Aug. 29—BEDFORD — Through the preseason, Bedford High School girls soccer coach Michelle Winning noticed the excitement and positive energy her players have when on the field together.
The Bulldogs were all smiles Friday night after opening their NHIAA regular-season campaign with a 3-0 Division I victory over Manchester Central at Bulldog Stadium. The game was first since winter of 2019 — when the pandemic began — played on the Bedford campus before fans other than just players’ family members.
Before a large turnout in the student cheering section, Bedford scored early in each half, then salted it away with a goal in the final three minutes.
“They enjoy playing together and they’re having fun out there when they’re moving the ball,” Winning said. “They’re passing that energy on to each other.”
Bedford opened the game’s scoring in the ninth minute, when sophomore midfielder Olivia Matthews lobbed the ball over leaping Central goalkeeper Nevaeh Gagne and into the top right corner of the net.
Junior forward Ava Dubois doubled Bedford’s lead with her goal from inside the penalty box via an assist from Lana Morris in the 46th minute.
Bulldogs senior midfielder Ashley Bobotas capped the scoring with her left-footed goal from inside the box off a feed from classmate Abigail Forrester in the 77th minute.
Bedford dominated possession, often keeping the Little Green pinned in their own half of the field for long stretches. Matthews credited her team’s possession advantage to the chemistry it has quickly built.
“We move the ball very well together, we work very well together,” Matthews said. “We know what each other’s thinking. We know the next move.”
Bedford drew four corner kicks and tested Gagne with 12 shots on goal. Central did not draw a corner kick. Bedford junior goalkeeper Zoe Santos earned the clean sheet without making a save.
The Little Green’s best scoring opportunity came in the 76th minute, when McKenna Schneiderman’s free-kick shot from about 25 yards out sailed just over the crossbar.
Winning said the Bulldogs’ quickness moving the ball allowed them to find gaps and catch Central out of position. Second-year Central coach Joe Silveira said Bedford’s pace wore down his young group, which includes six underclassmen on its 14-player roster.
“They were playing faster than we could,” Silveira said. “Fitness became an issue for us. … One, it was faster than we could play and then trying to play that speed for 80 minutes was just a lot to ask of these girls right now.”
With what she has already seen from her players, Winning said these Bulldogs have a lot of potential.
“We’ve had some young players over the past couple years who have really developed and become strong, solid and confident,” Winning said. “The coaching staff has kind of talked about how composed some of our players are and they enjoy playing with each other and they’re connecting well in places that they need to and responding well to each other.”