BY RYAN O'CONNOR

What looked like a dream matchup of Class L unbeatens turned into a nightmare for Timberlane, with Salem playing the role of dreaded monster.

Though the two teams battled to a 2-2 tie on Oct. 6, the Blue Devils were more prepared to avenge this season’s only blemish, defeating the Owls 4-0 on Sunday, Oct. 28, in the state championship
at Bedford High School.

The victory gave Salem its fifth title in six years – its third in a row – and reasserted the notion that the Blue Devils remain Class L’s lone superpower.

“Every year is different, and every group is different, and I know these girls won championships before. But right now the only one that matters is the one they won today,” said head coach Carol Merchant.

Unlike the first match, which was played on thick grass at Timberlane’s home field in Plaistow, the season’s final game was played on a dry day on artificial turf. Senior Ashley Mulkey said the conditions played to the speedy Blue Devils’ strengths.

“I think the surface of the field had a lot to do with it. I think a lot of our players are turf players and we’ve been playing on it all summer (and fall), and I think that was a huge advantage,” she said.

Salem overran the ball at least 90 percent of the time in the teams’ first contest, said Merchant, so the field was a factor in the outcome. However, having the entire team healthy and playing together may have been the single biggest factor in the win.

“We all love each other, and I think that showed on the field,” she said. “These girls really played unselfishly, and it was a stifling game on defense.”

Salem allowed three shots in the contest.

Junior Kyleigh Keating put Salem on the board, redirecting a Katie Bettencourt centering pass.

The midfielders kept the locals in constant control of the ball. Merchant specifically noted the standout play of senior Tatum Dyer.

“She was absolutely dominant … You don’t have to be an expert in field hockey to know that she stood out,” said the winning coach. “She owned and controlled the midfield, which is what she’s been doing all season.”

Carolyn Malloy’s two second-half tallies not only sealed the victory, they etched her name into the history book as the Blue Devils’ record holder for most goals in a season.

“I don’t care who you are or what level you’re playing, that’s a lot of goals,” said Merchant.

But if Class L foes think they will capitalize next year on the loss of Malloy and nine other seniors, they may want to think again.

“We’re going to do some rebuilding next year, but I tried to rebuild this year. The younger players got a lot of playing time,” said Merchant, who noted a lineup primarily of backups played the starters of Class L’s No. 4 seed, Pinkerton Academy, to a preseason tie.

“We had a lot of depth on this team with the younger kids and now they have to step up because their time is in our future.”