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# Portsmouth girls lacrosse returns to D1 final with win over Exeter (video)
- URL: https://www.nh-highschoolsports.com/portsmouth-girls-lacrosse-returns-to-d1-final-with-win-over-exeter-video/
- Published: 2025-06-10T02:30:49.000Z
- Updated: 2025-06-10T02:30:49.000Z
- Description: EXETER - Playing in the second Division I girls lacrosse semifinal had Portsmouth High School coach JoJo Curro a little concerned about how the Clippers might start the game. When the first semifinal went into overtime, that feeling strengthened, but when the team started warm up, it started to fade
- Author: Joe Marchilena
- Tags: Division I, Exeter, girls lacrosse, playoffs, Portsmouth, slider, #wp, #wp-post, #Import 2026-08-18 04:44

EXETER - Playing in the second Division I girls lacrosse semifinal had Portsmouth High School coach JoJo Curro a little concerned about how the Clippers might start the game.

When the first semifinal went into overtime, that feeling strengthened, but when the team started warm up, it started to fade.

And when the game got going, that feeling was gone, as top-seeded Portsmouth scored six goals in just over six minutes to start, on the way to a 19-3 win Sunday night over No. 4 Exeter at Bill Ball Stadium.

Raegan Lawton led the way with six goals and three assists and Morgan Ruhnke added five goals for the Clippers (20-0), who advanced to their third straight D1 title game since moving up before the 2023 season.

Portsmouth will play for its seventh championship since 2017 at 5 p.m. Tuesday against No. 3 Souhegan, which beat No. 2 Pinkerton in the other semifinal, at Bill Ball Stadium.

"They really just came ready to play," Curro said. "A lot of connections all over the field, it just seemed that everyone was locked in, ready to fight and ready to play."

Ginger Vinciguerra had three goals and an assist and Georgia Bouvier scored twice while Emery Lawton (one assist), Elliott Blenkinsop and Breleigh Vischer added a goal apiece.

Riley Benevides, Karli Scherpf and Anna Lieberman each had a goal for Exeter (15-5), which was playing in the semifinals for the first time since 2015.

After the teams traded turnovers to start the game, Vinciguerra got the Clippers on the board with 9:46 left in the first quarter. Emery Lawton followed with another goal 1:03 after that and Vinciguerra got another just 37 seconds later.

Raegan Lawton and Ruhnke scored after that to make it six goals in just over three minutes and forced Exeter to take a timeout.

"My concern is with the later game, it’s not a usual time to play," Curro said. "We came early to watch the game before, so that’s a lot of sitting time. It’s just getting yourself up and going and moving. Once that first game ended, they wanted to get out there, so I didn’t really have to worry."

Raegan Lawton scored with 24.9 seconds left in the opening quarter to make it 7-0 after one. Ruhnke's third goal of the game put it into running time with just over four minutes remaining in the first half and Portsmouth's lead grew to 13-0 going into the break.

Scherpf scored about 20 seconds into the second half to get the Blue Hawks on the board, but the Clippers quickly responded.

"They definitely came out with confidence," Curro said. "Our underclassmen and maybe some of our younger players, they maybe haven’t been at this time frame of the season, but they’ve all played in big games."

And Portsmouth will play in the biggest one of the high school season again on Tuesday.