Feehan still best girls team in state
In Division 1 girls soccer, the undisputed ruler is Bishop Feehan. The Shamrocks have won 38 consecutive games, going undefeated en route to the program’s first state title in 2019 and perfect again in 2020 during a postseason-less pandemic campaign.
Despite the departure of sniper Francesca Yanchuk, who took her 146 career goals to Villanova, and the loss of Sydney Kofton to an ACL injury, Feehan still has plenty of firepower with Div. 1 commits Kaitryn Franchino (Cal State-Fullerton) and Grace Robison (Sacred Heart).
Contenders to knock the Shamrocks off the Div. 1 throne abound in Eastern Mass., though. Chief among them is Hingham, which won the Patriot Cup in its first year under Sarah Dacey and remains loaded with talent, led by Keenan MVP junior Sophie Reale and fellow EMass All-Stars senior Ava Maguire and sophomore Claire Murray.
The Bay State Conference will again have no shortage of contenders, headlined by Needham and Natick. Seniors Maddie Ledbury and Julia Bollas and junior Caroline Hood, a DI recruit, are back for the Rockets, while the Redhawks can counter with a pair of senior standouts in Kyra Hacker and Allison Jeter.
In the Dual County League, both Concord-Carlisle and Newton South should be factors. The Patriots, back in Div. 1 for the first time since 2010, have four returning DCL All-Stars, including All-New England selection senior Nia Hislop. The Lions lost three players to the college ranks from the DCL Cup winners but have All-State senior Bria Abbiati among their league DCL allstars back.
The Merrimack Valley League should also have a say in Div. 1. Andover has defensive anchor junior Ashley Sheldon back while their neighbors in North Andover boast one the state’s most dangerous players in Clemson-bound senior Emma Wennar. Central Catholic, a model of consistency under Casey Grange, will try to maintain its level with new coach Jami Hayden.
The Patriot League is a legitimate threat to deliver two state titles from the Keenan Division alone with Whitman-Hanson moving down to Div. 2. The Panthers will be paced by senior Olivia Borgen, ticketed for Penn State, and have two other college commits in Ava Melia (Bryant) and Nora Manning (Stonehill).
The reigning Massachusetts Gatorade Player of the Year resides in Div. 2 as well, Danvers senior All-American Ariana Bezanson, a Colgate commit who scored 22 goals in just 11 games in leading the Falcons to a perfect season last fall.
With 10 starters back, including EMass All-Star senior goalie Brady Deschamps, Nauset appears to be the class of the Cape & Islands. All but three allstars in the Hockomock Kelley-Rex graduated, but Mansfield has two of them in seniors Maria Savastos and Katie Miller.
Junior Brooke Walonis, who recently committed to UConn, is one of three returning BSC All-Stars for a Walpole team that was unbeaten last fall. Medfield also had a zero in the loss column in the Tri-Valley League and can count on the league’s top goalie in senior Izzy Brown.
The combination of senior Olivia Mucci and sophomore Sydney Comeau will also make Notre Dame (Hingham) a team to be reckoned with.
In Division 3, two leagues should dominate the conversation as the Catholic Central Large and TVL Small are each littered with clubs that could make deep postseason runs.
Bishop Stang nearly ended Feehan’s unbeaten run in the CCL Cup final last fall and has EMass All-Star senior Lily Shields in tow. All-State senior Isabella DelVecchio is among Bishop Fenwick’s returnees while Austin Prep has the league’s most all-stars back with four, led by junior Bella Tenreiro and senior Catherine Gallagher.
Meanwhile, Dover-Sherborn has been the team to beat in the TVL Small the last few years but graduated the core of their Div. 3 South champion team, leaving the door open for a pair of challengers. Dedham has its most talented team since joining the league in 2016, powered by Providence-bound senior Abbey Finn and junior Lily Roslonek, while Medway should get a boost from first-year senior Mikayla in dropping down from Div. 2.
Foxboro, with All-New England senior Kailee McCabe, will be hardened by the Hockomock. Stoneham has a couple of EMass All-Stars with Div. 3 state final experience from the 2019 run in seniors Val Duhamel and Bridget Haley. All-State junior Julia Hanson is one of three returning Weston players that copped EMass recognition.
Look out for HamiltonWenham in Div. 4 as the Generals drop down a level in the realignment. All-State senior Jackie Chapdelaine spearheaded a defense that allowed just three goals in 10 games for the Cape Ann League Baker champs last fall.
Cohasset can’t be ignored in Div. 4 either with the South Shore League Tobin MVP, junior Cat Herman, in the midfield and promising freshman Tess Barrett. West Bridgewater heads back to the Mayflower League after playing a Southeastern Conference schedule a year ago and has a strong cast back, led by senior Sophie Roy and sophomore Rachel Genuch, both EMass AllStars.
Division 5 is new to the tournament in the statewide format and the largest with 83 schools, although only 34 are from the former North and South sections. As programs from strong leagues that met in the last two Div. 4 South finals, Millis and Hull are two to keep an eye on.