidence is increasing, their consistency is getting better and they just really work well together. (Tosh) didn't see a lot of shots, but the defense really kept us in it."

Manchester Central/West, in a 7-1 win in the season opener, is the only team to score on Tosh and the Green Wave this season.

"We have definitely been working together as a team trying to get used to the positioning and figuring it out," Tosh said. "I think we totally brought the energy today and picked up where we need to. I can hear the communication between (the defense) and how they switch out in the middle of the play, work together and to keep that ball in our possession."

This article originally appeared on Portsmouth Herald: Dover field hockey gets revenge, outlasts Winnacunnet,