Field hockey pairings: Merrimack to face Londonderry in first round

Just a few weeks ago, it looked like the Merrimack High School field hockey team was going to avoid having to play a game on Tuesday.

The Tomahawks were among the top four in the Division I standings, and with those four teams drawing a bye in the preliminary round, Merrimack wouldn't have played until the quarterfinals on Friday.

But after starting the year 8-1, Merrimack dropped four of its final five games to finish 9-5 and sixth in the division standings. Two of the teams it lost to, Winnacunnet and Exeter, passed the Tomahawks in the standings. All four loses were by one goal, with two of them coming in overtime.

So was it a late-season collapse for Merrimack, or did the Tomahawks catch some teams at the wrong time?

"I think we’re improving all the time, and so are the other teams," Merrimack coach Ann MacLean said. "We just had some bad breaks. We had some overtime games. In field hockey, you can control the whole game, and then all of a sudden, they have a breakaway and that’s it."

In all, Merrimack lost three games in overtime this year, two of which came against the division's top two seeds. In some ways, MacLean thinks it might be better for this year's team to play an extra game in the playoffs.

"There’s pros and cons," she said. "You kind of want the week to work on some things, and we probably would have had a scrimmage. It’s not too bad because we play right away."

Merrimack will host No. 11 Londonderry (4-8-2) Tuesday at 3:30 p.m. in the preliminary round. The Tomahawks won the regular-season meeting between the two 2-1 on Sept. 21, and MacLean, who teaches at Londonderry, expects the game to be another good one.

"I see them all the time in school and they say hello to me," she said. "I think it’s going to be a good game. My team has definitely improved. I had girls who at that point probably weren’t playing at all, and now they’re playing and maybe even taking over starting positions. I’m very confident."

The winner will get to face No. 3 Salem (11-2-1) in the quarterfinals on Friday.

"I have a good group this year, but with every class, it’s a little different," MacLean said. "These kids are close. They do a lot of things together. I’ve really enjoyed being here this year. They’re a fun group and they work hard."

Also in Division I, No. 7 Bishop Guertin (6-5-3) will host a preliminary round game, as the Cardinals take on No. 10 Keene (5-7-2) at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday at Stellos Stadium in Nashua. Bishop Guertin won the regular-season meeting 1-0 on Aug. 31, and the winner of this game will face No. 2 Manchester Memorial (13-1) in the quarterfinals on Friday.

On the other side of the bracket, No. 9 Timberlane (6-7-1) travels to face No. 8 Dover (6-6-2) for a 3:30 p.m. start Tuesday. The winner of that game will face top-seeded Pinkerton (13-1) in the quarterfinals.

No. 5 Exeter (9-4-1) will host No. 12 Concord (2-9-3) in the prelims Tuesday, also at 3:30 p.m., with the winner facing No. 4 Winnacunnet (9-4-1) in the quarterfinals.

The semifinals are scheduled for Oct. 25, starting at 5 p.m. at Bill Ball Stadium in Exeter, while the final will be held Oct. 30 at 5 p.m. at Bedford High School.

Division II

Souhegan (9-5) earned the eighth seed in the tournament and will get to host a preliminary round game, as No. 9 Plymouth (7-4-3) heads to Amherst for a 3:30 p.m. start on Thursday. The winner of that game will face either No. 1 Lebanon (14-0) or No. 16 Bedford (5-8-1) in the quarterfinals on Sunday. Lebanon and Bedford also play Thursday at 3:30 p.m.

No. 12 Hollis/Brookline (7-7) will travel to face No. 5 Goffstown (11-3) in the opening round Thursday at 3:30 p.m., with the winner taking on either No. 13 Oyster River (6-8) or No. 4 Merrimack Valley (11-2-1) in the quarterfinals.

Second-seeded St. Thomas (12-1-1) will host No. 15 Kingswood in the prelims at 3:30 p.m. Thursday. The winner of that will take on the winner of No. 10 Con-Val (8-6) and No. 7 Kennett (9-5), who also play Thursday, in the quarterfinals.

No. 3 Bow (12-2) plays host to No. 14 Portsmouth (6-8) in the first round Thursday at 3:30 p.m., with the winner advancing to face either No. 6 Windham (11-3) or No. 11 Hanover (5-4-5) in the quarterfinals.

The division semifinals are scheduled for Oct. 27, starting at 5 p.m. at Bill Ball Stadium. The final is set for Oct. 30 at 2:30 p.m. at Bedford High School.

Division III

Newfound (14-0) is the top seed in the playoffs and will host the winner of No. 9 Sanborn (6-8) and No. 8 Mascoma Valley (8-6) in the quarterfinals on Saturday. Sanborn and Mascoma Valley will play a preliminary game Wednesday at 3:30 p.m.

No. 12 Gilford (5-8-1) will travel to face No. 5 Stevens (10-4) in the opening round for a 7:30 p.m. start on Wednesday. The winner of that game will face No. 4 Hopkington (12-2) in the quarterfinals Saturday.

No. 7 Winnisquam (9-5) will host No. 1o Littleton (6-8) in the first round at 3:30 p.m. on Wednesday, with the winner advancing to the quarterfinals to take on No. 2 Derryfield (12-1-1).

Sixth-seeded Newport (9-5) plays host to No. 11 Profile (5-8-1) at 3:30 p.m. Wednesday in the prelims, and the winner of that game gets to face No. 3 Berlin (12-2) in the quarterfinals.

The division semifinals are scheduled for Oct. 26, starting at 5 p.m. at Bill Ball Stadium in Exeter. The final will be held at noon on Oct. 30 at Bedford High School.