HANOVER — Maybe it was the challenge. Maybe it was surrendering the first goal of the season, and two more on top of that. Maybe it was the timeout needed to clear some heads and light some fires.
Whatever the case, it worked for the Hanover High field hockey team. And it especially worked for one hard-working senior midfielder.
Macy Curtis netted a natural hat trick in the span of less that 10 minutes to rally the Marauders from a 3-1 second-half deficit for a 4-3 win over Mascoma on Wednesday afternoon at Merriman-Branch Field. A team Hanover (5-0-0) dismissed last year, 4-0, on its artificial turf home this time around uncovered the first team to challenge the Marauders all season.
Curtis accepted the test, and passed it.
“Macy has been playing well,” Hanover coach Jean Essex said. “She’s been so steady and solid in the midfield. As a midfielder, she doesn’t get the credit that she necessarily deserves.
“I said to her a couple of times, when she would take the insert on corners and pass off or run the play, to read it and be smart, to go ahead and take a shot. She did that in the second half.”
Michaela Dowd’s had a fifth-minute penalty stroke was countered by a Miranda Galbraith tally for the Marauders for a 1-1 halftime tie. Mackenzie Labrie scored twice in the opening eight minutes of the second half to put the Royals (2-3-0) up, 3-1, with assists from Amelia Wilson and Natalie Poitras.
Essex called a timeout, and Curtis called up her goal account. She netted Anna Stafford penalty-corner passes with 13 minutes and 8½ minutes to play to tie the game, then netted the game-winner with 4:06 by converting her own restart.
“Mascoma is a very good team; they’re quick, they stop the ball, they have good stick skills,” Essex said, whose team had outscored its first four foes, 22-0. “This is really the first challenge that we’ve had. … This was a good game for both teams and a wake-up call for my players.”
Stafford finished with three assists for Hanover, and goalkeeper Ella Edmonds included two penalty-stroke denials among her 12 saves. Emilie Conrad posted five saves in the Mascoma net.
The Royals head to Con-Val on Friday. Hanover travels to Merrimack Valley on Saturday.
LEBANON — Sydney Gonyea scored the winning goal with 14 minutes remaining off a Maddy Finnell pass for the Raiders.
Sally Tretter scored with a Sydney Brochu assist to pull the hosts into a 1-1 tie seven minutes before intermission. Izzy Barden extended Lebanon’s lead with an assist from Brochu late in the game.
Autumn Crowell contributed a save for Lebanon (4-2), which visits Mascoma on Tuesday.
MERIDEN — Hanover resident Torie Ball scored for the visitors, who saw an early 3-0 lead trimmed to 3-2 early in the second half. The Wildcats fell to 1-1 and host Tilton on Friday.
NEW IPSWICH, N.H. — The Cardinals saw a three-game winning streak end in a loss to the Vikings.
Stevens is off until visiting Littleton on Tuesday.
EAST MONTPELIER, Vt. — Nathan O’Donnell’s 40-yard direct kick produced a 1-1 tie with eight minutes remaining in the first half, but the Panthers surrendered a strike before intermission and dropped to 2-4.
“U-32 is good with their feet and they’re fast, but we ran with them,” said Thetford coach Ray Thorburn. “All three of their goals were real quality.”
Ryan Malloy, making his first varsity start, recorded 16 saves for Thetford, which hosts North Country on Saturday.
WINOOSKI, Vt. — Dylan Bearce made 15 saves for the visitors, who dropped to 0-4.
Winooski, which improved to 6-0, received four goals from Lak Nath Luitel and three from Ayoob Musanovic.
SHARON — The Phoenix couldn’t hold a 1-0 halftime lead and fell to 1-4.
Daniel Henderson scored for Sharon during the 25th minute, assisted by Olly Skeet-Browning. Coach Blake Fabrikant said he was pleased with his team’s energy in the first half, but the second half was disorganized and frustrating.
Skeet-Browning had a pair one-on-one opportunities with the West Rutland keeper during the second half. Sharon hosts Mount St. Joseph on Wednesday.
