Sports
Lynch delivers late-game heroics for Dover hockey over Exeter
EXETER – Wednesday's Division I field hockey semifinal between No. 2 Dover and No. 3 Exeter lived up to the hype. So much so that Dover senior Erin Lynch thought she was dreaming.
What Lynch did, however, was reality and she helped celebrate the defending Division I state champions.
Lynch, after tying the game with 3:04 left in regulation time, scored the winning goal just 68 seconds into overtime as the Green Wave advanced with a 3–2 win.
“It was just amazing, especially in overtime,” Lynch said. “The game can be over as quickly as you want. I think we all knew this had to happen, and it did.”
In extra time, Dover had possession of the ball and was awarded a penalty corner. Dover's Kaela Robins placed the ball to Lynch, who fired a shot that found the back of the cage.
“I literally thought I was in a dream,” Lynch added. “It was a moment of so much excitement. We all work so hard as a team. I really feel like this match today was a team effort. Everyone contributed and that's what made us so successful.”
Dover head coach Sarah Michaud said the tactic during extra time was to have possession of the ball first and foremost.
“Overtime is all about how long you have possession of the ball, and we couldn't afford any turnovers,” Michaud said. “I said the first team to get a corner is going to win.”
Dover improved to 15-2-1 and will face No. 1 Keene (17-0-1) for the championship on Saturday at Bedford High School. Game time is scheduled for 3 p.m
Keene advanced with a 3-2 win over No. 4 Pinkerton. Dover and Keene did not play in the regular season.
Lynch sends the game to overtime
Trailing 2-1, Michaud called a timeout with 4:07 left in regulation time.
“Our goal was to draw corners, execute shots and ultimately score,” Michaud said.
With just over 3 minutes left on the clock, Robins again gave a pass from a penalty corner to Lynch, who scored the equalizer.
“I think we kind of just knew this was the moment,” Lynch said. “You never know what can happen. It could be the goal that costs you the defeat, or the goal that gives you the victory. And at that moment (after the timeout) we just knew we had to capitalize.”
There were absolutely no hard feelings as Exeter's Elsa Bishop and Lynch embraced in a hug and shared a postgame moment. Bishop said one of the things she is most grateful for playing hockey is the friends she makes along the way.
“(Lynch) is my best friend,” Bishop said. “We've been playing club hockey together since fifth grade. She's such a great captain, such a great leader and such a great friend. That hug at the end was her telling me I did a great job, to keep my head up and we'll see each other soon.”
Deroy delivers another big moment
With 6:15 left in the third quarter, Dover gained momentum when junior Hannah Deroy scored on a penalty corner to revive the Green Wave, cutting Exeter's lead to 2-1.
Michaud likes to call Deroy a 'gamer'.
“When push comes to shove, she's not afraid to take it,” Michaud said. “She's not afraid to work hard, and she's just a hard, hard-working player.”
Dover's Leyden Churchill said the first goal always brings energy.
“We just came together as a team (in the second half) and we knew it had to be done,” Lynch said. “We knew we had to get those goals back, and we executed.”
“And then you think, 'Okay, we're in the game, we're ready,'” Churchill said. “It's just kind of the hype and a little boost that we needed.”
Lynch said the team didn't really get discouraged as the game went on.
Exeter strikes first with two goals in the second quarter
Exeter made it 2-0 at halftime thanks to second-quarter goals from Alexa Zaimes and Olivia Levitsky. The lead remained that way until Deroy, who scored the go-ahead goal in the Dover quarter-final, put Dover on the board.
“We put everything into it, we gave it 100%,” Bishop said. “(Dover) ended up coming out just a little bit quicker.”
“We knew it was going to be a tough battle,” Exeter head coach Deb Grott said. “Dover has a very skilled and fast team. We knew we had to keep up with them, to try to stay one step ahead.”
Four consecutive semifinals for the Blue Hawks
Sure, the Blue Hawks would prefer to play on Saturday, but it's not a season to be disappointed about. It marks the fourth straight season the Blue Hawks have reached the Division I semifinals and won titles in 2021 and 2022.
“The fact that we made it to the semi-finals again, I'm really proud of them and the way they played today,” Grott said. “It makes us proud as coaches. They are hard-working young athletes and young women who come here every day to practice and work very hard.”
At the end of the day, Bishop said the team is very grateful for the experience this year.
“We had a very young team, so I'm excited to watch them over the next few years and see how much they can do,” Bishop said, mentioning Caron, Gloss and more. “They're going to do great things. I really enjoy cheering them on. I love Exeter hockey so much.”
Tale of two halves
Grott said it's always great to score two goals first.
“But you still have the rest of the game where you have to make sure you balance between preventing them from scoring,” Grott said. “Things just didn't go our way this year. Good luck to Dover.”
Churchill, a defender, talked about the differences in each half.
“For us it was a matter of marking,” she said. “Exeter have very talented girls, they have very talented skills. We just had to know we had to have a player because if one came around us it could have been a goal and a dangerous situation.”
Dover goalkeeper Scarlett Gray was credited with five saves, while Gloss had three.
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