LEBANON, N.H. - Lebanon field hockey opened its playoff run with a 1-0 home win over Merrimack Valley on Tuesday afternoon, getting revenge on a team that had beaten the Raiders earlier this fall.
The sixth-seeded Raiders kept 11th-seeded Merrimack Valley off the board for the full game and made one goal stand up. The Pride had won the regular-season meeting 4-2 in Penacook on Sept. 15, and Merrimack Valley also beat Lebanon 2-1 last October and ended the Raiders’ season with a 4-0 win in the 2024 playoffs.
Lebanon improves to 10-7, while Merrimack Valley finishes 6-10-1. The Raiders bounced back from a 2-3 home loss to Oyster River on Saturday and have now won five of their last eight games.
Next up is an all-Upper Valley quarterfinal. Third-seeded Hanover (12-2-1) beat Lebanon 8-0 on Sept. 1, and the winner moves on to the semifinals on Tuesday, Oct. 27, in Exeter.
Lebanon field hockey is next at Hanover in the quarterfinals on Friday, October 23, at 3 p.m.
Other relevant play on Tuesday, October 20:
Kingswood (9-7-1) 3 at John Stark (8-8-1) 2 Kingswood won a one-goal game on the road and moves on to face top-seeded Souhegan.
Oyster River (8-7-1) 2 at Hollis-Brookline (7-7-3) 0 Oyster River, which edged Lebanon 3-2 on Saturday, won on the road to set up a quarterfinal at Bow.
BOYS SOCCER
Lebanon at Coe-Brown | Tuesday, October 20
Lebanon boys soccer stayed hot with a 5-0 win at Coe-Brown on Tuesday afternoon in Northwood.
It was the Raiders’ third straight win and their second five-goal game in a week, following a 5-3 home win over Milford on Oct. 13 and a 3-1 win over Hollis-Brookline on Friday. Lebanon has scored 13 goals in those three games and is unbeaten in five straight, with four wins and a tie, since a 0-2 home loss to Bow on Oct. 2.
The Raiders improve to 9-3-2, while Coe-Brown falls to 4-7-4. Coe-Brown had won 4-0 at Milford on Friday.
Lebanon coach Rob Johnstone said before the season that the program had “a highly competitive tryout week with 62 candidates vying for spots in the program, 56 of them in grades 9-11.” That young group now has the Raiders rolling.
Lebanon boys soccer is next at home against John Stark on Friday, October 23, at 4 p.m.
Other relevant play on Tuesday, October 20:
Campbell (10-2-3) 2 at John Stark (6-6-3) 1 John Stark, Lebanon’s next opponent, fell at home to Campbell.
Bow (9-4-2) 1 at Milford (6-5-4) 2 Milford, which Lebanon beat 5-3 last week, edged a Bow team that handed the Raiders their last loss.
GIRLS SOCCER
Lebanon at home vs. Coe-Brown | Tuesday, October 20
Lebanon girls soccer played Coe-Brown to a 1-1 draw at home Tuesday afternoon.
The result stopped a three-game losing streak for the Raiders, who had dropped a 1-2 home game to Plymouth on Oct. 9 and then lost 0-2 at Milford and 0-2 at Hollis-Brookline. Tuesday’s goal was Lebanon’s first in three games.
“Capitalizing on goal-scoring chances will be critical,” coach Breck Taber said before the season. Goals have been scarce this month: Lebanon has scored three times in its last five games.
The Raiders move to 3-8-3, while Coe-Brown sits at 5-9-1.
Lebanon girls soccer is next at John Stark on Friday, October 23, at 4 p.m.
Other relevant play on Tuesday, October 20:
John Stark (7-4-4) 5 at St. Thomas Aquinas (5-8-2) 3 John Stark, Lebanon’s next opponent, won a high-scoring game on the road.
Hollis-Brookline (13-1-1) 1 at Oyster River (5-6-4) 0 Hollis-Brookline, which beat Lebanon on Friday, edged Oyster River on the road.
That wraps up the day for Lebanon High School sports. We’ll see you next time!