State Champs Crowned Around the Region

November 15th, 2010

By Eric Slack

With Thanksgiving rapidly approaching, high school state soccer championships are being decided all around the region. Champions have been crowned in New Hampshire, Maine, Vermont and Rhode Island so far.

In New Hampshire's DI boys' championship, Pinkerton knocked off Manchester Central, 3-0, on goals by Sean Smith, Hayden Hicks and Erik Shaw. The DII title went to Hanover thanks to a 2-1 win over Bedford. Ben Harris and Eric Jane scored for the victors while Bedford's Matthew Cote had a goal in defeat. As for DIV, Wilton-Lyndeborough topped the Derryfield School, 1-0, after Stephen Taliadoros' 3rd minute goal stood up for the first state soccer championship for Wilton-Lyndeborough.

On the girls' side, Exeter defeated Londonderry 1-0 on a goal by Aby Short to claim its third New Hampshire DI crown in four years. In DII, Lebanon triumphed with a 3-1 win over Portsmouth thanks to two goals by Trina Scheie in the first 20 minutes of the game and a 34th minute goal from Michaela Cioffredi. Samantha Hobbs nabbed a goal for Portsmouth. And in DIV, Roz Kenny Birch and Chloe Warner scored for Derryfield School in a 2-0 win over Sunapee.

Over in Maine, a Phil Frost hat trick gave Bangor High's boys soccer team all they needed to win the Class A state championship, 3-2 over Portland. Tim Rovnak scored two goals in the loss for Portland. In Class B, Yarmouth romped to 5-0 victory over Ellsworth with five different players getting on the scoresheet. As for Class C, Fort Kent's Thomas Levesque netted the game winner halfway through the second half for a 2-1 win over North Yarmouth Academy, while Bradley Wilcox and Rem Poulin each had to goals as Bangor Christian scored a 5-2 victory over Richmond for a second consecutive Class D Maine state championship.

In the Maine girls' championships, Class A's title went to Scarborough High after Emma Bagley and Cortney Hughes led the team to a 3-0 win over Bangor. In Class B, Jessica DiPhilipo's penalty kick 15 minutes from the end of regulation was enough as Falmouth earned a 1-0 win over Caribou. Meanwhile in Class C, it took overtime for Sacopee Valley to knock off Fort Kent. Emily Lane bagged the game winner in the first overtime. And in Class D, Danica Hurley's goal was the only goal of the game as Richmond topped Van Buren, 1-0.

Up in Vermont, the Essex boys soccer team captured the Div. 1 state championship after several years of tournament setbacks. Paul Bianchi scored both goals in the 2-0 win over South Burlington. In Div. 2, Missisquoi earned a 3-1 win over U-32 (14-2-2) thanks to two goals from Chasen LaShure, while Noah Chapin's two goals led Leland & Gray to a 2-1 win over BFA-Fairfax in Div. 3. As for Div. 4, Mike Judkins' goal with 12 minutes to play was good enough as Danville beat Proctor, 1-0.

On the Vermont girls' side, South Burlington won an improbable Div. 1 title from the 10th seed position, earning a 2-1 win over Colchester on goals by Shannon Flaherty and Jen Arnold. In Div. 2, Harwood knocked off two-time defending state champion Milton,1-0, on a Liza Mackey goal. In Div. 3 and Div. 4, the championships were decided on penalties. Hannah McNulty stopped two PKs as Stowe defeated Green Mountain Union 4-2 on penalties after a 0-0 game in Div. 3. In Div. 4, Rivendell and Arlington played to a 1-1 draw before Rivendell won it when Brianna Wood scored on a penalty kick after the first nine shooters failed to find the net.

Down in Rhode Island, Jeff Craven's two goals led Barrington to a 2-1 win over Shea in Division 1 for the Eagles second title in the last three years. In Division 2, Smithfield earned a 3-2 win over East Greenwich thanks to two goals by Alex Bedrosian and one from Mark Marino. Rob Bialy had two goals in the loss for East Greenwich. The Division 3 title went to Classical in a 3-1 win over Exeter/West Greenwich thanks to two goals from Asa Sohn and another from Benjamin Dahn.

As for Rhode Island's girls, the La Salle dynasty continued as Mackenzie Meehan scored with under two minutes to play for a 1-0 win over East Greenwich in Division 1. In a game that was played in honor of the late Joe Avila, a New England Soccer Hall of Famer who passed away in June and had been the Rams' coach since 2008, the win marked La Salle's third consecutive title and eighth in the last decade. In Division 2, Exeter/West Greenwich earned their first title thanks to freshman Kara Shaw's goal with less than 8 minutes to play in a 2-1 win over Lincoln. And Narragansett earned its first title in 22 years after Carla Porras' goal late in the second half stood up for a 1-0 win against Middletown in the Division 3 championship.

The Connecticut and Massachusetts state championships, along with the NEPSAC prep school championships, will be decided between Friday, November 19 and Sunday, November 21.