BACK TO BACK? – While Alyssa Thayer of West (right) and Lisa Gagne of Bishop Guertin try to control the ball, the Blue Knights controlled play throughout, winning the Class L soccer title on Sunday, Nov. 7. With many returning players, West is looking for back-to-back titles next year. (Jerry Liptak Photo)

NASHUA – Going a perfect 20-0 and winning the state championship has an interesting way of making prior pain go away.

With its 2-1 win against No. 2 Bishop Guertin of Nashua (15-3-1) at Stellos Stadium on Sunday, Nov. 7, the top-ranked Manchester West girls soccer team won its second title in three seasons and 14th in school history.

Freshman Natalie Masci of Bedford scored both goals in West’s win, which helped dull the pain of senior tri-captain Laura Landau’s severely sprained left ankle. Bedford’s Landau suffered the injury making a play on a ball in the semifinals against Salem on Monday, Nov. 1.

The victory also helped every returning player from last fall finally forget the tough loss to Manchester Central in the previous Final Four, which ruined the Blue Knights’ chance for an unblemished ’03 campaign.

West’s tremendous team accomplishment even surprised head coach Jack Amero – the man who has guided all 14 championship clubs from the Queen City’s west side.

“West had a series of undefeated teams in the late ’80s and early ’90s,” said Amero, who now stands one win shy of 400 career victories. “Back then, West’s teams were great, but there really wasn’t much competition. In this day and age in Class L, it’s so hard (to go undefeated and win the championship). Even the lower-tiered teams are tough. I would’ve never thought it possible because it’s so much to ask.”

“Last year we were undefeated (through 18 games), but we didn’t win the most important thing,” said junior tri-captain Alyssa Thayer of Hooksett. “It just feels good because we accomplished something that most people think can’t be accomplished. It means a lot.”

As if these girls weren’t playing with enough pressure simply by entering every match as an unbeaten bunch in the state’s toughest class, the Blue Knights also played with additional weight on their shoulders.

Prior to Sunday’s opening whistle, West was the No. 3 high school girls team in the nation; tied with two other schools in the country for most state championships in history with 13.

“Our reputation precedes us,” Amero said. “It’s something we should be proud of, but we have to defend it all the time. That’s a huge amount of pressure.”

With the win, the West program set a new standard for soccer excellence.

“(Amero) is a great coach,” said Landau, who played limited minutes in the finals, but contributed nonetheless. “He really knows the game and he’s been doing it for so long. Now we have the most championships in the whole nation.

That’s pretty amazing.”

The coach credited his players for that accomplishment. Many of the roughly 1,500 fans in attendance for Sunday’s season finale were members of past championship teams.

Amero’s message to players former and current: Each was a key component to the program’s overall success.

“These guys won No. 14,” Amero said of this season’s squad. “But in a way, all my players from Nos. 1 to 13 are a part of it. All these kids are a part of the legacy.”

For the girls who grounded the Cardinals of BG, Amero said it was extra impressive – and borderline scary – considering the new queens of Class L were a very young group.

Along with Landau, fellow tri-captain Becca Francis of Bedford and Hooksett’s Erin Willey were the only seniors on the ’04 roster.

The coach said Landau and Francis were “tremendous examples on and off the field.” And despite garnering fewer minutes than her senior teammates, Willey was “one of the most inspirational players and a loyal West kid.”

Considering West will return the majority of a group that only surrendered six goals this season, sights are set on continuing the winning tradition.

“We better go 20-0 next year, too,” Thayer said with a smile. “And win the championship.”