CONCORD – After senior defender Piper Hindle scored the game-winning goal in Portsmouth High School’s 2-1 girls soccer victory over Concord on Tuesday, Sept. 22, coach Rick Hugener praised the unlikely source of offense.
“That’s her first goal of the year,” Hugener said. “She plays left back, so she’s a defender. We were pressing most of the game, and because we were tied she was pushing higher up the field late. She got the ball about 25 yards out and ripped a shot high to the far side of the goal.”
Hindle was named the Seacoast Standout Athlete of the Day.
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Hugener said Hindle’s goal was especially meaningful given her leadership role.
“It was great,” he said. “She’s a senior captain and one of our leaders. For her to step up and get a win for us is amazing. She played a great game defensively and was really involved in our transition into the attack.”
The Clippers were forced to grind out the win while dealing with injuries that have shuffled players into unfamiliar roles.
“We have a lot of girls playing in different positions than they’re normally playing because of injuries,” Hugener said. “Just the effort and the grind they showed throughout the game was impressive.”
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Hugener said Concord’s defensive approach made scoring chances difficult to come by.
“We possessed the ball well, but they packed it in most of the game,” he said. “It was tough to break through and get quality shots when there were usually nine players behind the ball around the box. We kept pushing, and finally we broke through toward the end of the game, which was nice.”
This article originally appeared on Portsmouth Herald: Tuesday Seacoast Standout: Portsmouth girls soccer senior captain delivers in clutch
