For Hopkinton, the fullgame effort was certainly there. Unfortunately for the hosts, it was also there for Class M’s top-ranked girls soccer team, Gilford.

The visiting Golden Eagles took an early lead and withstood the Hawks’ response to win on Friday, Sept. 19, 3-1. In the process, they dropped Hopkinton to 2-1-2 and left town with a 7-0-0 mark.

“I think we certainly showed we can play with them,” said Hopkinton’s longtime mentor, Curt Martin, who said his team competed without fear against a group that outscored its previous six foes by a 36-6 margin.

The Lady Hawks controlled the first 25 minutes of play, but Gilford’s star striker, senior Cassie Crockett, deked a pair of Hopkinton defenders and right-footed a shot over Emma Brown’s extended arms for a 1-0 Golden Eagles’ edge 13 minutes into the contest.

Despite strong pushes from Elise Ewing, Jen Merrow and Kaley Cook, the Hawks did not find the net. When Cassie Crockett took a feed from her sophomore sister, Chelsea, and scored three seconds before halftime, Hopkinton could have given up.

Instead, Melissa Baron’s corner kick set up Ewing’s goal just 90 seconds into the second half, and the Hawks trailed by one. On the play, Cook forcefully engaged a Gilford defender, freeing Ewing for the score. It was perhaps the strongest example of Hopkinton’s refusal to step aside for Gilford.

“They’re starting to do the things we’ve asked them to do – finding the right option once they have the ball, and staying in control of the ball and themselves,” said Martin.

Brown, helped by starting defenders Jill Peters, Katie Babson, Sarah Dobe and Heather Scammon, played well in goal. She had no chance to save either of Crockett’s accurate first-half shots.

The defense’s solid stand, coupled with steady midfield play from starters Jacqui Foti, Katie Jackson and Melissa Baron, prompted Martin to make a bold prediction regarding the group’s remaining 11 regularseason contests.

“I told them right after the game,” said the coach, “‘If you play like you played today against Gilford, there’s not a team left on the schedule that can beat us.”