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Shea Robinson

The boys gather in a team huddle during their game against Salem on Saturday Oct. 31.

The boys varsity soccer team has been seeking a state championship title for longer than some team members have been alive.

The last win took place in 1999 and there has only been one other championship appearance since then.

This could be the year the Lancers bring back the title, heading into playoffs ranked third in the division with a record of 14-2-2, falling only behind (13-2-1) Hanover, and (14-1-1) Bedford.

The road to the ‘ship began in early July when the team, and perspective underclassmen additions, began preseason practices which continued until tryouts in late August.

“Coming into tryouts we were already fit, and we were able to focus on soccer more,” senior captain Max Hastings said.

After their season ended last year in the quarter final round of playoffs, the team made some adjustments to their practice ethic in hopes of taking their season further this year, focusing more on tactics versus running drills, according to senior captain Nate Gaw.

“We were constantly one of the best conditioned teams in the state and when other teams got tired we didn’t. We also have some of the most talented individuals in D1,” Hastings said.

Off the field, the team is sporting as much enthusiasm as they are on the field. After this past weekend the boys returned to school with considerably less hair, donning mohawks that were part of the game plan since the beginning of the season.

“In the first practice of the year I came in and said, ‘if we get to the top four we are getting mohawks’,” Gaw said.

The weather during the preliminary game on Wednesday, Oct 28th may have drenched the mohawks, but it did not affect the Lancers’ skill. The team beat Dover, 1-0, with a penalty kick by Max Hastings to win the game.

At Saturday’s quarterfinal game against Salem, the sidelines were packed with fans and parents cheering on their Lancers. The team defeated Salem in overtime with a goal by senior captain Nate Gaw. The final score was 2-1.

Third seed Londonderry will face second Hanover in the semi final game. The last time the team played Hanover, they won 5-1, but the Lancers will still fight to take down Hanover again and make their way to the state championship game.

The semi final game will be held at Stellos Stadium on Wednesday, Nov 4th at 4:00pm. Come support the team and watch their months of work put to action. Be sure to watch out for the following players:

Griffin Cowles #7

“Griffin can dribble past anyone and finds great passes,” Hastings said.

“He brings so much knowledge to the game and creates a lot of great scoring opportunities,” Gaw said.

Nate Gaw # 4

“Nate is faster than everyone in the state and can score goals from anywhere,” Hastings said.

Tim McEacharn #30

“Without him there’s no way we would win some of the games we’ve won this year,” Gaw said.

Tarik Dallahi # 10

“Tarik is relentless against defenders and capitalizes on mistakes [made by the other team],” Hastings said.