By Roger Brown
MaxPreps.com
What may be the season's most intriguing regular-season matchup in boys lacrosse will take place Monday, when unbeaten Bishop Guertin plays at Hanover.
BG is 8-0 and the only unbeaten team in Division I. Hanover is 6-1 and the only other Division I team with fewer than two losses. The winner will likely be the top-seeded team in this year's Division I tournament.
BG, which won the Division I title in 2005 and lost to Pinkerton Academy in last year's championship game, stamped itself as the team to beat this season when it knocked off Exeter and Pinkerton in back-to-back games in late April. The Cardinals beat the Blue Hawks, 8-7, and edged Pinkerton, 9-6.
Pinkerton, which has won nine state championships in the last 13 years, is 6-3. Exeter is one of three teams that will enter the week with a 5-2 record. Londonderry and Nashua South are also 5-2.
BG graduated its top three scorers from last season - Jon Killeen (66 goals), Ed Daley (54) and Mike Bednarz (31) - but has scored at least 15 goals in five of its eight games. The Cardinals haven't allowed more than seven goals in a game this season.
Pinkerton handed Hanover its only loss - an 11-3 decision in Derry. It was the only time the Marauders allowed more than seven goals this season.
Hanover has scored an average of 15 goals per game in its six victories. The team's most impressive victories came against Exeter (11-4) and Nashua South (20-7).
If BG can defeat Hanover, Wednesday's contest against Nashua South will likely determine whether or not the Cardinals will enter the postseason unbeaten. No other team on BG's schedule currently has a record over .500.
Girls Lacrosse: An Unbeaten Falls
Last week's marquee matchup in girls lacrosse involved two unbeaten teams from different divisions.
Portsmouth, the runner-up in Division III last season, took on Winnacunnet, last season's Division II champion, Saturday in Hampton. The Clippers struck a blow for Division III by scoring the final five goals in their 12-9 triumph.
Portsmouth received four goals and two assists from senior captain Britt Conway, who will play for the University of New Hampshire next season.
"We came in thinking, `Let's stay with them,'" Conway said. "And then we realized, "We can beat them.'"
The Warriors led 9-7 in the second half, but the Clippers scored five times in the final 14:12 The victory improved Portsmouth's record to 9-0 overall. The Clippers are 7-0 in Division III.
Portsmouth goalkeeper Lyndol Senf, a junior, made seven saves.
"She's been amazing for us this season," Portsmouth coach Cindy Fitzgerald said. "She decided lacrosse was her No. 1 sport and really worked hard in the offseason. She's been much more consistent this year.
Winnacunnet, which is 6-0 in Division II, dropped to 6-1 overall.
"Portsmouth is a good team," Winnacunnet coach Fred Trofatter said. "They're well-coached. They beat us."
Ashley Burness and Abby Boduch each scored four goals for the Warriors.
"It's a feel-good victory," Fitzgerald said. "But our work's ahead of us."
Softball: Wilton Has Mixed Emotions
The Wilton-Lyndeborough softball team is off to an 11-0 start in Class S and has shut out eight of its 11 opponents, but the season hasn't been all fun.
The Warriors dedicated their season to team manager Kelsey Gilmore and her family after Kelsey's father, Kirk, died unexpectedly last month. Each team member will wear a ribbon on her visor for the remainder of the season.
"We're not winning for ourselves and for our team," Wilton captain Catherine Lass told the Manchester Union Leader. "We're winning for somebody special this season."
