Paterson, Portsmouth boys lacrosse hang on to defeat rival Derryfield, 10-9

MANCHESTER - Portsmouth High School's Reilly Collins knew "Mr. Cool" wasn't going to allow the game-tying goal nor give up the lead late in the fourth period in Thursday's Division II boys lacrosse battle at Derryfield.

'Mr. Cool', also known as Kai Paterson - Portsmouth's starting goalie, would have to come up huge in the final moments if Portsmouth wanted to remain undefeated, and simultaneously hand Derryfield its first in-state loss of the season.

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The biggest of Paterson's three fourth-quarter saves came off a Chili Cabot shot with 15 seconds left as the Clippers held on for a 10-9 win at Derryfield School.

"He's just Mr. Cool, he's so calm all the time," Collins said. "One of the (most chill) dudes I've ever been around, and I've never seen (Paterson) too high or too low. I think that's what makes him so great, and that's what makes him step up in these huge games ... he's just a stud athlete."

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Paterson came up with a save with 8:05 left on a shot by Cooper Ketcham, and recorded another save with around 5:30 left, again on a shot by Ketcham.

"I kind of just like to play like a goalie should, just thinking about saving the next shot," Paterson said. "I think a really important part of it is just not letting it get to me when a shot gets in. I just try to keep my cool in all scenarios and focus on the next shot."

"The thing about Kai is when he doesn't have his best stuff, he just plays the next play," Portsmouth head coach Chad Vischer said. "And that's what we say is always good about him."

Portsmouth enters fourth quarter with lead

Portsmouth entered the fourth with a 9-6 lead, but Derryfield cut the lead to 9-8 with about 10 minutes left. However, Paterson, aided by great defense in front of him, didn't allow Derryfield to tie the game.

"I was holding my breath on that last one when Chili (Cabot) shot it," Portsmouth's Zac Amend said. "And then Kai got a piece of it. Kai was great all game."

Amend helps Portsmouth remain undefeated

Portsmouth improves to 11-0, while Derryfield is 10-1. Amend led the Clippers with four goals and one assist, while Lucas Patten and Nick Smith each scored two goals, and Masi Shone and Collins also scored.

Collins called the win a total team effort.

"It got close at the end, but all rivalry (games) do," Collins said.

Derryfield opens scoring, Portsmouth responds

Derryfield opened the scoring, but Portsmouth responded with three straight, and led 4-3 after one. The Clippers' one-goal advantage increased to four, 8-4 at the break.

Portsmouth was without Ben Purcell, the team's second-leading scorer, who is dealing with a shoulder injury.

"I don't think we finished the game very well," Vischer said. "I thought (Derryfield) did a better job in the second half than we did. We had a lot of penalties and when the officiating is as tight as it is, we've got to stay out of the box. We gave them too many man-up's and they exploited it ... but any win against Derryfield is a good win."

"I think we came out hard, and I think we need to keep that intensity throughout the game," Amend said. "We tried to get them unsettled a lot. I think we had a lot of success in the beginning, but then later in the game, Derryfield was able to catch on to those early transition goals."

Championship rivals reunite in regular season

Portsmouth and Derryfield have met in the last two Division II state championships. Portsmouth won 16-10 in 2022, and Derryfield won, 12-11, last year.

"It feels great to win, especially against Derryfield; we've been rivals forever," Paterson said. "We've been neck and neck for the majority of my time on the team here ... always one-goal games. Obviously losing to them in overtime last year makes this one feel good and makes me excited to see our team progress and continue to work towards the bigger goal, which is beating them towards the end of the season (in the playoffs). I'm excited to see what both of the teams bring in the end."

'We're going to see (Derryfield) again in the championship, and I imagine it to be a one goal game over there, too," Vischer said. "Maybe a two-goal game, something along those lines."

This article originally appeared on Portsmouth Herald: Paterson, Portsmouth boys lacrosse beats NHIAA rival Derryfield School