WOODSTOCK — Taylor Plourde scored on a Blake Heston assist and Andrew Gubbins struck unassisted to put the Wasps up, 2-0, at halftime. Harrison Morse scored the hosts’ third tally unassisted, and Parker Kuhnert notched the final goal off an Emmet Mahoney pass.
Woodstock’s Stephen Bianchi made four saves, including one on a penalty kick with the score at 2-0. The Wasps (4-2) host Hartford on Saturday night.
QUECHEE — Goalie Stan Nelson made six saves for the Eagles (1-3-0), but it wasn’t enough to stop Twinfield.
Down 3-0 at the half, Mid Vermont Christian rallied to score all of its goals in the second half. Elliot Renninger scored off a direct kick, Joel Roberts put away a penalty kick and Rachel Horner-Richardson tallied her first goal of the season.
The Eagles travel Monday to Craftsbury Academy.
DURHAM, N.H. — A 69th-minute goal from UNH’s Fabian Lutz was the difference maker in the match for the 18th-ranked Wildcats. The Big Green couldn’t find a way through the New Hampshire defense, amassing only took one shot on net and dropping to 2-2-0 on the season.
Sophomore goalkeeper Alex Budnik had seven saves in the loss for in Dartmouth, which hosts Niagara on Saturday.
FAIR HAVEN, Vt. — Abbie Koff converted a penalty kick 40 seconds before intermission, following a foul in the box on Carolyn North, to put the visitors up 1-0 at the break. The Slaters, however, scored the next three goals and dropped Hartford to 2-3.
Eleanor Hinckley closed the game’s scoring, with an assist to Makenna Druge, with 10 minutes to play.
Erin Thompson made eight saves for the Hurricanes, who host Springfield on Friday.
GILL, Mass. — The Wildcats held a 1-0 lead with eight minutes remaining, but Northfield Mount Hermon scored on a penalty kick and added a breakaway goal.
Bella Parento scored KUA’s lone goal on a 60-yard run. Goalkeeper Olivia Booker earned a clean sheet in the first half, and replacement Sophie Braver made a diving save with three minutes remaining to keep Kimball Union in the match.
The Wildcats (1-1) travel to Dexter-Southfield on Saturday.
QUECHEE — Hailey Goodwin led the Eagles with 10 service aces and 12 kills as the Eagles won in five sets.
After taking a 2-0 lead with set wins of 25-17 and 25-15, the Eagles dropped the next two, 25-20 and 29-27. In the final set, they won 15-11.
Freshman Sarah Bascom had a strong night from the service line, and Nyah Jenks contributed 12 digs. Mid Vermont Christian hosts Randolph on Monday.
RAYMOND, N.H. — The Royals improved to 4-0 during a four-set victory.
Raymond took the first set, 25-21, but Mascoma answered with triumphs of 25-23, 25-13 and 25-18. The Royals visit Moultonborough on Wednesday.
GILFORD, N.H. — The Golden Eagles blanked the Marauders to stay a perfect 5-0 on the season.
Hanover entertains John Stark on Friday evening.
RUTLAND — Brady Hathorn shot a 13-over-par 83, good for second place, to power the Hurricanes (10-6) to an 18-hole match win at Rutland Country Club.
Jared Vanderpot (88), Joseph Barwood (96) and Logan Raymond (99) also scored for Hartford, which tees off the Southern Vermont Conference championship Wednesday at The Quechee Club.
Team scores: Hartford 365, Burr & Burton 367, Rutland 396.
CANTERBURY, N.H. — Stevens defeated three teams with 67 points at Canterbury Woods Country Club to improve to 16-2 on the season.
Dylan Adamovich earned the individual medal for the second time this week, scoring a match-high 20 points.
Finn Allen and C.J. Naugler both had 17-point rounds, and Reeve Wilkinson contributed 15 to round out the Cards’ day. Allen and Naugherl finished in a three-way tie for third.
Team scores: Stevens 69, Gilford 59, Somersworth 57, Belmont 33.