Cougars show they still have bite, look to finish strong

MANCHESTER, NH – With a 3-1 victory over visiting Conant on Thursday, the Derryfield School girls soccer team snapped a five-game losing streak as it looks to get back on track heading into the playoffs.

The team has been dealing with several issues with respect to injuries which has forced us to rebuild and rethink how we play,” said Hatin, whose team improved to 5-7 with Thursday’s win.

“Out of the gate, we had two very tough games to start our season and then we found our stride,” he said. “Shortly after some solid wins, the injuries started to mount up and we have stumbled.”

Indeed, the Cougars had earned a 4-2 record through mid-September following four-straight victories before their recent slide.

Hatin said he and his players are working to get healthy and find their game again.

“This team plays with heart and finds the good in every match,” he said. “I have full confidence they will be able to recover and to return to form.”

Among those stepping up for the Cougars this season, standout midfielder Chloe Larson approached the coaching staff recently and volunteered to fill a hole on defense for the banged-up team.

“She’s stepped up in a big way, helping to take the burden of defense off the shoulders of the girls who are injured,” said her coach.

Kate Nguyen has been a strong voice for the team in the back line, and fellow captain Sam Chappell has been a threat in the middle of the field, along with Almedina Ahmetovic and Abby Steward, added Hatin, who also credited freshman Maddy Paolino for her strong play as an outside back.

“The team overall has been stepping up together which is very helpful when we are down players,” he said.

The Cougars, are scheduled to finish the regular-season with back-to-back home matchups, first Tuesday at 4:30 p.m. against Bishop Brady (4-7-2), which is a continuation of a previous game that was suspended with Derryfield up 2-0.

“I would expect our team to work hard to finish that game out,” said Hatin.

They close out the regular season next Friday, Oct. 20, at 4 p.m. against cross-city rival Trinity (8-4), a team Hatin acknowledges his team struggled against during a 4-1 setback at Derryfield Park on Oct. 4.

“The girls know what we need to do to put up a good challenge in that match and we will be training for it,” he said. “When we play tough teams like Raymond, Hopkinton and Trinity twice in a season, we always come out stronger in the second match up.

“We are looking forward to finishing out our games and hopefully seeing some players return from injury before the season is finished,” said Hatin. “This was not the season we expected, but we are working hard to correct our gameplay and to remain competitive.”