How tough is it to win back-to-back D-II championships? Portsmouth tough.

PROVIDENCE – What’s the best part of being a defending champion?

Knowing what it takes to make plays when it matters most.

Portsmouth was the lower seed but felt like the underdog against top-seeded Westerly. The Patriots couldn’t quite separate themselves from the Bulldogs but found a way to do so with some timely goals and a defense that wasn’t afraid to be physical in a 10-6 win that earned the program’s second straight Division II title.

“We knew we were coming in here as underdogs and we just had to execute,” Portsmouth’s Luke Brandariz said after the title match on Saturday, June 6. “We know any give day we can beat any team that’s put in front of us and that’s exactly what we did.”

“We worked hard all year for this moment,” Portsmouth’s Teddy Gersen said. “All the hours, all the spring, all the drills we ran through, all the games we came back in, it’s all led up to this and it’s worth it now.”

After winning the Division II title last spring and having most of its roster back, Portsmouth eschewed a move to Division I, and were the overwhelming favorites to win the division at the start of the season, but paper titles don’t always lead to actual ones.

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Portsmouth only lost three games this spring, but two came at the hands of East Greenwich – the team that it beat in last year’s final. The Patriots got past the Avengers in the semifinals and while it knew No. 1 Westerly would be tough, the confidence was evident the second they took the field.

It was a game of runs, but once Portsmouth took the lead on a goal by Joe Sanderson with 5:58 left in the second quarter, it remained ahead on the scoreboard the rest of the day. Westerly didn’t make things easy, but every step it took forward, the Patriots found a way to take two themselves.

Portsmouth led 5-4 at halftime and got the first two goals of the third quarter from Gersen and Brandariz, who was an unexpected offensive star with the Bulldogs defense focused on taking out Gersen and Rafe Dionne.

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Brandariz popped two goals to close the first quarter that gave the Patriots a 3-1 lead and got his hat trick in the third quarter. Westerly closed the third with goals from Ian Morissette and Caleb Williams, but Brandariz scored 2:05 into the fourth to get the lead back to two.

“That’s kind of how the ball rolled,” Brandariz said. “I knew they were going to try and shut off Rafe and Teddy so I just had to step up. I didn’t score against EG and I knew I had to step up, so that’s what I did.”

Westerly has controlled games this spring with a perfect blend of physicality and skill. The Bulldogs are fearless and intimidate opponents with how tough they play on the field.

Problem was, Portsmouth was OK with that style of play. The Patriots showed it on defense, taking the usually high-flying Westerly offense out for the final 12 minutes of the game.

“We knew what we had to do to get it done,” Gersen said. “Thankfully we were able to get it done today and get that championship.”

“We wanted physicality,” Brandariz said. “Our team is built of hockey players and football players, so we love the physicality.”

Westerly wasn’t pleased with the loss, but it wasn’t blinded by the progress the program has made over the years as it’s taken the steps from being a Division III champion to a team that will be able to contend in Division II – or maybe higher – for years to come.

“It’s crazy going from winning D-III and this being our second yar in D-II and getting to a championship game; it just means a lot,” Westerly’s Caleb Williams said. “It stinks we couldn’t get it done, but it means a lot for the program and shows how good this program is.

“… I’m going to take a lot of pride in this season. My senior year we won in football, could have won here, and the fact two of my sports made it to the finals means a lot.”

Portsmouth told everyone it was underdogs but certainly played like favorites. Not only is it the second straight title for the Patriots, it’s the second straight season they’ve won the championship as the No. 3 seed in the D-II playoffs.

There likely won’t be a third D-II crown. Portsmouth returns a healthy number of players for next season and, with realignment coming, will likely be forced to move up and compete with the best in the state.

After two championship seasons, the Patriots know what it takes to win and will be up for the challenge.

“We’re going to be ready to go and ready to play anyone,” Gersen said. “We’ve already played a tougher schedule this year, we beat two D-I teams – including Hendricken – so we know what to do in those big matchups.”

And Saturday certainly proved as much.

“It’s a surreal feeling,” Brandariz said. “It’s awesome.”

This article originally appeared on The Providence Journal: Score from the 2026 RIIL Division II Boys Lacrosse Championship Game