PENACOOK – Senior Bailey Gatchell scored the lone goal with nine minutes left in the first half and goalkeeper Laila Al-Shawafi held a clean sheet behind a strong defense as Pembroke beat Merrimack Valley 1-0 in a girls’ soccer match in on Saturday.

Both teams were in search of their fourth win of the season in a tight local match-up.

“We won first ball, second ball, third ball, found our forward, found her again. We involved like six people in a small space to get that goal, and that’s what we’ve been working on. And I think it paid off for us today,” said Pembroke head coach Jess Kaufman-Desrochers.

The ball was bouncing around through the air and it was hit perfectly through to Gatchell at the edge of the box. She was one-on-one with MV goalkeeper Jordan Monaghan and kept her composure to hit it into the left side of the net, with no room for error.

The second half was a free-for-all, with fouls going both ways and Merrimack Valley (3-3-3) trying to tie the game. The Pride had three ties on the season and scraping by with another one on Saturday considering the deficit would have been a favorable outcome.

“This is not a typical game day, playing at nine o’clock with a little bit of a wet field and some fog. We also were talking about everybody defends everywhere, and how do we anticipate and step through those lanes and then find each other and have less turnovers,” said Kaufman-Desrochers.

The Pride chased the game but had only four shots on target in the second half. Pembroke (4-4-0) looked to keep possession and press high while trying to widen the lead.

In the end, Pem broke held the ball in the corners, drew fouls and throw-ins, and escaped with the win.

Looking forward, Pembroke will play Lebanon at home next on Wednesday. Merrimack Valley will try to bounce back at Oyster River on Thursday.

Boys’ soccer

The boys’ game between Pembroke and Merrimack Valley was a similar story, but with two teams that found themselves in different situations.

The Pride entered with a 5-3 record, while Pembroke had been struggling with only one win, four losses and a draw. Sometimes, mental focus — and a little luck — can be all the difference in games like this, which ended as a 1-0 win for Pembroke.

Merrimack Valley tallied the first shot on goal, however, it was calmly controlled by goalkeeper Dylan Hawkins. Pembroke was not dominating MV, but was able to start attacks through long balls and speedy wingers.

Twelve minutes into the game, Pembroke earned a corner kick. The box was filled with white and striped shirts, and as the ball looped in, Pride goalkeeper Jacob Baggett jumped to block it while a Spartan player tried to get a head on it.

Baggett made contact but the ball ricocheted onto another player and rolled towards goal before being knocked in by Will Lecain.

From that point on, MVbattled not only Pembroke, but themselves. The team that had connected well from the back and through midfield could not seem to find answers to Pembroke’s high press.

Star forwards Joey Olivera and Logan Vong had a few chances in the second half, but missed. The midfielders also struggled to get shots on target from a distance.

MV will look to stay on the right side of the win column against Oyster River at home on Friday. Meanwhile, Pembroke will try to carry its momentum to Lebanon on Tuesday.