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Bow’s Kylie Mckee (7) and Hanover’s Elena Simon battle for possession during Thursday’s playoff game in Bow. October 19, 2023. -
Isla Cotter helps her father hang up faces of Hanover soccer players honored for Senior Night before the start of the game against Pinkerton on Thursday, Oct. 19, 2023, in Hanover, N.H. Cotter’s brother Henry Cotter plays on the team. (Valley News – Jennifer Hauck) Copyright Valley News. May not be reprinted or used online without permission. Send requests to permission@vnews.com. -
Hanover’s Zach Tracy, left, Andrew McGuire and Sean Smith celebrate their first goal of the game against Pinkerton on Thursday, Oct. 19, 2023, in Hanover, N.H. Hanover won, 6-1. (Valley News – Jennifer Hauck) Copyright Valley News. May not be reprinted or used online without permission. Send requests to permission@vnews.com. -
Hanover’s Will Guerin retains possession of the ball as Pinkerton’s Andrew Perfetto and Zach Fortin defend him during their game on Thursday, Oct. 19, 2023, in Hanover, N.H. At left is Hanover’s Andrew McGuire. Hanover won, 6-1. (Valley News – Jennifer Hauck) Copyright Valley News. May not be reprinted or used online without permission. Send requests to permission@vnews.com. -
Hanover soccer assistant coach Ben Snyder, left, associate head coach Sam Farnham and captain Ryder Hayes talk at halftime during their game with Pinkerton on Thursday, Oct. 19, 2023, in Hanover, N.H. Hanover won, 6-1. (Valley News – Jennifer Hauck) Copyright Valley News. May not be reprinted or used online without permission. Send requests to permission@vnews.com. -
Zach Smith -
Norah Harwood -
Morgan Curtis -
Nico Pentella
HANOVER — Zach Tracy scored his 21st goal of the year and Will Guerin scored twice in a 20-second span in the first half as the Hanover High boys soccer team clinched the top seed in the NHIAA Division I playoffs with a 6-1 win over Pinkerton on Thursday at Merriman-Branch Field.
The Bears (14-2-0) tied with Nashua South and Windham for the top spot in the division. Hanover beat both schools in head-to-head competition to prevail in the seeding tiebreaker.
Andrew McGuire got Hanover on the board against the Astros (11-5-0) at the 10-minute mark, followed by Guerin’s goals for a 3-0 lead. In the second half, McGuire scored again, giving him 14 goals on the year. Tracy made it 5-1 and Ryder Hayes ended the scoring.
Guerin had two assists and McGuire one as both players achieved the 20-point mark, joining Tracy (33) and Carter Guerin (23). It was the first time a Hanover squad had four 20-point scorers, and the team’s 86 goals are the second-highest in school history, behind the 1965 team, coach Rob Grabill said.
Hanover will play next on Friday, hosting the winner of a first-round match between the eighth and ninth seeds.
“We have been in Division I for 12 years, and this is only the second time we have finished at the top of the table,” said Grabill, who was serving a one-game suspension from his school’s administration for a social media post critical of Bishop Guertin after the teams’ game earlier in the week. “It’s a significant accomplishment. Every game is a battle in Division I.”
The NHIAA boys soccer tournament fields will be announced Monday.
STRATTON, Vt. — The Hurricanes overcame deficits of 1-0 and 3-2 to defeat the Bears (5-3-1) on an unassisted Tighe Hrabchak goal with 18 minutes remaining and clinched their second consecutive Souther Vermont League B title.
Stratton took an early 1-0 lead, but Hartford grabbed the advantage on Hrabchak’s first goal, assisted by Bryce Soboleski, followed by a quick second goal by Cavan Benjamin, with Sam Peckinpaugh assisting. Stratton tied it before the half and went ahead at the 13-minute mark in the second, but Peckinpaugh got the equalizer with unassisted tally.
With the win, Hartford (7-4-1) clinches the Southern Vermont League’s B Division title. The Hurricanes finish the regular season at home against Otter Valley on Saturday.
WEST CANAAN — Tanner Moulton had a hat trick. Brayden Pierce produced a goal and an assist and Aidan Smith scored off a Moulton helper as the Royals (13-3-0) finished the regular season on a nine-game winning streak.
Inter-Lakes (3-12-0) helped out the hosts with an own goal when Mascoma was up, 4-0.
The Royals host their first game in the NHIAA Division III playoffs on Tuesday.
