Portsmouth looks like the team to beat as D1 girls lacrosse season gets closer

It didn’t take long for the Portsmouth High School girls lacrosse team to leave its mark on Division I.

The Clippers have been to back-to-back D1 finals and enter the year as defending champions after spending the last two seasons in the division. Going into 2025, Portsmouth looks like the favorite to make it back-to-back titles, and seven titles in the last eight years.

The only thing that’s kept the Clippers from reaching a championship game in the last decade has been a global pandemic.

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There is no shortage of teams that could trip up Portsmouth, with last year’s runner-up, Bishop Guertin, at the top of that list. Souhegan and Pinkerton should also be among the biggest challengers to the Clippers, while Exeter and Bedford should also be in the mix.

Two teams moved up from D2 for this two-year cycle, with Windham petitioning up after winning the program’s first championship last year. Meanwhile, Manchester Central-West stayed up after making the postseason in D2 in 2024. Merrimack’s enrollment put it in D2 for this cycle and the Tomahawks opted not to petition back up to D1.

Favorite

Portsmouth (17-2, D1 champions): The Clippers lost just five seniors from last year’s team, which won the program’s 10th title since 2007 and first in D1.

Senior Morgan Ruhnke returns at midfield along with junior Ginger Vinciguerra and sophomores Emery and Raegan Lawton. Freshman Elliot Blenkinsop will also have a chance to contribute at midfield. At attack, juniors Lily Patterson and Addie Delisle and sophomore Georgia Bouvier return.

Junior Sage Bussiere is back at goalie to lead the defense with senior Abby Stacy and junior Maddy Houghton also returning. Junior Ava Barrows and freshman Ava Brunelle will also be in the mix.

Challengers

Bishop Guertin (16-4, lost in final): The Cardinals graduated 11 seniors from last year’s runner-up, the fifth time in six years Bishop Guertin has been in the D1 title game.

The Cardinals have 15 players returning with varsity experience, led on defense by seniors Maddy Eder-Linnell (goalie), Jordan Gaebel, Lindsay Roedel and Elena Marziano along with junior Sydney Brophy and sophomore Sophia Harrington. Senior goalies Emmerson Danish and Haley Mitchell also return.

Other seniors returning include Mariella Tomasello, Madisyn Mendell and Ava Card on attack and Sarah Brunelle, who will see time at attack and at midfield. Junior Abby Lynn and sophomore Lola Dumont also return at midfield and junior Bella Dawson is back on attack.

Junior Olivia Baker and sophomore Charlotte Accomando will also look to contribute on defense and at midfield.

Souhegan (14-5, lost in semifinal): The Sabers lost seven seniors from last year’s final four team but have a mix of classes returning to give them a strong core.

Seniors Natalie Heimarck (midfield) and Abby Giannetti (attack) lead the way for Souhegan while sophomores Libby Kennedy and Izzy Stevenson will be key at midfield. Sophomore Sophie Jacobs also returns to lead the defense.

The Sabers will also look to freshmen Emersynn Curran (midfield), Averie Curran (midfield), Madison Behn (defender) and Meredith Heimarck (attack) to contribute.

Pinkerton (12-7, lost in quarterfinal): The Astros lost nine seniors to graduation but have eight starters back, with a good mix of experience all over the field.

Leading the way on attack are seniors Hannah Lisauskas, Anna Perkins, Elise Collins and Bella Patralia, junior Francesca Doyle and sophomores Delanie Summers and Sookie Folsom. Senior Mia Eckerman returns at midfield where she’ll be joined by junior Melyana Larra and sophomores Eliana Henry and Ava Michelinie.

Senior goalie Sara DiClemente returns on defense along with seniors Sydney Sexton and Lyla Goucher, juniors Parker Knowlton, Lexi Last and Cali Lockwood and sophomore Ashley Clouthier. Sophomore goalie Paige Fenner also returns while senior goalie Madison Kavecki could also see time. Sophomores Olivia Montmarquet and Cora Udina will look to contribute on defense as well.

Exeter (10-9, lost in quarterfinal): The Blue Hawks graduated just five seniors from last year’s team and return a solid core that will be supported by a strong group of freshmen.

Senior captains Karli Scherpf (midfield), Alex Girard (defense) and Hailey O’Kane (midfield) will lead the way for Exeter while junior goalie Molly Byrne, senior Sophia Wilhelm (defense) and junior Phoebe Christenson (attack) also return.

Freshmen Riley Benevides (midfield), Josie Drunsic (attack) and Claire Wilhelm (midfield) will have a chance to contribute for the Blue Hawks.

