Everyone chasing Hopkinton as D3 girls lacrosse playoffs get underway

The Hopkinton High School girls lacrosse team was on a mission during the regular season, now it’s time to see if the Hawks can put together the finishing touches.

After falling to Laconia in last year’s championship game, Hopkinton went undefeated during the regular season and outscored opponents by 147 goals, had just four games decided by single digits and allowed more than five goals in a game just five times all year.

Are the Hawks a lock to win this year’s Division III title? Not if the rest of the field has anything to say about it, although the four teams who gave Hopkinton its toughest games of the year are all on the opposite side of the bracket.

Here’s a look at Wednesday’s quarterfinals.

No. 8 Pembroke (8-6) at No. 1 Hopkinton (14-0), 5 p.m.

• This is the only matchup in the girls lacrosse playoffs where the two teams didn’t play during the regular season. Pembroke is in its first year in D3 after moving down from D2, and after winning just four games a year ago, doubling that number and making the playoffs is quite an accomplishment for the Spartans. While Hopkinton has averaged 16.2 goals per game this season, the Hawks’ defense might be even more impressive. They’ve allowed double-digit goals just three times all year, with two of those coming in the first three games. In the final 11, Hopkinton has given up an average of five goals per game.
• Pick: Hopkinton 17, Pembroke 2.

No. 5 Pelham (10-4) at No. 4 Bow (11-3), 5 p.m.

• These two teams played just eight days ago, with Bow picking up a 10-9 road win over Pelham. For the Pythons, that loss was part of a streth that saw them alternate wins and losses over their final eight games, as they ended the regular season going 4-4. Two of those losses were by one goal and another by three. For the Falcons, the win was part of an eight-game win streak to end the regular season. Bow had a strange start to the season, opening 2-0 but then had a 19-day layoff due to game postponements and spring vacation. During the win streak, Bow has allowed just 7.1 goals per game and hasn’t allowed double digits in its last seven games.
• Pick: Pelham 9, Bow 8.

No. 7 Laconia (9-5) at No. 2 Kearsarge (12-3), 5 p.m.

• The Cougars picked up a 16-9 win over the Sachems back on May 3. That was part of a tough stretch for Laconia, as they dropped three of four games midway through the season. Since then, the Sachems are 5-1, with the lone loss coming in a 16-14 loss to Hopkinton, the Hawks’ closest game of the year. Laconia’s defense has struggled at times this season, as it has allowed an average of 10.6 goals per game. Kearsarge started out the year 2-2, which included losses to Hopkinton and Pelham, but the Cougars won 10 of their final 11 games to claim the No. 2 seed. Kearsarge won five in a row to end the regular season and outscored opponents 73-34 during that streak.
• Pick: Kearsarge 14, Laconia 10.

No. 6 St. Thomas (9-5) at No. 3 Derryfield (11-3), 5 p.m.

• It’s been less than a week since these teams ended the regular season with a 12-4 win by Derryfield. The Saints make their first playoff appearance since 2016 after getting out to an 8-2 start to the season. In those first 10 games, St. Thomas averaged 14.3 goals per game. In its final four games, in which St. Thomas was 1-3, it scored a total of 31 goals. The Cougars have been able to score a lot of goals this year, averaging 13.1 this season. Only three times have they scored fewer than 11 goals, but are just 1-2 in those games. Derryfield has also allowed double-digit goals three times this year and is 0-3 in those games.
• Pick: Derryfield 11, St. Thomas 7.

Playoff Predcitions

Preseason

• Playoff teams: Bow, Campbell, Derryfield, Hopkinton, Kearsarge, Laconia, Pelham, St. Thomas.
• Final four: Derryfield, Hopkinton, Laconia, Pelham.
• Championship: Hopkinton over Derryfield.

Now

Once again, we got seven of the eight playoff teams, with Pembroke reaching the postseason in place of Campbell.

• Final four: Hopkinton over Pelham; Kearsarge over Derryfield.
• Championship: Hopkinton over Kearsarge.