D3 Girls Lacrosse Preview: New and old faces fill division landscape

Graduation impacts every high school sports program eventually, and for many of last year’s top teams in Division III girls lacrosse, that time is now.

Derryfield, last year’s champion, saw the departure of many players who had been a key part of the program, and the same goes for teams like St. Thomas, Gilford and Laconia.

Two teams look to have plenty of players returning to put them in the category of favorites: Hopkinton, which was the runner-up to Derryfield last season; and Bow, which took the Cougars to four-overtimes in an opening-round tournament game in 2021.

Teams like Derryfield and St. Thomas will likely still compete for playoff spots, along with perennial playoff teams like Pelham and Kearsarge.

With Hillsboro-Deering unable to field a team this season, the division will have 16 teams for this season, with eight advancing to the postseason.

Favorites

• Bow: The Falcons looked like a final four team a year ago, but had a tough draw in the postseason and lost to eventual-champion Derryfield in four overtimes in the first round of the playoffs. Bow returns a talented group that includes midfielders Alex Larrabee, Addison Trefethen, Olivia Selleck and Lyndsey and Isabella LaPerle. Also returning at attack are Jessica Chamberlin, Sara Gagne and Ava Kehas. Goalie Elena Roy returns along with Stephanie Gosselin and Jill Harpring on defense.
• Hopkinton: The Hawks reached the final a year ago and pushed Derryfield to the limit, and now have key players from that team returning, including defenders Olivia Cressy, Francie Trafton and Katelyn Bouchard. They’ll be joined by freshman goalie Anika Hudak-Hall. Annie Higginbotham and Hannah Hoyt return at midfield while Rose Finlayson and Sarah Chodosh will lead the offense and freshman Madeline Zahn will be expected to contribute as well.

Contenders

• Derryfield: The Cougars lost a lot to graduation from last year’s championship team and will have 19 freshmen and sophomores in the program. Derryfield will look to captains Casey Benson (senior), Jen Sheppard (senior) and Christine Nadeau (junior) for leadership while freshman Lily Kfoury steps in at goalie.
• Pelham: The Pythons always seem to be in contention for a final four run and that will likely be the case again this year with solid core returning. That includes senior Reese Patchen and juniors Taylor Galgay and Hannah Deschene at attack and senior Emma Beanland and sophomores Sophia Joncas and Kate Burke at midfield. Seniors Haileigh LaFlamme and Molly Pratt are back on defense and will be joined by freshman goalie Addie Breault. Sophomore Jillian LaBlanc and freshman Alexis Breault will also see time at midfield.
• Kearsarge: The Cougars have a handful of experienced returning players, led by senior captains Caroline Camp and Devin Phyllides. Other returning starters include Kate Dawson, Valerie Soule, Adison Whitty, Arden Rossi and goalie Paige Hoegler. They’ll be joined by newcomers Savannah Nestler, Tori Wooten, Eliza Cardillo and Maya Spiegel.
• Lebanon: The Raiders return 10 seniors who got valuable experience during a successful 2021. Returning at attack are Kayla Taber, Sydney Zagarola and Cassidy Adams, who will be joined by Paige Susco and Molly Jane Schutzius, while Ella Longacre, Molly Smith and Catherine Cole are back at midfield. The defense will be led by returning seniors Amalia Hickey, Claire Thibodeau, Clara Smyrski and Anna Illsley while Baillie Mako steps in at goal. Juniors Amanda Brooker and Lauren Keefe will also see time on defense.
• Campbell: Only two players graduated from last year’s roster for the Cougars and nine starters return. That includes senior middies Bailey Bourque and Hailey Anderson and seniors Tiana Boyson, Elayna Montenero and Brook Stoncius and junior Avery Faye at attack. The defense will be led by juniors Kristina Costellano, Sophi Almeida and Phoebe Drouin in goal. Freshmen Abbey Guerrette (midfield) and Rania Chaundhry (goalie) will also have a chance to contribute.
• St. Thomas: The Saints lost a lot from last year’s team, but have enough talent returning and coming in that they could be a playoff team this season. Senior Sara Anderson returns at attack and will be joined by sophomore middies Megan Leahy and Kat Dornan, while sophomores Cat Vetter and Julianna Grella return after playing midfield and defense last season. Sophomore Grace Talbot will jump in on offense along with freshmen Kensley Harris, Hannah Henderson, Lila Meause and Reece Anderson.

Rest of the Field

• Gilford: The Eagles had one of the more successful seasons in program history last year, but return just two experienced seniors returning this year. Senior captain Molly McLean will look to lead the offense while being joined by Lexi Shute, Aly Pichette, Laureen Gallant and Emily Watson. Senior Sophia Leher is back on defense while newcomers Ashley Sanderson, Gene Cookinham, Tess Tanner and Sydney Irons will be looked at to contribute this year.
• Bishop Brady: The Giants will look to their juniors and sophomores to lead the way, including juniors Isabella Cochrane (attack), Bryana Sanuth (midfield/attack) and Isabella Lamm (defense). Sophomores Finley Hollenberg, Anna Beauchesne, Ava O’Brien and Lydia Tremblay also return at attack while sophomore Luiza Detwiller will be joined at midfield by sophomore Mieke Rentsch and Morgan Casey.
• Inter-Lakes/Moultonborough: Many of the Lakers returning players got a lot of experience a year ago, led by junior midfielder Katie Velie. Also returning is senior defender Paulina Oakley and midfielders Elliana Marchand-Corriea (senior) and Elise Stewart (junior). Senior Ellie Hornkohl moves from attack to midfield for ILM and joines junior Julia Marra while seniors Alexa Lazazzera and Liv Nichols and junior Maddie Colby return at attack. Kate DeTolla (junior) and Haven Lopez (senior) return on defense and will be joined by sophomore Hayley Doda in goal. The Lakers will also look for contributions from junior Hannah Pratt, fresheman Makenna Eichhorn, Lola Ferrante and Lianna Keenan and Angela Porta, an exchange student from Spain who is trying lacrosse for the first time.
• Trinity: The Pioneers have a handful of returners, led by senior captains Maeve Smith and Courtney Ingham, but have a big freshmen class coming in this season. Also returning are junior Carolyn Burleigh and sophomores Lexie DeFreitas, Peyton Holmes and Faith Ampuja. Freshmen Arabella Mariano and Meghan Schmidt will be look to to contribute as well.
• Milford: The Spartans will have a new head coach, as Steve Vetack takes over as head coach. Seniors Grace O’Shaughnessy, Amelia Leo and Victoria Vanetti return at attack while senior Sofia Freeman will lead the defense. The midfield will be manned by Kelci Waters, Addy Hopkins and Bailey Johnson.
• Laconia
• Plymouth
• Belmont

Playoff Predictions

• Playoff teams (8): Bow, Campbell, Derryfield, Hopkinton, Kearsarge, Lebanon, Pelham, St. Thomas.
• Final Four: Hopkinton, Bow, Derryfield, Pelham.
• Championship: Hopkinton over Bow.