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Windham Jaguars Field Hockey '17

Sun, Oct 29, 2017 05:00 PM @ Windham
Team 1st 2nd Final
Hanover 0 0 0
Windham 1 0 1

Desjardin save sends Windham to state title

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Sunday, October, 29 By David Willis
Staff writer

BEDFORD, N.H. — The tying score seemed destined for the goal.

A Hanover player flew in on a breakaway midway through the second half, deked the goalie and had nothing but open turf between her and tying the game.

Then, out of nowhere, came Anna Desjardin.
The Windham senior beat her opponent to the net, and with a combination of her stick and foot was able to make the save in front of an open goal.
“We weren’t going to let them tie the game up,” said Desjardin. “I knew, somehow, I had to stop that goal. I was not going to let that ball cross the line. They weren’t going to tie that game.”
From there, Windham would not be denied, squashing any final Hanover scoring opportunity on the way to the New Hampshire Division 2 field hockey title with a thrilling 1-0 victory in driving rain.
“It’s an amazing feeling to win one last title as a senior,” said goalie Abby Harris, who was brilliant with eight saves. “It’s a feeling of huge relief that was did it. It’s so surreal and so amazing.”
It was the second straight title for the Jaguars (15-1-1), who beat Derryfield 1-0 in double overtime for their first championship in program history last fall.
“Back-to-back is such a great feeling,” said Kenna Melvin, who scored the game’s lone goal. “To go out as a champion as a senior and know I did everything I could in my final season is amazing.”
But for a moment, it appeared Melvin’s goal would not be enough.
With approximately 16 minutes to go in regulation, a Hanover player stepped into a passing lane for a steal. She broke into the Jaguar zone all alone, eluding Harris with a stellar move.
“I thought the girl was going to score,” said Harris. “Then I turned around and saw Anna coming in. I was so thankful she was there to save us.”
The Windham fans who braved the conditions exploded into cheers as Desjardin somehow managed to stop what seemed to be a sure-fire goal.
“I just went as hard as I could and blocked the ball,” she said. “I had to keep my stick down and keep pushing through the ball. I didn’t think I was going to be able to stop it. It was a complete chance block. But once I got it past the girl I knew we could get it out of the circle.”
Melvin, for one, could not believe her eyes.
“I was running back to help any way I could,” she said. “But Anna took care of everything. I was shocked, but I wasn’t surprised. Anna has done amazing things all season. We didn’t need anything but Anna on that play.”
It was Melvin, a defender, who gave the Jaguars all of their offense they would need for the title. She tallied her only goal of the season with 7:38 left in the first half off a pass from Desjardin following a corner.
“It was a good time for my first goal of the season,” she said. “I just knew I had to hit it hard and hit it at the goal. That’s what I was focused on and it went in.”
From there, Harris took control with huge save after huge save.
The senior goalie turned in a stellar kick save on a point-blank shot, then right before halftime stopped a corner shot with the bottom of her foot. Then, in the final minutes of regular, she made two more huge saves to lock up the victory.
“Abby was phenomenal,” said Desjardin. “She always plays 100 percent. She is the best player on our team. We wouldn’t have been at this game without her, and we would not have won it.”
As the final seconds ticked off, all the was left was a massive celebration for the Jaguars, in a torrential downpour.
“This is just phenomenal,” said Desjardin. “We did it last year completely unexpectedly. And to do it in back-to-back years is like nothing else. It’s just amazing.”

Goal overturned
There was a minor controversy late in Windham’s Division 2 state title win over Hanover.
In the final seconds of the game, Hanover shot the ball into the goal off a corner. But the referees immediately stepped in to signal that it was not a goal.
According to Windham coach Katie Blair, the goal was disallowed because the player “lifted” the ball into the air on her shot. This is illegal on a corner, as was the backswing on her shot.
“We knew that it was an illegal goal,” said star Anna Desjardin. “We knew it was game-over after that.”

Game Statistics:

Goals: W — Kenna Melvin

Assists: W — Anna Desjardins

Saves: W — Abby Harris 8; H — Ella Edmunds 6

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