HIGH SCHOOL GIRLS SOCCER: Nistl nets Hamilton-Wenham Division 4 state title over Cohasset

LYNN – Quite simply put, Claire Nistl was not going to be denied.

The senior captain of the Hamilton-Wenham Regional High School girls soccer team scored both of the Generals goals Saturday in a 2-1 overtime win over Cohasset in the Division 4 state final at Manning Field.

“She has a conviction right now that I have never seen out of a soccer player,” said H-W coach Nancy Waddell. “She turns and she’s going to goal, good luck, you’re not going to be able to stop her, as we saw today.”

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The top-seeded Skippers (16-3-2) trailed for much of the day when Nistl put the Generals ahead 1-0 in the 16th minute. All that was forgotten when freshman Tess Barrett won a ball in the box in traffic and had enough space to tap a shot towards goal with her right foot to sneak it past H-W sophomore goalkeeper Stewart Bernard and inside the far post in the final five minutes.

The momentum that was seemingly on Cohasset’s side did not last. A General defender cleared a ball from just outside the H-W box. Nistl gained possession at midfield and began working her way through a trio of Cohasset defenders. After carrying the ball for about 30 yards, Nistl blasted a right-footed shot inside the left post for the winner less than two minutes into overtime.

“There were a couple of players in front of me, but I just dribbled through and I was hoping it would work,” said Nistl. “Once I saw the ball hit the back of the net, I almost lost my breath. I thought it was a dream. I didn’t think it would ever happen, but I know the whole entire team persevered. Cohasset was a really great team and we couldn’t have done it without all of our coaches, fans and support we had along the whole season.”

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Nistl’s first goal also came while trying to work her way through multiple defenders.

That was the game plan for H-W (18-1-2). The Generals relied on a defense that included Nora Gamber, Jacqueline Chapdelaine, Chloe Gern, Elizabeth Collins and Madeline Wood to try to contain Cohasset’s high-powered offense.

“We can sit back and defend and she can take on four players,” said Waddell of Nistl. "She came off and she said, ‘What do I do? There’s four of them.’ I just said, ‘You’ve got to keep doing what you’re doing and eventually you’re going to get through.’”

“They did a wonderful job taking Cat Herman out of the game and taking Tess Barrett out of the game,” Cohasset coach Deb Beal said of H-W's defensive scheme. "They forced them to play their game well outside the 18. And it’s not that we couldn’t respond to it, because I think we became pretty creative. We used our outside flanks a lot more, but it just didn’t happen.”

Cohasset carried the majority of the possession, but rarely had clean looks inside the box. Barrett finally broke through for the Skippers' lone tally shortly after the clock was stopped with five minutes remaining.

“I feel like it was honestly a matter of time before we scored,” said Beal. "I’m thrilled that we did because that changes the dynamic of it. It changes how you feel about it. Had we lost 1-nothing and not put one in the back of the goal, it would have been like, ‘Well I should have done this, I should have done that, blah, blah, blah.’ But we did it, we finished one. We took it and we enjoyed it, it was great.”

Nistl was on the sideline for Barrett’s back-breaking goal, waiting to sub into the game.

“When it happened you feel your stomach drop, but we had to keep our intensity up,” said Nistl. “We knew Cohasset felt like they were back in it, but we wanted to take home the game at the end of the day. So just intensity and encouragement and holding our heads high helped us be successful.”

Both Waddell and Nistl said containing Cohasset’s offense was the biggest challenge the Generals defense had seen all season.

“We’ve had an incredible defense the last two years,” said Nistl. “They definitely hadn’t even been tested to their full abilities until today and I think they held it off for almost 76 minutes. I’m very proud of them. I’m so impressed. I know all of them were tirelessly working minute after minute. We couldn’t have done it without the defense the entire game.”

“(Cohasset was) just so talented and they kept coming at us, kept coming at us and my defenders played a great game and haven’t had to defend in tight games like that,” said Waddell. “They really needed to turn things up and they did.”

Both teams will graduate talented senior classes.

On the H-W side, Saturday was the final game for Gamber, Chapdelaine (captain), Kara O’Shea (captain), Haley Hamilton, Jane Maguire, Nistl (captain), Elizabeth Collins (captain), Caitlyn Story and Brianna Vesey (manager).

“We’re really lucky, we’ve got four great captains who all bring their own uniqueness, bring something different to our team that we really need,” said Waddell. “Kara O’Shea just brings a toughness and a passion for this game. (Collins) in the back is calm and composed, just gives us everything that you have. Jackie (Chapdelaine) is an all-state defender and you saw it today, the number of times she stopped their attacks. They’re going to be sorely missed.”

Cohasset will graduate eight seniors including captains Mia Froio and Gracyn Lord. Tea Dudeck, Maeve Kearney, Jenna Giglio, Georgia Fales, Samylle Soares and Sara Cullinan make up the rest of that class.

“We’re going to miss Gracyn, we’re going to miss Mia, we’re going to miss Maeve, we’re going to miss Tea,” said Beal. “There’s a lot of them, but what they’ve brought to the program and what they’ve taught the others (has been so important). I can only teach so much, but what they teach them about being a member of a team like this and playing their role and embracing their role (is vital). That’s the stuff that you want to get from your leaders, and my leaders this year have been so amazing.”

This article originally appeared on The Patriot Ledger: Claire Nistl's OT goal nets Hamilton-Wenham state title over Cohasset