By Matt Stout
Staff Writer

Cawley’s Sarah Velasquez knocks home a goal past the Londonderry goalkeeper. (The Hooksett Banner/Matt Stout)

If it’s a Catch-22, then Joseph Heller never told the David R. Cawley Middle School girls soccer team.

This year, like so many other successful ones before it, every player for the Hawks plays for a travel soccer club in addition to the Cawley team. The logic, of course, is the more you play, the better you get.

At the same time, the more a 12- or 13-year-old girl plays, the more easily she can burn out.

Somehow, after daily practices began to build upon one another and one game runs into the next, the Hawks have always persevered ­ two Tri-County League Class M titles in three years, including last year’s crown, and appearances in three straight championship games.

“We try to keep it loose and not to be too serious, and basically try not to beat the heck out of each other all year long,” said Ken McKiernan, in his second year as Cawley’s head coach. “When we first started, like during the first week and a half, the girls were saying, ‘I’m tired, I’m so sore.’ But it always takes some time to get back into it that first week when you’re playing as much as these girls do.”

Winning, of course, also makes it easier. Through three games this season ­ all victories ­ the Hawks have outscored their opponents by a combined 19-4 margin, the latest triumph coming Monday, Sept. 18, in a 7-1 trouncing of Londonderry.

Led by three-year players Sarah Velasquez, Carly Auger, Taylor Frazier and Deven McKiernan, Cawley has made a habit of racing out to big leads each half, pelting the opposing keeper with shots and leaving it to the defense to allow few on the other end.

Though the Hawks’ toughest challenges are ahead ­ most notably Litchfield on Thursday, Sept. 21, and Hampstead a week later ­ the only thing stopping the offense has been the offense itself.

After watching at least three potential goals hit the crossbar against Londonderry and several others fly over the net, McKiernan plans to set up a drill that helped to alleviate the problem last year; he stretches a wire across the goal at least four feet above the ground and tells his players to shoot under it.

Shoot high, and you’re out. It’s ironic, considering there have been few if any Cawley teams that have ever aimed low.

“Almost every year they go to the finals,” McKiernan said. “The last four or five years there have been a lot of great soccer teams to come out of Hooksett.”

Besides Velasquez, who has scored 11 goals through three games, and Cawley’s other relentless forwards ­ McKiernan and Auger combined for three goals against Londonderry ­ the Hawks also rely on Christina Denbow, Emma Pinard and Hannah Pinard to lead the defense in front of goalies Haleigh Parker and Alexis Lievens.

Sixth-grader Nicole Rust has also proven dangerous on the front line, while eighth-graders Kaitlyn Philbrick, Jayne Kelly, Amanda Gerhold, Cara Prindiville, Meghan Graham and Natalie Kfoury provide the necessary depth.

Erin Kelly, Calista Roll, MacKenzie Frazier, Sarah Vaillancourt, Colbie Cookson and Linsay Read round out Cawley’s roster.

“We probably could have scored 20 goals (Thursday) if we could hit the goal,” McKiernan said. “So I think (the expectations) are pretty much exactly the same as last year. So far it’s been fun, to say the least.”