Hopkinton’s Katie Brown (center) celebrates with Annie Higginbotham (left) while Sarah Chodosh (right) leaps in the air after Brown scored a goal in last season’s Division III championship game against Derryfield. The Hawks lost, 12-11, but are ready for bigger things in the 2022 season.
Hopkinton’s Katie Brown (center) celebrates with Annie Higginbotham (left) while Sarah Chodosh (right) leaps in the air after Brown scored a goal in last season’s Division III championship game against Derryfield. The Hawks lost, 12-11, but are ready for bigger things in the 2022 season. Credit: JEFF SULLIVAN / sullivaneventphotography.com

With four boys’ games previewed, it’s now time to look at four area girls’ lacrosse games to see this spring.

Similarly enough, the overall girls’ results were similar to the boys last year, with four teams boasting winning records, three near an even total and three programs combining for two wins.

Let’s check out some games to see this spring:

Portsmouth at Pembroke, April 14: Pembroke kicks off its season with a road trip to Timberlane, but it’s the home opener that draws the attention when it plays host to Portsmouth. The Spartans’ last game of 2021 was 16-5 loss to Clippers in the Division II semifinals, ending the season at 10-5 and providing enough motivation to get through a long offseason.

Belmont at Bow, April 15: This is a unique game for both programs in that they’re on different ends of the realm. Bow was a double-digit win program last season and ended the campaign in a first-round playoff loss to Derryfield. Belmont did not have a season last year but had a team in place, so for the Raiders to kick start their schedule against one of the premier programs in Division III will be an good measuring stick for the early season.

Manchester Central at Concord, May 2: Concord’s date with Manchester Central might seem like a standard midweek game, but this is the midpoint of the season and for the Crimson Tide, this one is important for a multitude of reasons. The Tide finished one game above .500 last season at 8-7, which shows an up-and-down trajectory. With the Little Green’s arrival in early May, this game has the potential to shape the rest of the season for Concord.

Derryfield at Hopkinton, May 11: These two teams played in one of the best championship games in recent memory as Derryfield left Bank of New Hampshire Stadium in Laconia with hardware in hand and Hopkinton departed with its gear bag and a tough loss to swallow. The Hawks lost, 12-11, while dealing with a storm delay and trying to erase deficits of two and four goals. Derryfield scored the eventual game-winner with 90 seconds left and, ever since, Hopkinton has been geared toward more than just a runner-up finish.