BY RYAN O'CONNOR

The Central girls soccer team entered the contest on Friday, Sept. 21, with a sterling 7-0 record. Its opponent, Goffstown, had compiled a lowly 2-5 record.

Yet following 100 minutes of play, including two overtimes, the Little Green walked away with a 1-1 tie, the only blemish on their record.

“It’s girls soccer. Anything can happen on any day,” said Goffstown head coach Larry Houghton. “I think they were a stronger team, faster, and maybe a little bit more athletic, but we maintained our composure.”

Though Central controlled the ball for at least 90 percent of the highly physical match-up, outshooting the young Grizzlies 36-5, the locals failed to net the game-winning goal after junior Elizabeth Belanger of Hooksett tallied the first score of the contest at 29:33.

Goffstown scored three and a half minutes later.

“Too many bars, too many posts, too many (shots) right at the keeper,” said visibly dismayed Central head coach Peter Lally of his team’s failure to put away a foe it dominated the entire game. “Nothing we can do about it. We controlled play, lived in their end and just couldn’t finish it off. We’re still undefeated.”

Prior to the deadlock at Goffstown, Central handily outscored its previous seven opponents 21-3.

Hooksett players on this year’s Little Green squad include seniors Amanda Davis, Jillian St. Pierre, and Lindsey Jarnutowski, juniors Belanger and Sarah Barnes, and sophomores Abigail Wurtele and Lindsay Johnson.