'OneOhOne' - Portsmouth girls soccer team is focused on a potentially historic season

PORTSMOUTH — Haley Coombs and the rest of the Portsmouth High School girls soccer team all received a T-shirt at the start of summer workouts for the 2023 Division I season.

The front of the gray shirt simply says, in white letters, "Portsmouth Soccer."

The back of the shirt, however, reads "OneOhOne," and those simple eight letters will serve as motivation for the Clippers, a team that has seen their season ended the last two years by Bedford in the Division I semifinals.

Portsmouth girls soccer Mickey Smith sent a YouTube video to his players of a man who kept attempting to break a stone. It took the man 101 times for the stone to be broken. That's the inspiration for the Clippers' adopted motto of "OneOhOne."

“That’s our goal, to break the stone and get to the championship, that's our motto," Coombs said. "We’re all working hard and we’re hungry to get there. We know we have what it takes.”

Good start in early season for Clippers

Portsmouth is one of five undefeated teams remaining in the 22-team Division I field going into Friday’s slate of games. The Clippers are 3-0 on the season, allowing just one goal.

Portsmouth opened with a 4-0 home victory against Alvirne, and then beat Timberlane, 3-1, and Londonderry, 5-0, both on the road. Nashua South and Exeter are both 4-0, while Bedford and Bishop Guertin join the Clippers at 3-0.

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“The first few games set the tone for the entire season,” Coombs said. “I feel doing very well at the beginning of the season gets everyone hyped to have a good year.”

The Clippers look to extend their season-opening win streak Friday at Manchester Central/West (0-3).

Best goalkeeper in state?

Smith calls Coombs, who was a Division I all-state honorable mention selection last year, the best goalie in the state.

“(Coombs) is physically gifted for the position,” Smith said. “She has height, she has athleticism, and she has good hands. She is the best all-around goalie in the state, and I really can’t think of anyone else who I would even put that close to her, honestly.”

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Coombs, who allowed just four goals in the regular season last year, was surprised to hear the comment her coach bestowed upon her.

“I know a lot of the goalies who are playing this year and there is a lot of talent,” Coombs said. “I play club (Seacoast United) with three or four of them, and it’s hard to say that one goalie is the best. I am surprised he said I was the best, but he always tells me how good I am."

Portsmouth’s big defensive three of Coombs, Timerman and Ruhnke

In front of Coombs is senior Avery Timerman, a two-year starter at center back, and junior captain Morgan Ruhnke, who has started at outside back since she was a freshman.

Smith expects all three to be all-state first-team selections this fall.

“I thought (Ruhnke) was one of the best outside backs in the state since the first day she got here, and (Timerman) was close to being an all-state center back last year,” Smith said. “One thing that (Coombs) has really improved on this year is her communication. She’s really running the show back there, and keeps them all in line and in position to prevent a lot of scoring opportunities for the other team.”

“(The video) went along with a quote called the ‘stonecutter’s credo,’” said Smith, in his third season at the helm of the Clippers. “In the ‘credo’ it references the “hundred and first” blow as the final blow that completes a seemingly impossible task which required a great deal of perseverance.  So, the video of the guy splitting this huge stone with just a sledgehammer and some wedges seemed to fit.”

All three say the chemistry between the three helps them succeed.

“We’ve all been playing with each for a long time, and we’re all comfortable with and work well together,” Timerman said. “(Coombs) is always in the right spot which makes my job easier. Whenever I make a mistake and the ball gets by me, I know I can rely on (Coombs) to be there to help out.”

Added Ruhnke: “(Coombs) is the best goalie in the state, she’s awesome. When I get beat, when the other defenders get beat, she’s next in line and I can always count on her to make the big save. I don’t get hesitant when I get beat because I knew she has my back.”

Smith said both Runhke and Timerman are “very fast” and good at timing their tackles against the opposition.

“(Ruhnke) is a very physical player on the wing, and she’ll get out there and run with even the fastest forwards,” Smith said. “(Timerman) tends to come out with the ball pretty much every time she goes in for a tackle. They are both smart, they know how to play, they know when to step forward and when to hang back. Our defense has really helped us get off to this good start.”

Good start, yes, but the Clippers want a great finish

Portsmouth has never won a girls soccer state championship, losing both of its previous times it has reached the final game of the season. Portsmouth reached the Division II final twice, losing to Lebanon in 2010 (3-1) and Hanover in 2015 (2-0).

Smith and his team believe this year is as good as any for a historic season.

“BG is off to a great start, and Exeter is always strong and they’re off to a great start,” Smith said. “We’ve seen enough to this point that I wouldn’t be all that surprised if we are one of the last few teams left out there.”

Ruhnke said losing to Bedford the past two years motivates her and her teammates.

"This year we want (title) more, and the team is getting better and better," Ruhnke said. "We lost to Bedford two years in a row, and we know we don't what that to happen again."

This article originally appeared on Portsmouth Herald: Portsmouth girls soccer adopts stonecutter credo as motto this year