It was the Cinderella story of 2015, but a return to the state championship for the Hillsboro-Deering boys’ soccer team is looking more and more challenging by the week.
But on Thursday, things began to look up for the Hillcats in a 5-2 win over Franklin.
Hillsboro-Deering (2-4-1) arrived in the first round of the Division III tournament last year as the No. 9 seed. But the program that was supposed to be among the first to head home ended up running the length of the bracket, meeting eventual champion Gilford in the final.
The Hillcats graduated 12 seniors from that team, but Coach Joe Donnelly isn’t calling 2016 a rebuilding year.
“It’s just a growing year as we’re learning to do things together,” Donnelly said. “We had a long stretch, a couple straight losses. We needed to regain some momentum.”
H-D opened the season with a shutout win over Conant, but then stumbled through the following two weeks with four losses and a tie. They were outscored 20-2 in that stretch.
Development is the top priority for the Hillcats, with half of its 24-player roster made up of freshmen. Donnelly managed to find time on the field for each player as their lead grew wider in Thursday’s game. The Hillcats led, 3-0, at halftime.
“We need to get them as many minutes as we can,” Donnelly said.
A lot of the work on offense against Franklin came from H-D’s underclassmen. Freshman Kieren Kenny netted three, including the opening and closing goals of the game. Freshman Ben Ketterer and sophomore Elijah Winters filled in between with a goal apiece.
Franklin (0-6) continues to struggle, but the Golden Tornadoes left the pitch with its first multi-goal game of the season. R.J. Smith and Gio Lemon each scored for Franklin in the second half.
“We played a strong second half, scoring twice, but the mistakes in the first half are what ultimately cost us,” Franklin Coach Kevin VanGorden said. “There are still many things that we have to work on, including passing and finishing.”
Hillsboro-Deering is on the road today against Sanborn. Franklin will face Newfound on Tuesday at home.
(Nick Stoico can be reached at 369-3309, nstoico@cmonitor.com or on Twitter @NickStoico.)
Bishop Brady 6, Laconia 1
Key players: Bishop Brady – Wes McIntosh (2 goals, assist), Manish Giri (2 goals), Colin Plante (goal, 2 assists), Tony Wright (goal, assist), Matt Quirk (defense), Jake Yanski (defense), Kyle Kowalski (defense)
Highlights/key moments: The Green Giants used a balanced attack to remain undefeated with a decisive victory.
Coach’s quote: “Our boys really moved the ball well today, spread around the chances we had, and settled into a good groove early in the match, which helped us secure the win. Laconia moved the ball very well and though they are a young squad now, they will certainly be much stronger in the near future.” – Bishop Brady’s Mike Ling
Records: Brady 5-0; Laconia 2-4
Pittsfield 5, Wilton-
Lyndeborough 4, OT
Key players: Pittsfield – Eli Johnson (game-winning goal, assist), Gabe Anthony (goal, assist), Matt St. George (goal), Cam Darrah (goal), Garrett Guerrero-Hadley (goal)
Highlights/key moments: Johnson scored the golden goal three minutes into overtime to give the Panthers the win. The halftime score was 2-2 with the Warriors taking a 3-2 lead in the 47th minute. Goals by Darrah (54th minute) and Guerrero-Hadley (62nd minute) gave Pittsfield the lead, but the Warriors scored late in regulation to force overtime.
Coach’s quote: “Both teams played well tonight. I was proud of our work ethic on and off ball. We won a majority of the 50-50 balls and created several scoring opportunities. Johnson’s OT goal gives us momentum going into this weekend’s homecoming match with Sunapee.” – Pittsfield’s Derek Hamilton
Records: Pittsfield 4-1-1; W-L 2-5-0
Kearsarge first
Key players: Kearsarge – Will Chadwick (43), Charlie O’Connor (45), Sean Higgins (47)
Highlights/key moments: Chadwick collected medalist honors for the first time this season and the Cougars improved to 10-3 with a team score of 184. Campbell (186), Laconia (198) and Conant (208) also competed.
Coach’s quote: “Charlie (O’Connor) had not been one of our counting scores yet this season. We weren’t leading after our first four came in and we thought that if we got the same scores we usually get from Charlie, we probably wouldn’t win. But he came in with a 45. It was a spectacular and very well-timed clutch performance from Charlie today.” – Kearsarge’s Dennis O’Connor
Bishop Brady first,
John Stark fourth
Key players:Bishop Brady – Nick Grimbilas (medalist, 37), Matt Cherian (44), Maddy Smith (46), Danny Bryck (46), Cooper Johnson (46); John Stark – Ryan Rothdiener (42), Tyler Hazzard (47), Joseph Simeone (48), Moses Greene (48), Noah Greene (50)
Highlights/key moments: The Green Giants swept a match on their home course at Beaver Meadow. Brady (219) topped Oyster River (222), Kennett (228) and John Stark (235).
Coe-Brown second
Key players: Coe-Brown – Joel Boulanger (1-over 36, medalist), Dylan Andrews (43), Joe Morrisette (46), Max Begin (47), Derek Elwell (48)
Highlights/key moments: The Bears (220) split a match at Stonebridge, defeating Trinity (245) and falling to host Goffstown (208). Coe-Brown lifted its record to 10-5.
Hopkinton fourth
Key players: Hopkinton – Nick Fairneny (medalist, 1-under 35)
Highlights/key moments: Fairneny won medalist honors for the fourth straight match, but the Hawks (202) fell to Moultonborough (182), White Mountains (189) and Mascenic (193) at Ridgewood. Hopkinton is now 7-6.
FIELD HOCKEY
Hanover 5, MV 0
Highlights/key moments: The Pride were shut out for the second straight game in a loss on the road.
Coach’s quote: “The good news is tomorrow is a new day.” – MV’s Kim Kenney
Records: Hanover 3-3; MV 2-3
Bow 1, Hopkinton 0
Key players:Bow – Sonya Delorie (goal), Dom Biron (assist), Courtney Baer (6 saves); Hopkinton – Katie Meserve (midfield), Amelia Thomas (midfield), Clara Walling (defense)
Highlights/key moments: Delorie scored the lone goal 10:13 into the game.
Coaches’ quotes: “Bow brought great energy and focus into today’s game and came out with a very important win.” – Bow’s Tracy Berube
“Today’s game was well played on both sides. Unfortunately we couldn’t get one in the net. Strong stick skill and great moves by both teams made tonight’s game a true display of good field hockey.” – Hopkinton’s Kate Hohenberger
Records: Bow 3-3; Hopkinton 2-3
John Stark 6, Conant 0
Key players: John Stark – Rebecca Wetherbee (2 goals, 2 assists), Emily Durica (goal, assist), Mercedes Camacho (goal, assist) and Megan Newhall (goal, assist), Olivia Fatcheric (goal), Raelyn Roberts (assist), Melina Jackson (shutout)
Highlights/key moments: The Generals peppered the Orioles net with shots, but only managed a 1-0 halftime lead. The Generals dominated the second half, scoring five goals and playing their best field hockey of the season.
Coach’s quote: “I’m very excited for our program, especially for our five seniors. This was the school’s first field hockey win since 2014 and the girls were very determined today to break that streak.” – John Stark’s Dennis Pelletier
Records: John Stark 1-5; Conant 0-5