Derryfield, Portsmouth advance to D2 boys lacrosse final (video)

It’s been a two-year hiatus, technically only one season due to COVID-19, but the Derryfield School boys lacrosse program is back in a title game.

Second-seeded Derryfield beat third-seeded Windham 11-8 in Tuesday night’s Division II semifinals at Stellos Stadium in Nashua.

“The guys are excited,” Derryfield coach Chris Hettler said. “Getting back to the finals is always a great accomplishment. They know how special this is for them and the program.”

Since 2013, the Cougars have only missed playing in one final. They beat Hopkinton for the Division III crown in 2013, and lost to Hollis Brookline in their final D3 season of 2014. Derryfield hit the ground running in Division II, reaching the final in its first season with a loss to Goffstown in 2015, then proceeded to win four straight D2titles through 2019. No tournament in 2020 snapped the momentum, and the Cougars watched as Portsmouth beat Timberlane for the title in 2021.

It’s that Portsmouth team that Derryfield will square off with next, at 5 p.m. on Sunday at Bill Ball Stadium in Exeter. The top-seeded Clippers beat fourth-seeded Timberlane 17-3 in Tuesday night’s late semifinal game in a rematch of last season’s final.

“This is going to be two great teams playing lacrosse on Sunday,” Hettler said. “I don’t think we’re feeling any pressure heading in. I think the pressure is on them as defending champs. We’re just going into it, playing our game, and having fun.”

Derryfield had plenty of fun Tuesday night, getting off to a 5-2 lead after one quarter and holding a 7-4 lead at halftime.

If not for the offensive force that is Windham’s Alex Ryan, this could have been a lopsided affair. Ryan scored six of the Jaguars eight goals, with Evan Conley and Blake Bazon scoring one each in the loss.

Derryfield’s Logan Purvis controlled the circle, winning 20 of 22 faceoffs, while long-stick midfielder Max Fowler gobbled up 15 ground balls. Hettler credits the play of these two individuals with spearheading the offense by gaining possession for repeated attempts in the offensive zone.

The Cougars took advantage of those opportunities. Tate Flint recorded a hat trick and assisted on three more, Quinn Silvio and Chili Cabot scored two goals each, and the trio of R.J. Proulx, Alex Murray (two assists), Ethan Flanagan and Fowler all chipped in with one goal each.

“We’re a very balanced offense,” Hettler said. “We’ve been that way all season, and it helps to have multiple guys who can generate offense. If they keep one guy in check, there’s a few more who can step up to keep things rolling.”

Now Derryfield keeps on rolling into yet another championship matchup.

No. 1 Portsmouth 17, No. 4 Timberlane 3

Timberlane looked primed for an upset early on, holding possession for the first four minutes of Tuesday night’s Division II semifinal, but the Owls’ offensive onslaught of shots quickly dissolved into them being on the defensive for a majority of night.

Portsmouth spun the momentum fast, taking possession of the ball and command of the game from there at Nashua’s Stellos Stadium. The Clippers, led by Mike O’Neil, scored the games first six goals, holding a 10-goal lead through halftime on their way to a 17-3 victory and return trip to the D2 final.

Portsmouth built a 5-0 lead after one quarter, held a 12-2 lead at halftime and then pulled away for the 14-goal win by the completion of the third quarter.

“The boys played well,” Portsmouth coach Chad Vischer said. “This was probably our most complete game of the season. We were on point in every phase of the game and it shows in the result.”

Timberlane’s offense, including a couple highlight reel goals, came courtesy of Eric George, Ethan Gerry and Braidon Bowman. Unfortunately for the Owls, the Portsmouth attack was just too much to handle.

The Clippers offense was facilitated via Dylan Roelofs and Nick Smith, who won 18 of 22 draws.

“Dylan is our QB or our point guard out there,” Vischer said. “He controls our offense. He controls the tempo of the game in the offensive end. He doesn’t always score, but he’s always creating opportunities for us to score.”

Roelofs did score a goal of his own Tuesday night, while setting the stage for others like O’Neil (four goals), Keigan Delisle (three goals) and Keghan Myers (three goals). Also scoring for Portsmouth were Dom Maldari with two goals, and one goal each by Smith, Nate Amend, Baden Paterson and Briggs Catino.

Defensively, Max Diep and Masi Shone had solid games, preventing many Timberlane rushes from getting good opportunities near the net.

This is exactly the complete game Portsmouth will need in the final against Derryfield.

“We feel Derryfield is extremely well coached and we’ll need this same effort in the final to beat them,” Vischer said. “We just need to play our style and not get caught up in the emotions of a big game. I think this group is capable of that. I know Derryfield is. It’s going to be a great game between two great teams.”