Portsmouth claims top spot in preseason MerchSquared.com/NHHSSports Girls Lacrosse Coaches Poll
For the second year in a row, the Portsmouth High School girls lacrosse team finds itself at the top as the regular season gets underway.
For the second year in a row, the Portsmouth High School girls lacrosse team finds itself at the top as the regular season gets underway.
Will the Clippers end up there at the end, like they did a year ago? There’s a long way to go to figure that out, but as the 2025 spring season gets going, Portsmouth begins it as the unanimous choice as the top team in the preseason MerchSqaured.com/NHHSSports Girls Lacrosse Coaches Poll.
Portsmouth received all 10 first-place votes, as the defending Division I champs begin another title defense this week with home games against Hollis Brookline and Winnacunnet on Monday and Wednesday, followed by a trip to Pinkerton on Friday.
Coming in at No. 2 is last year’s runner-up, both in D1 and in the final poll, is Bishop Guertin. The Cardinals start the season with just one game this week, a home game vs. Londonderry on Tuesday at Presentation of Mary Academy in Hudson.
Souhegan and Pinkerton come in at Nos. 3 and 4, with just one point separating the two teams in the poll. The Sabers open by hosting Concord on Monday and then going to Salem on Friday. Meanwhile, the Astros go to Salem on Monday before hosting Portsmouth at the end of the week.
Bedford rounds out the top five, and will host back-to-back games against Dover and Kennebunk (Maine) on Monday and Tuesday before a trip to Londonderry on Friday.
Exeter takes the No. 6 spot, with the Blue Hawks set to host Windham and Concord on Monday and Wednesday, respectively, followed by a game at Hollis Brookline on Friday. Windham opens its time in D1 as the No. 7 team in the poll, following Monday’s game at Exeter by hosting Manchester Central-West on Friday.
Nashua South will take a No. 8 ranking into games vs. Salem on Wednesday and at Central-West on Thursday, while Hollis Brookline, the lone Division II team in the top 10 at No. 9, goes to Merrimack Valley on Wednesday in between games against Portsmouth and Exeter.
St. Thomas, the defending Division III champion, comes in at No. 10 and the Saints open the season at Hopkinton on Wednesday.
Here is the preseason MerchSquared.com/NHHSS Girls Lacrosse Coaches Poll for 2025. These are the top 10 lacrosse teams in the state going into the year, with last year’s records, first-place votes/points, and last year’s final ranking (T=tie).
- Portsmouth (17-2), 10/100, 1st
- Bishop Guertin (16-4), 81, 2nd
- Souhegan (14-5), 74, 3rd
- Pinkerton (12-7), 73, 6th
- Bedford (14-4), 60, 4th
- Exeter (10-9), 37, NR
- Windham (18-2), 24, 5th
- Nashua South (11-8), 18, NR
- Hollis Brookline (10-7), 16, NR
- St. Thomas (17-0), 14, 8th
Also receiving votes: Winnacunnet (19-2), 12, 7th; Londonderry (9-11), 11; Hanover (12-5), 11, 9th; Goffstown (12-8), 7; Merrimack (5-11), 6; Gilford (14-3), 3; Dover (6-12), 2; Concord (3-14), 1.
The coaches poll is voted on by coaches from all three divisions, as well as members of the media.
