Pingree boys’ lacrosse emerges from defensive battle with back-to-back NESLL championships
HAMILTON — For the second consecutive year, the Pingree boys’ lacrosse team has conquered the New England Scholastic Lacrosse League.
With a 5-4 victory over third-seeded Dexter Southfield (8-8) on Saturday, the No. 4 Highlanders (11-6) won a rematch of the 2025 title game.
Coming in, Pingree hadn’t scored fewer than six goals, but in its most important bout of the campaign, five proved to be enough to support a lockdown defensive performance.
Sophomore goalie Marcello Amadeo (Salem, N.H.) denied a flurry of attempts in the closing minutes. He finished with nine saves, capping things off with a quick-reflex rejection on a breakaway following a turnover.
“The defense has done a great job,” said Pingree coach Kevin Tersolo. “Marcello making those saves at the end was just incredible, and a huge confidence builder for him.”
Leading the scoring was Tersolo’s son, Andrew, a freshman from Hamilton who netted two crucial goals in the second half as the Highlanders crawled back from an early 3-0 deficit. His other son, Matt, a senior attack, serves as a captain.
Denver-bound junior Nick Donovan (Newburyport) also fired in two goals, including the eventual winner. Junior captain and Notre Dame-committed Henry Card (Hamilton) rounded out the scoring.
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For Dexter, Joshua Bergland (Burlington) tallied his second goal with two minutes left in regulation to cut the lead to one, but the nets were kept empty from that point on.
Pingree’s run to the final was arduous. The Highlanders won four games in six days, taking out top-seeded Cushing less than 24 hours prior to the championship game.
“Both teams were obviously cooked physically, but I’m glad our guys didn’t break down and still fought for four quarters,” Kevin Tersolo said.
Last year’s final was eerily similar, as the Highlanders squeaked out a gritty 3-1 win.
After conceding the opening three goals this year, and not getting on the board until three minutes remained in the first half, Pingree refused to let back-to-back titles slip away.
“Our whole season is to play for a championship and this is the only opportunity we were getting, so we either do it now or we have to wait till next year,” Kevin Tersolo said.
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