The Bedford field hockey team is knocking on the Class I door, they’re just having trouble entering.

After scoring three goals in a season-opening loss to Milford, the Bulldogs scored just one time in the next three games, despite putting heavy pressure on opponents in the circle.

On Saturday, Sept. 12, Bedford dropped a 5-1 home contest to Souhegan, falling to 1-3.

“They’re right there but just haven’t been able capitalize like we want to yet,” said head coach Jill Corson. “They just need to get hungrier. They want it, and that finishing ability will start to come naturally.”

Senior forward Jess Hughes hammered a loose ball home at 17 minutes to give Bedford a 1-0, but that lead didn’t last long.

With 13:44 left in the first half the Sabers evened the score, then took the lead for good less than three minutes later.

Sophomore Haylie Matta nearly knotted things up three minutes into the second half when she took two shots at close range, but both were turned away.

One minute later, Bedford goalie Ashley Donahue made two lunging saves before Souhegan added to its lead on the third try, putting the game out of reach.

Despite allowing five goals, Donahue played well, making difficult saves throughout the contest.

“She’s doing a great job being aggressive, and it’s been encouraging to watch her,” said Corson. “Goalies always feel responsible when goals score – they take the brunt of it when we give up goals – but the bottom line is: it has to get through the whole defense too, and they’ll be the first to tell her that.”

Souhegan head coach Sarah Hooper-Barbato said she believes the artificial turf at Bedford High School benefits Donahue’s style of play.

“Playing turf is good for her because she’s able to hit the ground and bounce right back up quickly,” said Hooper- Barbato. “It’ll be interesting to see how she plays when we play at our field.”

The Souhegan mentor said Bedford has the potential to put goals on the board, despite its current offensive struggles.

“They have a few tough scorers, and they’re fast to the cage and on free hits,” said Hooper-Barbato. “They’re building, but they’ve gotten better every year that we’ve faced them.”