HILLSBOROUGH, N.H. — The Stevens High girls soccer team will do no worse than host the first two rounds of the NHIAA Division III tournament. The Cardinals, of course, have bigger goals.
Tanner Brown scored twice around a Sydney Miller strike as Stevens held off Hillsboro-Deering, 3-2, on Thursday to cap a 13-2-1 regular season. Only Bishop Brady (which closes against Laconia on Friday) and Campbell (which met St. Thomas on Thursday) have better records than the third-place Cards, who would get a first-round tournament bye should either team falter.
The tournament field will be announced on Monday.
“I thought we played a really good game tonight,” Stevens coach Tom Belaire said. “I thought we did a lot of things right, and it’s definitely a positive end to our season.”
Brown got the Cards going by potting an Ellee Grenier pass at the 11-minute mark. The Hillcats (7-8-0) leveled 12 minutes later and held the draw into halftime.
Sydney Miller put Stevens up to stay 14 minutes into the second half with her team-best 15th goal of the campaign on a Tori Dalke assist, and Brown added her second of the game (and 11th of the year) on a Stella Lavertue pass seven minutes later.
Fiona Carbee earned the win in goal with five saves, holding firm after Hillsboro-Deering drew a goal back late.
Fourteen teams make the NHIAA D-III field, with the top two receiving first-round byes.
HANOVER — Needing a win to stay in the NHIAA Division II tournament picture, the Marauders battled the Bobcats — ranked third in the state entering Thursday — before succumbing in a 20-25, 25-20, 23-25, 25-13, 15-6 nailbiter.
Senior Claire Adner excelled in her final Hanover match, recording 19 kills and three aces. Senior Willa Parkins had a big night at the net with five blocks and six kills. Junior Alice Rodi recorded six aces during a 16-1 serving run in the fourth set. Sophomore Katie Peterson and senior Mollie Broder combined for 28 digs.
Hanover finishes its season with a 5-11 record.
LEWISTON, N.Y. (AP) — Patrick Beilein cited personal reasons for abruptly stepping down as Niagara University men’s basketball coach two weeks before the start of his first season.
Beilein made the announcement in a statement released by the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference school on Thursday. The 36-year-old is the son of longtime basketball coach John Beilein, who left Michigan to take over the Cleveland Cavaliers this year.
The younger Beilein worked as an assistant to Paul Cormier with the Dartmouth men’s basketball team during the 2010-11 season.
Former Duke star Greg Paulus will take over as coach. He was hired to Beilein’s staff as an assistant and recruiting coordinator in May.
Beilein had back surgery in September and said he made the decision to leave his dream job with “heavy regret.” He adds he must instead provide “singular focus” to deal with what he called “these issues, so that I can become the man that I strive to be.”
He was hired in March after spending four seasons at Division II Le Moyne. The Purple Eagles open the season at Drexel on Nov. 8.