Hanover's Maddie McCorkle rears up to shoot and score against the defense of Portsmouth's Kylie Sullivan (9), Izzy Suttie (6) and Maddy Roelofs in the second half of their game in Hanover, N.H., on April 19, 2018. Portsmouth -- who won last year's Division II title -- won, 15-8. (Valley News - Geoff Hansen) Copyright Valley News. May not be reprinted or used online without permission. Send requests to permission@vnews.com.
Hanover's Maddie McCorkle rears up to shoot and score against the defense of Portsmouth's Kylie Sullivan (9), Izzy Suttie (6) and Maddy Roelofs in the second half of their game in Hanover, N.H., on April 19, 2018. Portsmouth -- who won last year's Division II title -- won, 15-8. (Valley News - Geoff Hansen) Copyright Valley News. May not be reprinted or used online without permission. Send requests to permission@vnews.com. Credit: Geoff Hansen

Hanover — Referee Chad Davis rubbed his bare hands together vigorously Thursday afternoon at Merriman-Branch Field. He glanced around at the various Hanover High and Portsmouth players trying to keep warm before the start of their NHIAA Division II girls lacrosse contest.

“Who’s got the sunscreen?” Davis joked, grinning broadly.

Unfortunately for the Marauders, the only thing often burned this week has been their defense. Portsmouth’s 15-8 victory came a day after Hanover fell, 15-2, to Division I Pinkerton. Hanover (1-3) has lost three consecutive games for the first time in coach Chris Seibel’s six years on the job.

“I think we’re going to get a lot better though the season, but the 50-50 balls presented a real challenge for us today,” said Seibel, who’s 75-25 at Hanover, with a state title and four other trips to the semifinals. “The best teams in the state just play the game with a lot of grit. We’re a step slower, whether it’s off the draw or a bouncing ball. We don’t have the mental commitment that it’s our ball, not their ball.”

Portsmouth won 10 of the first 12 draws, scored on two of its first three shots and led, 8-4, at halftime. Hanover won the second half’s first three draws, but ended each of those possessions with one of its 19 turnovers.

“We’re playing too much defense because we’re not disciplined enough on the offensive end,” Seibel said. “It’s almost like the kids have a shot clock in their heads and think they have to score in a certain amount of time.

“When we do that, we force a bad pass or try to get to the cage through a couple of defenders.”

Hanover standout Maddie McCorkle, who scored 27 times last season, had three goals, all coming during the second half. She tallied twice while Portsmouth was down a player because of a penalty. The sophomore midfielder often had two and sometimes three defenders on her.

Isabelle Sangha had two goals for the Marauders, who also received single tallies from Hanna Kingston, Jessica Seibel and Miranda Galbraith. Goaltender Katelyn Hurd made 10 saves for Hanover, which was outshot, 24-13, and now faces a home-and-home set with Windham.

By then, Hanover hopes to have senior captain and midfielder Perrin Milliken back from what Seibel described as “a medical issue.” Defender Emma Taylor also is scheduled to have returned from a trip to the Dominican Republic. The Marauders have 10 seniors, so Seibel hopes they can return to the level of execution they showed last spring, which included an 11-6 record and a semifinal berth.

“Perrin takes draws for us and she adds a real presence, so the younger kids will be relieved and we’ll have a little bit more ball security,” Seibel said. “We just need to get in our offensive sets and be patient. We’re playing harried and trying to play too quickly.”

Notes: Merriman-Branch’s aging artificial turf is showing obvious wear. Various small patches and strips are bald, featuring only the rubber cushion pellets and no blades of fake grass. Thursday’s referees told Seibel that the girls lacrosse lines were too faint for game use, but all the coach could do was shrug. A new surface is planned for the start of the 2019-20 school year. … Hanover athletic director Mike Jackson said the Marauders baseball and softball teams haven’t been able to fully practice on their fields yet and the tennis teams aren’t expected to be able to use the Storrs Pond tennis courts until at least May 1. An access road and the courts themselves still have ice on them, Jackson said. … Seibel said his daughter, Molly, plans to play at Tufts College near Boston next season. The former Marauder is currently a senior at Phillips Exeter Academy. Her older sister, Hannah, a senior midfielder at Georgetown University in Washington, D.C., has played every game for the Hoyas (10-4) and has 19 goals and seven assists this spring. … Lillian Stout, a senior at St. Mark’s School in Southborough, Mass., and a former Hanover player, plans to compete for Princeton next year, Seibel said. … St. Lawrence (N.Y.) University (4-8) features onetime Marauders in leading scorer and senior Rachel Boghosian (33 goals) and freshman goaltender Sophie Cardenali (3-2). … Wesleyan (Conn.) University is 8-5 with freshman attacker Johanna Copeland, a Hanover graduate, having appeared in five games.

Tris Wykes can be reached at twykes@vnews.com or 602-727-3227.