After suffering slim shutout losses to Alvirne and Manchester Central two weeks ago, the Londonderry High girls’ soccer squad placed itself right back on the winning track with a pair of shutout wins of its own.
The Lady Lancers dealt the winless Manchester Memorial Lady Crusaders a 2-0 blanking in Manchester Tuesday, Oct. 13, and followed that up by besting the Nashua North Lady Titans by a 1-0 count at LHS three days later.
In the defeat of Memorial, Londonderry potted the only goal it would wind up needing to come out a winner in minute number 18 of the first half when Hailey Laliberte set up Gretchen McGrath for the tally.
The Lady Lancers netted an insurance goal, but it didn’t come until late in the match and it was collected by an unexpected source.
LHS star goalie Jackie Luckhardt was given some time out in the field by coach Derek Dane, and she repaid her mentor by potting a goal in the 76th minute of play. Emily Davison notched the assist in the LHS squad’s sixth shutout victory of the fall.
“We decided to give our junior varsity keeper Ryann Boudreau some varsity experience so Jackie could get some rest,” said Dane. “She asked if she could get 10 minutes on the field. She played forward and scored from close range.”
LHS net-minder Boudreau didn’t end up having to make any saves in the shutout of the 0-12 Lady Crusaders.
Luckhardt was back in her regular spot last Friday for the match with North, and the battle-tested veteran ended up contributing four saves to the slim blanking of the 5-7-2 Lady Titans.
The ball spent very little time on the North side of the field in the scoreless first half, but Mackenzie Donovan ended up potting the tally the Lady Lancers needed to walk away a winner in the 74th minute of play with an assist from Davison.
Londonderry stepped into this week facing a Monday match at home against Dover, then were slated to battle Nashua South in the Gate City on Wednesday, Oct. 21, after Londonderry Times press time, and Timberlane in Plaistow on Friday, Oct. 23, in closing out the regular season.
In the Monday meeting with Dover, the Lady Lancers busted a scoreless tie by getting second half goals from Gretchen McGrath (assist to Donovan) and Andi Nelson (also from Donovan) before Dover tallied with six minutes left to play to make things a tad more tense in what ended as a 2-1 LHS win.