Playoff Roundup: Merrimack Valley field hockey blanks Lebanon to advance (video)
Here are results from Tuesday’s Division II field hockey playoff action.
PENACOOK – Kaiya Mercier had two goals and an assist to help lead the sixth-seeded Merrimack Valley High School field hockey team to a 4-0 win Tuesday over No. 11 Lebanon in the Division II preliminary round of the playoffs.
Abbey Thompson and Izzy Tucker also had a goal apiece for the Pride (11-5-1) while Aylssa Brodeur finished with two assists. Lauren Bailey and goalie Taylor Gionet also played well for Merrimack Valley.
After a scoreless first quarter, Thompson got the Pride on the board by scoring on a penalty corner, as she tapped pass from Mercier just inside the circle and sent it into the back of the goal with 10:35 left in the first half.
Moments later, Mercier took a pass from Brodeur and moved into the circle. Lebanon goalie Meg Cheevers came out to play the ball, but Mercier was able to slip a shot around her to make it 2-0 just 1:43 later.
The Pride continued to put pressure on the Raiders (5-10-2) in the third quarter, but put the game away in the fourth, as goals by Mercier and Tucker just 30 seconds apart made it 4-0. Merrimack Valley also had eight penalty corners in the final seven-plus minutes to keep the ball in Lebanon’s end.
Merrimack Valley moves on to the quarterfinals, where it will face No. 3 John Stark at 7:30 p.m. on Friday at New England College.
No. 8 Plymouth 1, No. 9 Kingswood 0
Freshman Alexa Joyce scored the game’s only goal with 8:27 remaining to help the Bobcats advance past the Knights to the quarterfinals.
Plymouth’s Lucia Sakin sent the ball into the circle, where Kingswood goalie Isabella Bush played it. The rebound came right out in front to Joyce, who quickly put the ball into the back of the cage.
The Bobcats (10-7) move on to face No. 1 Hollis Brookline at 3 p.m. on Friday in Hollis.
No. 7 Hanover 1, No. 11 Pembroke 0
Greta Mancini scored in the first quarter and the Bears made it hold up in a playoff win over the Spartans.
Joia Collins picked up an assist on the goal while goalie Gwen Riordan made two saves for Hanover (10-6-1). The Bears finished the day with 28 penalty corners, but couldn’t add on another goal, as Pembroke’s Annika Jawidzik came up big in goal.
Hanover advances to take on No. 2 Oyster River at 3 p.m. on Friday in Durham.
