St. Thomas takes care of business against Coe-Brown in D3 girls lacrosse quarterfinal

DOVER – Before moving up to Division II next year, the St. Thomas Aquinas High School girls lacrosse team has its sights set on leaving Division III with three straight championships.

The two-time defending champion Saints took another step towards that goal in dominant fashion during Thursday’s quarterfinal matchup against Coe-Brown Northwood Academy.

Senior Tatula Gregg netted eight goals and dished out three assists to lead third-seeded St. Thomas to a 20-9 victory over No.6 Coe-Brown at Our Lady of Victory Stadium.

“It’s getting really exciting,” Gregg said. “It would be so special. I’m so proud of my team and everybody wants it. Hopefully we can do it and hopefully we can do it for each other.”

St. Thomas’s next obstacle in its attempt for a three-peat comes in Saturday’s semifinals against second-seeded Hopkinton (14-1) at Bank of NH Stadium in Laconia at 4 p.m.

Hopkinton advanced with a 16-6 win over No. 7 Laconia (11-5); St. Thomas opened its season with a 15-10 win over the Hawks. The winner of the game will play the victor of Saturday’s night cap between No. 4 John Stark (14-3) and top-seeded Bow (15-1) in Tuesday’s D3 championship game at Bedford High School.

“We beat (Hopkinton) in the first game of the season, but they’ve continued to improve and we expect nothing less,” St. Thomas co-coach Jen Carroll said. “I think it’ll be a battle and we anticipate it to be a close game.

St. Thomas’s only D3 loss was a narrow 13-12 decision against Bow in late April.

“If we’re able to get through Saturday we’ll most likely see Bow,” Carroll said. “It’s the motivation. They’re putting in the work and they want it.”

St. Thomas jumped out to a 4-0 lead on Thursday when Julie Bryan began her three-goal first quarter with a curl around the net to beat Coe-Brown goalie Hailey Smith.

Coe-Brown cut its deficit in half following goals from Rose Bean and Avery Keefe, but Gregg responded with a free-position goal to give St. Thomas a 5-2 lead through one quarter.

The Saints broke open the game by outscoring the Bears 9-2 in the second quarter to take a a 14-4 lead into halftime.

“Coe-Brown is a really strong team and I’m so proud of my teammates for doing so well and pushing ahead and getting running time so early,” Gregg said. “They’re was a point where we realized we had to settle it down. Then I got some one-on-one opportunities that my teammates helped me capitalize on.”

Gregg has been a stellar addition for St. Thomas after she transferred in from St. George’s School (Middletown, R.I.) before her junior year. The Portsmouth resident will be playing next year at Vanderbilt University.

“She came back this way and hasn’t looked back and it’s been a huge win for us. We love to have her,” Carroll said. “She’s just a powerhouse on the field. Anywhere you put her she’s right there. On defense, she kills it on the draw. Then she finds the back of the net.”

Coe-Brown (11-5) is also moving up to D2 next season after its most successful season in program history.

“It was a great season to get the best record in Coe-Brown history,” Coe-Brown coach Tom Johnson said. “I think next year will be our year even in Division II. The girls did a great job this year. They’re going to work hard in the offseason and we’ll be right there competing again.”