N.H. girls soccer: Arico hat trick sends Portsmouth Christian back to Division IV final
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LACONIA – The Portsmouth Christian Academy girls soccer team will get a chance to defend its Division IV state championship.
The top-seeded Eagles scored four times in the opening 40 minutes and rolled into a second straight championship game with a 5-0 semifinal win over No. 5 Profile on Tuesday, Nov. 3 at Laconia High School.
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Tilly Arico led the the Eagles with a hat trick, while Sylvie Wamberg had a goal and two assists, and Sophie Anderson had one goal.
The Eagles (17-1) led 4-0 at halftime and wasted little time putting the game away after the break, scoring approximately two minutes into the second half. With a five-goal advantage, PCA coach Derek Summers was able to turn to his bench for much of the remaining time.
“I would say I knew if we played well, there was a chance of that, and we played well tonight,” Summers said.
The victory earned Portsmouth Christian a spot in Friday's Division IV championship game against No. 2 Groveton (14-2-2) at 5 p.m. at Laconia High School.
Groveton advanced with a 2-1 semifinal win over No. 6 Gorham.
“I am happy to have the opportunity to defend our championship on Friday night," Summers said. "(Groveton's) goalie looked really, really good (against Gorham). She played really well. They have a lot of speed, and a couple wingers that are really fast.”
Eagles continue dominant run
The Eagles' offense provided more than enough support Tuesday, but their defense was just as impressive.
Center backs Brie Mullins and Ruthie Sherrill helped keep Profile from generating scoring opportunities.
“Honestly, my center backs were great,” Summers said.
The shutout continued an impressive run for PCA since its only loss of the season, which came against Mount Royal Academy on Oct. 5. Portsmouth Christian has since won 10 straight games, outscoring the opposition, 60-4.
A return to the championship game isn't necessarily a surprise for a PCA team that returned significant talent from last year's title-winning squad.
“Yes, I would say that we did expect that,” Summers said. “I only had two seniors on the team last year. We have a lot of talent.”
This article originally appeared on Portsmouth Herald: N.H. girls soccer: Arico hat trick sends Portsmouth Christian back to Division IV final