Contenders

Bedford (14-4, lost in semifinal): The Bulldogs have graduated a lot of talent over the last two seasons, including seven seniors from last year’s final four team.

Leading the way for Bedford will be senior midfielder Maddie Kiely while juniors Mikita Barry and Carly Hodgdon-Rogers will join her in the midfield. Junior Eloise Montagano and freshman Mary Lenti will look to contribute at attack.

Juniors Irene Tsai (goalie) and Andie Nugent return to lead the Bulldogs’ defense.

Nashua South (11-8, lost in quarterfinal): Just seven seniors graduated for the Panthers and they return a talent group that will look to build off a playoff appearance last season.

Seniors Maren Lowell and Karina O’Donnell will lead at midfield while senior Saige Devins returns at attack and senior Nevaeh Eppolito is back on defense. Junior Addie Borden will look to contribute at attack while freshman Carly Benzekri will see time at midfield.

Londonderry (9-11, lost in quarterfinal): The Lancers returned to the playoffs last season, and despite losing nine seniors, have a solid core returning to get back.

Londonderry has 15 players with varsity experience returning, including seniors Jayden Sherwood (goalie), Ava Naar (attack), Gabby Pedrick (midfield) and Keira Strike (attack).

Juniors Eres Delorey (midfield), Lily Ciarametaro (attack), Abbigail Cook (goalie), Madison Grennon (midfield) and Annabelle Melia (attack) are also back, along with sophomores Avery Stowell (defense), Summer Butler (attack), Molly Leone (defense), Lexi Padykula (attack), Core Rogers (attack) and Addison Doyle (midfield).

Newcomers include junior Lindsay LaBossiere, sophomores Molly Tharrington and Mel Kowack and freshmen Molly Connors and Emerson Dodge.

Dark Horse

Concord (3-14): The Crimson Tide will have their fourth new coach in four years, as Mike Zahn steps in to lead the program.

Concord will rely on a number of juniors and sophomores, with senior defender Charlotte Dill the lone returning senior. She’ll be joined on defense by junior Leah Foulds while sophomores Avah Ascani, Emelia Raimo and Tadu Sirois (goalie) will be looked to to contribute.

Juniors Emma Pelletier and Amelia Crumrine, who missed last year with an injury, will lead the attack, along with sophomores Sydney Brown and Malie Ramshaw. Lexi Magee (junior) and Brooke Nelson (sophomore) return at midfield where they’ll be joined by freshman Sadie Pelletier.

Rest of Field

Windham (18-2, D2 champion): The Jaguars make the move to D1 after winning last year’s D2 title but while also losing nine seniors and welcoming in a new coach in Samantha Murray.

Windham will look to its three captains to lead the way, as seniors Darby Madden (midfield) and Sophie Manchester (midfield/defense) and junior Ella Gallinelli (attack) return. Freshmen Ally Hartmann (attack) and Lyla Filadoro (goalie) will contribute.

Salem (2-15): The Blue Devils have nine seniors returning, and six starters overall, as they look to get back to the playoffs for the first time since 2014.

Leading the way will be senior captains Grace Hoover (midfield) and Haylee Bernard (midfield/attack) and junior Katie Wood (attack) while seniors Laila Galvez and Mia Molino return on defense. Also back on defense is junior Olivia Schoenrock, who will split time in goal with senior Zeynep Yildirim.

Senior Lily George and juniors Makayla Burns and Nicole Ringdahl return at midfield while junior Olivia Defrancesco and freshmen Morgann Raskow and Althea Schaefer will see time at midfield. Senior Emily Young will see time at midfield and attack and seniors Madison Wilson and Lily Burke also return on attack.

Nashua North (1-17): The Titans have a good mix of returners and newcomers, led by seniors Molly Ducharme and Rachel Gauthier along with goalies Elliott Brown and Mya Zibolis.

Juniors Savanna Basford, Anya Seo and Lauren O’Neil return while juniors Kate Munroe and Alexa Farrell will also see more time this season. Freshmen Devin Brown, Emeri Sice and Bella Wine will look to contribute.

Manchester Central-West (5-11, lost in D2 prelims): Central-West makes the move up to D1 for this season and will look to seniors Grace Manning and Avery Proulx and junior Tianna Mann to lead the way.

Dover (6-12, lost in prelims)

Postseason Predictions

• Teams (nine): Bedford, Bishop Guertin, Concord, Exeter, Londonderry, Nashua South, Pinkerton, Portsmouth, Souhegan.
• Final four: Bishop Guertin, Pinkerton, Portsmouth, Souhegan.
• Championship: Portsmouth over Souhegan.