Warriors trying to hang on to home field for the playoffs

WILTON – The Wilton-Lyndeborough girls soccer team got a bit of revenge Tuesday at home against Newmarket.

The Warriors hope that it’s enough to keep them playing atop the hill in Wilton for at least one game after the Division IV regular season ends.

WLC (8-5-1) is in a tough spot. Going into this week – a week that has the Warriors playing four games in five days – WLC was fifth in the division standings, one spot away from a top four seed that would bring a home game in the first two rounds, if the Warriors made it that far.

But the chances of WLC cracking the top four seem easier said than done. In fact, coach Bill Draper is hoping his team can just hang on to one of those top eight spots.

“I don’t think we’ll get to top four, just because of what (the top four teams) have for losses,” Draper said. “I don’t think we can crack that four spot. What I look at is five through 12, they’re all four, five, six losses. One loss can change the picture pretty substantially. I’d rather control our destiny than have to wait for somebody else to lose.”

After wins over Concord Christian (4-0) and Newmarket (3-1) on Monday and Tuesday, respectively, the Warriors were still in the fifth spot. But a 3-0 loss to Sunapee (12-1-1) on Wednesday dropped WLC into sixth place behind Lisbon (8-4-1) and just ahead of Newmarket (8-5) and Moultonborough (8-6).

The Warriors host Hinsdale (1-11-1) on Friday, a team they beat 5-1 earlier this season, but WLC ends the season on Oct. 21 at home against Pittsfield (10-1-2).

“It will give us some practice time and time to heal up before tournament time,” Draper said of the time off next week.

In the last week Draper has been trying to get his team to attack more. That strategy worked against Concord Christian and Newmarket, the later of whom the Warriors lost a 1-0 decision to earlier in the year.

“Over there (at Newmarket), we played well in the second half, but in the first half, we kind of let them control the pace of the game,” Draper said. “The last two or three games, we’ve been reenforcing how important these are standings-wise for us right now. Basically, we’re trying to win every ball. That’s the goal, be first to the ball and be smart with your passes. Crash the net on all shots. It’s starting to come together. They’re understanding we have to go to the net every time, we have to go to the ball every time.”

If they do that, the Warriors should be able to hang on to one of those top eight spots. If not, they could be hitting the road when the playoffs start.