MANCHESTER — Londonderry's dominant three-year reign atop NHIAA girls' lacrosse is over.

Souhegan of Amherst slayed the state's premier program.

Midfielder Madison Learned tallied eight goals and two assists for the Sabers, 16-9 winners Sunday in the Division I semifinals at Southern New Hampshire University's Larkin Field. The decision earned them a title berth for the first time since their 2008 championship campaign.

“It definitely feels good that we were able to show they're not unstoppable and we're ready to be on top,” said Learned, whose team faces Concord in Tuesday's 7 p.m. final.

The top-seeded Crimson Tide continued the pursuit for perfection and reached their second consecutive final with a 6-5 win over Exeter.

Souhegan 16, Londonderry 9: The second-seeded Sabers (14-3) won the head-to-head matchup for the second time this season. The formula: Force the third-seeded Lancers (11-4) to play long stretches of defense.

“We played them well a couple weeks ago,” Souhegan coach Maren Petropulos said in reference to her team's 17-10 win over the Lancers May 18. “We built on the things we did right in that game.”

Making sure teammates fed Learned the ball in scoring positions was a factor. Londonderry's defenders were often a step behind the sophomore, who didn't miss up close against Sarah Ford (five saves).

Mickenzie Larivee (three goals, assist) was also critical in the opening nine minutes after halftime. She sandwiched goals around Learned's back-to-back free-position markers that fueled a four-goal run.

Souhegan's spurt translated to an 11-5 lead. Learned's dominance and Megan Kolopsky's nine saves created a combination that prevented the Lancers from mounting a true threat.

“They had far better players than we did today. Souhegan beat us. They've got the horses,” said Londonderry's Bob Slater, who confirmed he is leaving the program to pursue other coaching opportunities.

Londonderry bolted to a quick 2-0 lead. Senior standouts Jenny Thompson and Leah Walter — who closed stellar careers with three goals apiece — sparked the strong start.

Joceyln Donohue responded with Souhegan's first score, which set off a 7-3 run over the remaining 18 minutes, 57 seconds.

“The girls worked hard. They're diligent,” Petropulos said. “We're a young team, but pretty poised.”

Concord 6, Exeter 5: The Tide improved to 17-0 in Division I. Goaltender Haley Schermerhorn had a great deal to do with it.

“She was the difference,” Concord coach Terry Anderson said. “We haven't had a lot of games where it came down to one goal. She really was focused, composed.”

While counterpart Sarah Carley stopped 12 shots, Schermerhorn made nine saves. She faced six first-half shots by Erica Estey (four goals), responsible for Exeter's lone tallies in a low-scoring frame. Concord took a 5-2 lead into halftime.

Estey's two tallies after the break fueled a three-goal run for the Blue Hawks (11-5), who quickly tied the game at 5-apiece courtesy of Emily Urbanowski.

Seneth Waterman (two goals) with 21:09 to play scored the game's last goal.

“The way momentum went back and forth with possession and lulls in scoring,” Anderson said, “it was a nerve-wracking game.”