Winnacunnet, Portsmouth lined up for Round 2 in Division II girls lacrosse playoffs
Rivalries are usually formed in a couple of different ways, with proximity and familiarity being two of the leading factors.
When you add in repeated playoff matchups, things usually go up another notch.
For the Winnacunnet and Portsmouth high school girls lacrosse teams, they are just a few steps away from having all of those boxes checked.
And for the second year in a row, the teams enter the Division II tournament as the top two seeds after another year of dominating the rest of the division. Winnacunnet’s lone loss this season came at the hands of Portsmouth, while the Warriors went 13-0 against the rest of D2, winning by an average of 14.2 goals.
Meanwhile, Portsmouth’s three losses came against Division I opponents, as the Clippers were 14-0 in divisional games with an average margin of victory of 12.1 goals.
John Stark, which finished as the No. 3 seed for the second straight year, gave Portsmouth one of its closest games before falling by three goals. The two could meet in the semifinals, depending on the outcomes of the quarterfinals.
Here is a look at the quarterfinal matchups, which will be played on Wednesday.
No. 8 Goffstown (7-9) at No. 1 Winnacunnet (15-1), 5 p.m.
- These teams met back on April 23 in Hampton, with the Warriors getting a 15-3 win over the Grizzlies. Goffstown struggled down the stretch this season and needed a win in its final regular-season game to get into the postseason. The Grizzlies have scored in double digits just five times this season, including only once in their last six games. Winnacunnet’s defense has allowed double digit goals just twice this year, against Division I Bedford and Exeter. The Warriors have scored 11 or more goals in every game except for their lone loss.
- Pick: Winnacunnet 17, Goffstown 4.
No. 5 Windham (12-6) at No. 4 Hollis Brookline (11-4), 5 p.m.
- The Cavaliers handed the Jaguars a 16-6 setback on April 30, one of 10 games this season in which Hollis Brookline has scored 14 or more goals. In fact, the Cavs have averaged 15.3 goals in their wins, while scoring just 6.3 in their four losses. HB finished the regular season by winning six of its final seven games, but the one loss was a 19-3 defeat at Winnacunnet. That regular-season loss to HB saw Windham drop to 4-4 on the year, but the Jaguars went 8-2 the rest of the way, with the two defeats coming against – surprise – Winnacunnet and Portsmouth. That stretch also included a one-goal win over John Stark.
- Pick: Hollis Brookline 13, Windham 10.
No. 7 Hanover (9-8) at No. 2 Portsmouth (15-3), 5 p.m.
- This looked like a potential championship game matchup before the season started (see below), but injuries and a tough schedule dropped the Marauders in the standings. Portsmouth won both regular-season meetings, winning 16-8 at Hanover on April 19 and 10-6 at home on May 5. Hanover was able to get into the playoffs by winning its last four games of the regular season, including a win over Division I Londonderry, and averaging 16.3 goals in those four games.
- Pick: Portsmouth 12, Hanover 9.
No. 6 Oyster River (9-5) at No. 3 John Stark (12-3), 5 p.m.
- The Generals won the only regular-season meeting between the two teams, capturing an 8-7 road win over the Bobcats on May 9. That was part of a 10-0 start for John Stark, as the Generals lost three of their final four games. The quarterfinal will be John Stark’s first game in 11 days. Oyster River hasn’t lost since that loss to the Generals, as the Bobcats won five in a row to end the season after starting the year 4-5. In those five wins, Oyster River averaged 14.4 goals and allowed 25 total.
- Pick: John Stark 11, Oyster River 10.
Playoff Predictions
Preseason
- Playoff teams: Goffstown, Hanover, Hollis Brookline, John Stark, Portsmouth, Timberlane, Windham, Winnacunnet.
- Championship: Portsmouth over Hanover.
Now
With apologies to Oyster River, we got seven of the eight playoff participants in D2, but our pick for the championship game is a quarterfinal matchup. Changes must be made to the picks.
- Final four: Winnacunnet over Hollis Brookline; Portsmouth over John Stark.
- Championship: Winnacunnet over Portsmouth.
