N.H. boys soccer: Zhe scores twice as Newmarket reaches Division IV final
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NEWMARKET - Senior Brennan Zhe scored twice on free kicks, and that was all the top-seeded Newmarket High School boys soccer team needed in its Division IV semifinal against No. 4 Gorham.
Zhe scored in the second minute and again in the 47th to lead the Mules to a 2-0 win Monday, Nov. 2 at Laconia High School.
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"Brennan could play in any position and be an all-state candidate," Newmarket head coach Kenny Najem said. "We have him at center back and he can neutralize attacks and turn them into counter attacking opportunities. He is the anchor of the defense and a leader of the whole team."
Newmarket (17-0-2) will face No. 2 Littleton in Friday's Division IV championship game at Laconia High School. Littleton (15-1-3) advanced with a 2-1 semifinal win over No. 3 Epping. Newmarket and Littleton did not meet during the regular season.
"Team is looking forward to the opportunity to play in the finals," Najem said. "We have a couple of practices to tighten some things up but at this point the boys just need to out show up and be ready to compete."
Najem and the Mules watched the second half of Littleton's comeback win over Epping.
"We saw some talented players tonight and we watched them show a lot of fight coming back from a 1-0 deficit to win 2-1," Najem said.
This will be Newmarket's first trip to the state championship game since making consecutive appearances in 2018 and 2019. The Mules lost to Sunapee, 1-0, in the 2018 final before beating Sunapee, 2-0, for the 2019 championship.
Newmarket has outscored its opponents 8-1 during this year's postseason, beating No. 16 Woodsville, 4-0, and No. 8 Moultonborough, 2-1, before shutting out Gorham.
Newmarket goalie Matt Woods made seven saves in the semifinal.
"(Woods) was excellent coming off his line for corner kicks and long throws," Najem said.
This article originally appeared on Portsmouth Herald: N.H. boys soccer: Zhe scores twice as Newmarket reaches Division IV final