LACONIA, N.H. — The Raiders concluded the regular season at 14-1-1 and ranked No. 1 in NHIAA Division II going into the playoffs. Lebanon will receive a first-round bye and host a quarterfinal at 3 p.m. on Friday.
Lebanon opened the scoring in the 32nd minute when Nico Pentella, back from a twice-broken collarbone, converted the rebound of a Conner Chinn shot. Laconia tied the game with only 82 seconds remaining after a long-ball counterattack.
Zach Aldrich had six saves for Lebanon.
JAFFREY, N.H. — After starting the season 7-0-0 with a 17-5 goal advantage, the Cardinals lost their last eight, scoring just five goals and surrendering 19.
Stevens awaits its seeding in the NHIAA Division III playoffs.
BRANDON, Vt. — The Hurricanes’ Morgan Curtis scored her first high school goal with 20 minutes left in the to tie the game at 1-1 before Otter Valley (7-6-0) netted two late scores to win. Hartford finished the year at 0-14-0.
“Despite the record, this was an incredible year of growth,” Hartford coach Jeff Acker said. “Nine ninth graders all played major minutes. The future is very bright.”
TOWNSHEND, Vt. — Audrey Rupp had a goal and an assist, Kemari Wildgoose added a goal and Brianna Barton supplied an assist as the Yellowjackets concluded the regular season at 12-1-1 and ranked No. 3 in VPA Division III.
Sophia Rockwood had seven saves for Windsor. Annabelle Brookes stopped seven shots for the Rebels (10-3-1).
Windsor awaits its playoff seeding.
DERRY, N.H — The Astros (8-5-3) scored with 14 minutes to go in the game. Sadie Ross had nine saves for Hanover, which ended the regular season 9-5-2.
RANDOLPH — Amara Calhum-Flowers scored a hat trick and had one assist and Cassie Armstrong added two goals and an assist in the Wildcats’ win over the Galloping Ghosts (4-8-1).
Norah Harwood had the other WRV goal, with two assists for Anna Stratton and one each for Mackenzie Vesper and Sarah Rule. Imari Taylor had three saves for White River.
“Logan Scott and Mackenzie Vesper kept up our pressing,” White River coach Kim Prestridge said. “Cassie Armstrong had a fabulous goal off a set piece and was able to get open centrally to get a long shot off for her second. I’m really proud of the team for working so well together.”
White River ends the regular season at 6-7-0.
SHARON — The Phoenix fell to the Green Wave (10-4-0) in their final game of the season and finish at 2-12-0.
GOFFSTOWN — Trinity Lunn scored out of a goalmouth scramble with 6 seconds remaining in the third quarter as the fifth-seeded Grizzlies (11-3-1) kept the 12th-seeded Raiders (7-7-3) pinned on their side of the field for much of the NHIAA Division II first-round playoff game.
“We wanted to get the ball out to the sidelines and then worry about getting it up the field,” said Lebanon coach Amanda Valliere, adding that her natural-grass team was handicapped by its lack of familiarity with the quick, decisive stickhandling needed on artificial turf.
“But Goffstown always seemed to get a sturdy stick on it, so we had a hard time turning the corner.”
Lebanon, which lost to Goffstown, 2-1, earlier in the season, ended the game with one of its few penalty corners but couldn’t get off a shot. The Raiders graduate three seniors and return seven juniors.
BOW — The No. 6-seeded Falcons (11-4) ended the season of the 11th-seeded Bears in the first round of the NHIAA Division II playoffs.
Ella Gray accounted for both of the Falcons’ goals. Bow, which plays on natural grass at home, dropped a 5-4 overtime decision to the Bears on the latter’s turf field in September.
Hanover finishes the year at 7-7-2.
WINDSOR — The Yellowjackets got goals from Mackenzie Kleefisch and Piper Vivian with an assist from Annie Preece and eight saves by Sydney Perry against the Terriers (8-4-1).
Windsor (7-6-0) finishes the regular season at Otter Valley on Saturday.
PELHAM — The Bears (4-10) played a competitive match against the Pythons (6-10), going up two sets to one before dropping the last two.
The Pythons prevailed, 25-17, 19-25, 10-25, 28-26, 15-13 in a nip-and-tuck contest.
“Although (the) Hanover Bears were not on the winning side, they played as a team and gave it their all,” Hanover coach Hunter Gosselin said, crediting Pelham for holding off the Bears in the final set after Hanover made a run without gaining the lead. “It was fun to watch both teams play and not a bad way to end the season.”