Derryfield gets top spot in D3 field hockey playoffs

The Derryfield School field hockey team finished the regular season with a 13-1 record in Division III and will be the top seed when the tournament begins on Tuesday.

The Cougars will be looking for their third-straight division championship, having defeated Berlin in 2010, and Stevens last year.

No. 1 Derryfield will host No. 16 Mascenic (4-9-1) at 3:30 p.m. on Tuesday in the preliminary round. The Cougars won the regular-season meeting, 8-0, on Sept. 12, which started Derryfield's current nine-game winning streak.

The winner of that game will face either No. 8 Newport (10-4) and No. 9 Winnisquam (9-4-1) in the quarterfinals. Newport will host Winnisquam on Tuesday, also at 3:30 p.m, in the preliminary round. The two did not play during the regular season.

No. 4 Stevens (10-4) will host No. 13 Laconia (6-7-1) in the preliminary round at 3:30 p.m. on Tuesday. The teams did not meet in the regular season.

The winner of that game gets the winner of No. 5 White Mountains (10-4) and No. 12 Newfound (8-6), who will also play at 3:30 p.m. on Tuesday. The teams split two games during the season, with White Mountains winning 1-0 on Sept. 7 and Newfound winning 2-1 on Oct. 9.

On the other side of the bracket, No. 2 Berlin (12-2) will host No. 15 Somersworth (5-8-1) at 3:30 p.m. on Tuesday in the preliminary round. The two teams didn't play during the regular season.

The winner will get a quarterfinal game against either No. 7 Sanborn (10-4) or No. 10 Mascoma Valley (9-5), who will also play in the opening round at 3:30 p.m. on Tuesday. The teams did not meet in the regular season.

No. 3 Gilford (11-2-1) hosts No. 14 Littleton (6-8) at 3:30 p.m. on Tuesday in the preliminary round. Gilford won the only meeting between the teams, 1-0 on Sept. 14.

The winner of that game will face the winner of No. 6 Hopkinton (10-4) and No. 11 Conant (8-6), who also play Tuesday at 3:30 p.m. Hopkinton won both regular-season meetings, beating Conant 4-2 on Sept. 10 and 2-0 on Sept. 29.

All quarterfinal games are scheduled for 3:30 p.m. on Oct. 19, at the home of the higher seed. The semifinals will be held on Oct. 23 at Bill Ball Stadium in Exeter, and the final is set for Oct. 28 at 5 p.m. at Bedford High School.