D3 Girls Lacrosse Preview: St. Thomas, Derryfield appear to be ahead of the pack

With a lot of coaching changes and player movement, the teams in Division III appear to be evenly matched to open the season, aside from two programs.

Derryfield and St. Thomas look like the teams that have a step on the rest of the division thanks to some key returning players who have played together for a while.

Bow, Kearsarge, Pelham and Laconia should also be in the mix come playoff time, while Campbell and Hopkinton are teams to keep an eye on this season.

Favorites

• St. Thomas: The Saints return several key players on offense, led by Brooke Chandler, Ella Kuselias, Sarah Leahy and Kylie Youngclaus. They’ll be joined by freshman Megan Leahy. Senior Carly Caswell returns on defense and freshman Catherine Vetter will play a key role for St. Thomas.
• Derryfield: The Cougars have a strong core returning, led by senior goalie Shawna Lesmerises and seniors Lucy Licata and Lauren MacLean. Also returning are seniors Charlotte Rohlfs (midfield/attack), Leah Hoey (midfield), Eva Petron (attack) and Lexie Petron (attack). Junior Jen Sheppard returns at attack while junior Casey Benson will also contribute. Derryfield has a large group of younger players, with seven sophomores and 10 freshmen on the roster.

Challengers

• Bow: The Falcons return a solid junior and senior group, led by captains Amelia Coe and Barrie Guertin (seniors) and Addison Trefethen and Jess Chamberlin (juniors). Coe will lead a defensive unit that also includes seniors Deborah Murdough and Jocelyn Andersone while junior Rylee Constant will start in goal. Guertin and Trefethen will be joined in the midfield by seniors Makayla Murray, Grace Bresson and Emma Avery. Chamberlin leads a young attack that includes junior Ava Kehas and freshmen Olivia Selleck, Sara Gagne and Alex Larrabee.
• Kearsarge: The Cougars return a small, but experienced group, led by seniors Libby Angus and Megan Norris at attack and middie Ellie Camp. Also returning are juniors Devin Phyllides (defense) and Caroline Camp (attack). Newcomers Adara Boucher, Paige Hoegler, Arden Rossi, Valerie Soule and Maya Spiegel will also be looked to for contributions.

Contenders

• Pelham: The Pythons return seven starters, including senior middies Jordyn Galgay and Sydney Nutter and junior middie Emma Beanleand. Seniors Sarah Giniewicz and Lizzy Hodge (goalie) are back to lead the defense while senior Brianna Coombs and junior Reese Patchen will lead the offense. Three freshmen will also be looked at to contribute – middie Sophia Joncas, defender Jasmine Becotte and Taylor Galgay on attack.
• Laconia: The Sachems should be competitive this season with the return of seniors Bella Daly and Lydia Tucker and junior Madison Brooks at midfield. Also returning are junior attack Katie Wescott and senior defender Shay Gunning-Lavoie. Senior Anya Fallon will see time at attack while senior Katie Allen and junior Norah Dunleavy anchor the defense in front of freshman goalie Felicity Faller.

Dark Horses

• Hopkinton: The defending champs have just two players returning with varsity experience in senior Meg Haley (midfield/attack) and junior Annie Higginbotham (defense/midfield). Sophomore Rose Finlayson will be looked at to provide offense at attack while freshmen Hannah Hoyt (midfield), Katie Brown (midfield/defense) and Sarah Chodosh (midfield) should also make an immediate impact. Senior Ana Miller steps in at goal.
• Campbell: The Cougars were a game away from making the postseason in 2019, and while they return just three seniors, there is plenty of talent to make some noise. Two of those seniors are captains Hannah Cuvellier (defense) and Julia Theriault (midfield). Joining Cuvellier on defense will be sophomore Kristina Castellano while juniors Bailey Bourque and Josie Oberto will play at midfield. Juniors Brooke Stoncius and Elayna Montenero will lead the offense.

Rest of the Field

• Trinity
• Plymouth
• Gilford
• Bishop Brady
• Inter-Lakes/Moultonborough
• Milford
• Lebanon
• Hillsboro-Deering

Editor’s Note: With an open playoff divided into regional brackets, instead of predictions for who will make the playoffs and the final, below is a projected top five and a prediction for the championship game.

Top Five

1. Derryfield
2. St. Thomas
3. Bow
4. Kearsarge
5. Laconia

Championship

• Derryfield over St. Thomas

Preseason Offensive Player of the Year: Brooke Chandler, St. Thomas

Preseason Defensive Player of the Year: Shawna Lesmerises, Derryfield