It’s another year, yet the jerseys are usually the same. For the fifth time since Division II girls lacrosse was established in 2002, Bow and Hanover played for the state championship.

The outcome, of course, wasn’t decided until the final minutes.

But unlike last season, when the Lady Falcons pulled a minor 17-16 upset against their rivals from the Vermont border to take a 3-1 advantage in title tilts, this year it was the Lady Marauders who dashed Bow’s hopes of an undefeated season, 12-9, at Manchester Memorial on June 4.

“Remember last year’s game? Well, that’s in their memories, and there’s eight seniors, so they had that in the back of their minds,” said Hanover coach Marianne Doyle.

“The fact that we hadn’t lost all year, it’s a good thing, and it’s a little bit of a monkey on your back,” said Bow coach Chris Raabe. “It seems like every year it’s us and them. Last year, we gave them their only loss. This year, they gave it to us.”

Indeed, the Lady Marauders, who fell to the locals, 13-11, earlier this season, rebounded from a 4-1 first-half deficit to take a 5-4 lead before the break. They scored twice in the opening minute of the second half, and held an 8-4 lead by the time Bow scored again. In a 12-minute span that began with 6:52 left in the first half and ended with 19:51 remaining in the second, the Lady Falcons were outscored 7-0.

“They know Bow, and they know our games can be streaky with them … and they know there can be momentum shifts,” said Doyle, who watched Bow draw to within three goals with 4:17 remaining in the game, more than enough time for the division’s highest scoring team. “When there was three minutes left, I think that was the longest minute I’ve every experienced in women’s lacrosse. (But) Bow had very few uncontested shots, and the shots that went in were great shots.”

Still, Raabe said her players missed downfield passing opportunities and subsequently forced some ill-advised shots.

“I think they were just trying to get some momentum going our way,” she said. “It wasn’t for lack of trying, and I’m proud they stuck it out and were still taking shots to the end. It’s just every time we tried to change something, it was something else that wouldn’t go our way.

“We missed the cage a lot. We hit the pipe a couple times,” added Bow’s coach. “We were struggling with our midfield coming back. We were getting slammed on the draws. We had a rough day.”

Though the Lady Falcons returned to the title game this season after graduating 13 seniors, they lose seven more leaders heading into 2009.

None may be more difficult to replace than speedy midfielder Kiley Corson, said Raabe, though Lindsay Segal- Bator, Kelly Lynch, Nichole Buckley, Sarah St. Onge, Abigail Leach and Jackie Laboe will all be missed.

Returning, however, are juniors Mackenzie Langsten, Alison Meagher, Rachel Roberts, Laura Aurilio, Orli Gottlieb, Caitlin Heindl, Caitlin Pratt and Leanna Shea; sophomores Donna DeMaria, Hope Hartley Camille Laboe, Erin Gail MacDonald, Sarah Large, Samantha Gallerani, Lauryn Wheeler and Hannah Whitley; and freshmen Lindsay Bucknam and Maggie Crisman.