The following is a glance at Saturday’s Division III girls’ lacrosse semifinals, featuring three area schools:
No. 1 Hopkinton (15-0) vs. No. 4 Bow (12-3), 5 p.m.
HEAD TO HEAD: Hopkinton defeated Bow, 20-8, on May 8.
PREVIOUS TOURNAMENT GAMES: The Hawks handled No. 8 Pembroke in the quarterfinals, 22-7. The Falcons beat No. 5 Pelham, 18-11.
NOTES: When these two teams met on May 8, Hopkinton had its way with the Falcons on the offensive end, notching 12 goals in just the first half and spreading the scoring around evenly throughout the contest. Ellie Owen, Amelia Bassett, Sophia Staples-Roy, Lyndon Flanagan and Ellie Morrall all finished with double-digit goals, and they will be counted on again to ignite the Hawks, who feature one of the top attacks in all of D-III, outscoring opponents, 249-87. Bow, though, is a much-improved team since that regular-season meeting. The Falcons didn’t lose another game the rest of the way, rattling off an eight-game win streak that included key victories over Laconia, St. Thomas Aquinas and Pelham. Bow doesn’t lack playmakers as both Sofia Darrell and Charlotte Ulrich can rack up goals in a hurry. The unbeaten Hawks still likely hold a small edge, but will need to be at their best to beat a red-hot Bow team.
No. 2 Kearsarge (13-3) vs. No. 3 Derryfield (12-3), 7 p.m.
HEAD TO HEAD: Kearsarge lost to Derryfield in a low-scoring affair, 8-5, on May 10.
PREVIOUS TOURNAMENT GAMES: Kearsarge earned a hard-fought 12-7 win over No. 7 Laconia in the quarterfinals. Derryfield edged No. 6 St. Thomas Aquinas, 10-6, to reach the semis.
NOTES: Kearsarge will be looking for revenge in this one after Derryfield handed the team one of its three losses during the regular season. Derryfield limited Kearsarge to a season-low five goals in that win and will be a tough test as one of the best defensive units in D-III. Kearsarge has plenty of momentum on its side after sending defending champion Laconia home in the quarterfinals. Caroline Camp was the standout, scoring five times while goalie Marissa Pickman came up huge with eight saves to hold the Sachems to single-digit goals. The contest figures to be a grind and may come down to which offense can execute best in finding shooting lanes.