A little under a month until the regular season wraps up and the thought of the playoffs is starting to cross everyone's minds. 

 Today we take a look at all four divisions and see how the standings are starting to take shape across the state.

 Our column today is brought to you by our partners at River Valley Community College!

 

Division I

Division II Standings and Statistical Leaders

1. Exeter: The Blue Hawks are undefeated and remain the team to beat in Division I. The past week was smooth sailing, but a trip to Nashua South and then Merrimack on Monday will be big ones for Exeter. Emma Smith and Taylor Seaman continue to orchestrate the Exeter offense on a game to game basis.

2. Bedford: The Bulldogs played an instant classic with Portsmouth on Tuesday night. Since falling to Exeter and allowing their first two goals of the season, Bedford has been near perfect, and will look to continue that next week.

3. Portsmouth: The Clippers hung with one of Division I's best and that will keep them at the three spot this week. Tuesday's game will certainly help them for the rest of the regular season and certainly in the postseason. 

4. Timberlane: It is no surprise Timberlane leads the division in goals at 47. The offense keeps on coming and that has fueled the Owls to eight straight wins. This group is good for at least three goals a game, but it will be their defense that will be the deciding factor down the stretch.

5. Bishop Guertin: The Cardinals tied with Merrimack on their home turf this past Saturday which was a bit eye opening. It is hard to tell whether that told us more about Bishop Guertin or Merrimack, but it did show the fight both teams will have the rest of the way. 

6. Alvirne: The Broncos find themselves back in the top ten after quietly winning five in a row against quality opponents. While they have struggled against the top of the division, it has been a very good turnaround since a 1-4 start. 

7. Merrimack: Merrimack makes the second biggest jump out of anyone in the top ten. As stated above, the Tomahawks battled through 90 minutes and two overtime periods with a very strong Bishop Guertin team. Merrimack is coming into form at the right time. A Monday night matchup with Exeter should tell us even more. 

8. Concord: The Tide have a great chance to get back on track with Nashua South this afternoon. As we pointed out last week, the Tide have went toe-to-toe with Division I's best the past two weeks. If they can grab their second win in a row before a tough stretch to the regular season, it could be big for Concord in terms of seeding.

9. Goffstown: A battle with rival Bedford and a tough loss to a hot Alvirne sees the Grizzles fall a few spots this week. It doesn't get much easier in the weeks ahead, but Goffstown has built a strong resume so far and can continue to do so with Hanover on Saturday. 

10. Nashua South: A win against Concord today could be the marquee win the Purple Panthers have been searching for. The Purple Panthers are in the thick of their schedule coming up with Exeter, Goffstown, and Bedford all on the schedule over the next week. 

 

 

Division II

Division II Standings and Statistical Leaders

1. Bow: The Falcons picked up two good wins over Merrimack Valley and Coe-Brown to bounce back from their loss to Pembroke. A big matchup with John Stark is ahead on Friday and will be one to keep an eye on.

2. Hollis-Brookline: A thrilling 3-2 overtime victory over Pelham bumps the Cavaliers up the two-spot this week. Hollis-Brookline couldn't have asked for a better week picking up wins over quality opponents in John Stark and Pelham and are looking primed for a big run going forward. 

3. Pelham: The Pythons suffered their first loss of the season, but certainly don't have anything to hang their heads about. HB is a quality team and that game will only help in the long run. 

4. Pembroke: The Spartans are rolling. Six wins in a row and Pembroke doesn't seem to be slowing down anytime soon. The Bow win set the tone for this team, and they seem to have found their groove.

5. Milford: A tie and four straight wins has Milford in a great position with six games to go in the regular season. 

6. John Stark: John Stark was in need of a win and finally got one against Keene yesterday. While it was great to snap the two game losing streak, the Generals travel to Bow on Friday for one of their biggest tests of the regular season. If this group can play to their potential, they can go toe-to-toe with Bow.

7. Lebanon: It was a rough week for Lebanon, dropping two straight to Milford and Pembroke. This team as a lower seed come torunament time would be a scary quarterfinal matchup for most, but the Raiders have a chance to turn things around and climb back up the standings. 

8. Oyster River: The Bobacts suffered their first loss to Bow after an impressive 7-0 start. As we said last week, things are starting to ramp up for Oyster River. Their strong start should get them a chance at a home playoff game, but they will need to get a few more wins with tough competition left on the schedule, which continues with Pelham on Friday.

