Titans' breakthrough campaign ends on semi-sweet note

Sarah Frye races a Winnacunnet foe the ball during Thursday’s semifinal matchup. Stacy Harrison photo.

MANCHESTER, NH – Last season, Nashua High School North head coach Jacqueline Thompson and her players got a taste of the playoffs. This year, they wanted more.

And they got it.

Check that.

They earned it.

Though the eighth-ranked Titans were eliminated, 3-0, in their Division-I semifinal matchup against No. 4 Winnacunnet at Manchester Memorial High School Tuesday night, Thompson was quick to note that the semi-sweet ending took nothing from her team’s accomplishments this fall.

Indeed, the Titans completed a 9-6-1 regular season to earn a top-eight seed, and though they were unable to host their earned first-round playoff matchup due to renovations at Nashua’s Stellos Stadium, they traveled to Amherst last Tuesday and gutted out a 2-1 overtime victory over rival Nashua South in the opening round.

Three days later, they made the short trek to Rivier University and upset top-ranked Bishop Guertin, 2-1 (4-3), in a dramatic shootout victory Friday to earn the trip to the D-I final four.

While Thompson said she and her underclassmen are already excited for next season, Winnacunnet advances to the D-I championship game where the Warriors are scheduled to play sixth-seeded Pinkerton Saturday at 1 p.m. at Manchester Memorial High School.