Winnacunnet, Portsmouth top seeds entering D2 girls lacrosse tournament

It was one of the most anticipated matchups of the Division II high school girls lacrosse regular season.

Could it happen again in the playoffs?

With Winnacunnet and Portsmouth on opposite sides of the bracket, it's possible that the two teams could meet again in the division championship game. But a lot has to happen before then, and a handful of teams - notably defending-champion Hanover - will have opportunities to keep it from happening.

The Warriors and Clippers have just three losses between them this season, with Portsmouth having won the regular season meeting to account for Winnacunnet's only loss. Meanwhile, Portsmouth's only two setbacks came against teams from Division I, which means, the pair combined to go 27-0 against all other division opponents.

And in many cases, it wasn't even close.

In fact, the only D2 team that did so was Hanover. The Marauders held Winnacunnet to its second-lowest scoring output of the season in a 10-4 loss to the Warrirors, while in two losses to Portsmouth, Hanover kept the Clippers to an average of 10 goals.

All four quarterfinal games are scheduled to be played on Wednesday. Here's a look at each matchup.

No. 8 Timberlane (8-8) at No. 1 Winnacunnet (15-1), 5 p.m.

• These two teams opened the regular season back on April 11, with the Warriors winning 18-1. The Owls have been up and down all year, never winning more than three games in a row, but never losing more than three in a row as well. In its losses, Timberlane has allowed an average of 13 goals per game, while its given up 4.8 in its wins. Since losing to Portsmouth on May 13, Winnacunnet has won six in a row, including wins over D1 teams Bedford and Exeter, and fellow D2 playoff teams Hollis Brookline, Hanover and John Stark.

No. 5 Hollis Brookline (9-5) at No. 4 Hanover (10-5), 5 p.m.

• This will be the Cavaliers second trip to Hanover, as they lost 17-7 to the Marauders on May 12. That was part of a rough stretch for HB in which it went 1-5 and was outscored 75-38 in those five setbacks. Hanover, the defending division champion, has only lost three games in the division - twice to Portsmouth and once to Winnacunnet - but suffered two losses to D1 teams Pinkerton and Londonderry to drop down to fourth.

No. 7 Oyster River (8-6) at No. 2 Portsmouth (16-2), 5 p.m.

• These teams also met in the first game of the season, with the Clippers winning 19-4 on April 10. The Bobcats finished their first regular season in D2 by winning six of their final eight games. Portsmouth's two losses came early in the season to D1 teams Souhegan and Pinkerton, and the Clippers have won 13 straight. Included in that streak are two wins over Hanover and Windham, plus victories against Winnacunnet and D1 Exeter.

No. 6 Windham (11-6) at No. 3 John Stark (11-4), 5 p.m.

• The Generals picked up an 8-6 win over the Jaguars met on May 19, part of a stretch run that saw John Stark win seven of its final eight games. Windham stumbled a bit down the stretch, dropping three of its final five games, all against playoff teams. The Generals will be hosting a quarterfinal game for the third year in a row, after losing to Winnacunnet in each of the last two years as a top four seed.

Quarterfinal winners: Winnacunnet, Portsmouth, Hanover, Windham.

Final: Winnacunnet over Portsmouth.

Schedule: Quarterfinal, May 31, at higher seed; Semifinals, June 3, at Stellos Stadium in Nashua; Final, June 6, at Southern New Hampshire University.