9. Coe-Brown: Luck has not been on Coe-Brown's side after two one-goal losses out of their last three contests. They have a chance to bounce back with Laconia today but they get John Stark and Pembroke back-to-back next week.

10. Kennett: The Eagles have rattled off three straight wins after dropping three in a row the week before. Kennett is back in form with a big end of the season stretch coming up.

 

Division III 

Division III Standings and Statistical Leaders

1. St. Thomas: The Saints proved once again why they are the team to beat with a huge 2-1 win over Stevens on Tuesday. Time and time again Maddie Karsonovich and Elle Pottle have stepped up in the biggest of moments for this team, and that showed on Tuesday with big goals from the all-state tandem. 

2. Stevens: The Cardinals finally saw a goal go by on Tuesday but they battled right to the end with a talanted St. Thomas team. The Cardinals are still a well-oiled machine and this loss should fuel them. 

3. Raymond: Besides Stevens, Raymond is the only other team to give St. Thomas a real fight thus far. A 0-0 tie may be their only blemish of the regular season. 

4. Gilford: Gilford have been rolling as of late. Margaret Cummings has been a brick wall in the net, and things have been spread out offensviley for the Golden Eagles. Another game with Kearsarge (in a game we are covering) should be another big one for Gilford. 

5. Campbell: The Cougars finally suffered their first loss of the season, but the Cougars are still in the mix in Division III. 

6. Bishop Brady: Five straight wins for the Generals has Bishop Brady in prime position for a top eight seed come playoff time. The offense has tsarted to come along and the hard-nose defensive effort has remained the same since game one. 

7. Hopkinton: Hopkinton grabbed two big ones ober the past week, both 4-0 wins over Derryfield and Fall Mountain, and get the Cougars again on friday. 

8. Derryfield: Friday's game against Hopkinton is looking like a must-win for a Derryfield team looking to find a rhythm as the regular season winds down.

9. Trinity: The Pioneers started the week with a 2-0 win over Kearsarge and have a big one with St. Thomas on Friday afternoon. 

10. Inter-Lakes: Inter-Lakes finds their way into the Top 10 this week after four straight wins and zero goals allowed over the last two weeks. 

 

Division IV

Division IV Standings and Statistical Leaders

1. Newmarket: The Mules outlasted Concord Christian in double overtime to remain undefeated. Jillian Long scored the deciding goal with just two minutes to go. This team has championship experience, and it has shown in the big games this season.

2. Sunapee: Brynn Smith has been a scoring machine for Sunapee as of late, as she has scored nine of the team's 18 goals over their last three wins. A big game with PCA this afternoon and a matchup with Concord Chrisitian will be the team's toughest stretch of the season. 

3. Profile: The Patriots continue to play sound soccer. They tied with rival Littleton 1-1 this past Saturday in what was their closest game of the season so far. 

4. Concord Christian: Yet another overtime loss for Concord Christian, this time with top seeded Newmarket. The Kingsmen have been stepping up in the big time games. One of them should go their way sooner rather than later.

5. Portsmouth Christian: The same can be said about PCA. The Eagles brought Concord Christian to overtime this past Monday and lost 2-1. Lula Wamberg scored the lone goal, which was the 100th of her career. All three of their losses have come to top teams in the division. These reps will payoff come playoff time.

6. Woodsville: The Engineers suffered their first defeat to Sunapee last Friday and have had a week to regroup and prepare for a big stretch of games coming in October. 

7. Littleton: The Crusaders have taken care of business in the North Country. Their 1-1 tie with Profile may have shown there is not much of a gap between the two teams after all. 

8. Moultonborough: The Panthers tied with Gorham, fell to Division III Inter-Lakes, and defeated Groveton 4-1 over the last week. They get a chance for extra points as they take the road to avenge their loss to Inter-Lakes tonight.

9. Gorham: Two ties and a win over Lisbon is what things have looked like for Gorham in their last three games. They need to grab some wins here soon, and now the schedule is the toughest it has been with a big North Country road trip ahead. 

10. Lin-Wood: Things have not been trending in the right direction for the Lumberjacks as of late, but the hope is they can turn things around on the road at Groveton on Friday.