After dropping six regularseason contests by one goal, the Goffstown girls soccer team’s postseason ended in similar fashion – in the first round of the Class L tournament following a 1-0 loss to Salem.

“At the beginning of the season, I thought we could finish around .500,” said Goffstown’s head coach, Larry Houghton, whose team finished the regular season at 6-9-1. “I’m not disappointed, because our record really didn’t indicate how good we really were.”

For much of the first half, 13thseeded Goffstown kept the Salem offense in check, but the Blue Devils broke the scoreless tie with 7:52 remaining before intermission.

Liz Edgerton sent a ball from the right corner of the field across to Sarah Raye, who knocked it home to give her team the lead.

In the second half the Grizzlies had chances to tie the game, including a Hannah Taylor shot that went just wide of the goal with 24:50 remaining.

With the seconds ticking down on the Goffstown season, Stephanie Baker was a step ahead on a Salem defender, but her shot sailed over the goalpost, and the Grizzlies were unable to put together any other offensive threats.

The two teams played to a 0-0 draw on Oct. 20, and Salem’s head coach, Kendrick Whittle, said he was well aware his group faced a quality opponent.

“We knew coming in that they were capable of beating us, and we were mentally tough enough at the end to hold on,” he said. “That’s the parity of Class L. Any team can beat any other team. That’s why it was so important for us to get the first goal.”

After defeating Goffstown, Salem knocked off 12th-seeded Manchester Memorial to advance to the semifinals vs. top-ranked Merrimack.

Houghton said his team’s season- ending was a perfect example of the entire campaign for the Grizzlies.

“I don’t think they were better than us out there. They just got one good bounce,” he said. “Obviously, it’s not how we wanted to end the season, but it is kind of fitting that it ended in a one-goal game.”