NEWPORT — The Stevens High girls soccer team, last season’s NHIAA Division III runner-up, stayed hot to open 2025, rolling to its fourth straight win Thursday with a 9-0 road victory over Newport.
Sophomores Zoey Friesen and Amelia Raymond each scored twice for the Cardinals. Friesen also had two assists, while Raymond added one. Junior Payton Ferland netted two goals, and junior Bailey Leavitt, sophomore Jillian Castaneda and freshman Liza McManus each scored once. Seniors Ella Muenzer and Mariah O’Connell, along with Castaneda, chipped in an assist apiece.
Despite the lopsided score, Stevens head coach Tim St. Pierre said his team needed time to settle in and credited Newport for its effort.
“I think they showed a lot of courage and a lot of fight,” St. Pierre said. “We’ve played some of these games where teams just quit, and they didn’t quit at all. They kind of made it hard on us, and we really had to regroup at halftime to start to look like the polished version of ourselves that we try to be.”
First-year Newport head coach Ron Perry agreed.
“The girls are sticking in the fight, and I think that’s the most important part of it all,” Perry said, noting his team has pushed through with low numbers and few substitutes. “For the team to be able to stick it out with a team like Claremont, I think they did a phenomenal job.”
Stevens has been dominant on both ends of the field this fall, outscoring opponents 26-0 through four games. Senior goalkeeper Audrina Pelton recorded her fourth win and fourth shutout Thursday.
St. Pierre credited the Cardinals’ offseason preparation for their strong start.
“We have a strong youth program in Claremont. These kids all play club soccer; we play all summer,” he said. “With a lot of the smaller schools, we have a huge advantage, especially early in the year, because our kids are kind of in midseason form.”
Newport, meanwhile, fell to 0-3 but has faced a difficult schedule that included Gilford and Kearsarge.
“I think we have one of the toughest schedules in the division right now,” Perry said. “It’s a slow start for the girls, but I get to watch them every practice, and they keep showing up and grinding. They’re sore at the end of practice.”
Perry expressed confidence the Tigers would grow stronger as the season progressed.
As for Stevens, the focus is on building consistency for another deep playoff push.
“We literally live by trying to be the best version of ourselves today because that’s all we control, and it sounds so cliché, but that’s what we do,” St. Pierre said. “We only lost two kids from a team that went to the state finals last year, so we knew we’d have a decent group.”
The Cardinals (4-0) host Bishop Brady on Tuesday. The Tigers (0-3) visit Sunapee on Wednesday in search of their first win.
