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MIAA girls’ soccer tournament 2024 group breakdown
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MIAA girls’ soccer tournament 2024 group breakdown

The Dual County League is well represented. No. 8 Acton-Boxborough, No. 11 Concord-Carlisle and No. 15 Lincoln-Sudbury are in Division I. Weston is ranked 3rd in Division 3.

Hockomock is highlighted by No. 6 King Philip and No. 13 Franklin in Division 1 and No. 4 Mansfield and No. 9 Oliver Ames in D2. The Tri-Valley League has competitors in the top three divisions; No. 7 Hopkinton in D1, No. 5 Holliston in D2, and No. 2 Medfield and No. 7 Dover-Sherborn in D3.

Let’s take a closer look at each bracket:

Part 1

Favorite: No. 1 Natick (15-0-1)

Sleeping: No. 7 Hopkinton (15-1-2)

Best first round matchup: No. 18 Woburn (12-3-3), No. 15 Lincoln-Sudbury (10-7-1)

Longest opening tour journey: No. 34 Haverhill (8-6-4), no. 31 Plymouth North (7-8-3), 45.9 miles.

Players to watch: Annie Comella (Wellesley, Sr.), Dani Lomuscio (King Philip, Sr.), Ruby Mathis (Acton-Boxborough, Jr.), Amanda Peck (Bishop Feehan, Sr.), Maddie Recupero (Hopkinton, Sr.)

Overview: Bay State Conference Carey boasts a top-three finish. The top-ranked Natick defense of Kendall Hacker, Stella Boggis and Kira Henderson allowed just three goals all season as the Redhawks tried to defend their state title. University of Pennsylvania’s Emily Burnham completed Annie Comella’s 13-goal haul for No. 2 Wellesley. No. 3 Brookline is battle-tested and has a well-rounded attack in Sydney Freese, Anna Leschly and Makena Hammond.

The rest of the group will offer plenty of competition. Brooke Kennedy is a wizard in midfield for No. 4 Bishop Feehan. Nina Tzouganatos (8 goals, 15 assists) was at her best in No. 7 Hopkinton’s defensive midfield, forming a strong duo with star Maddie Recupero (25 goals, 15 assists). Young centre-back Gabriella Hermsdorf bolstered Winchester’s No. 12 backline, which resulted in 14 shutouts in 18 matches. No. 6 King Philip, No. 8 Acton-Boxborough and No. 13 Franklin will be challenging.

Part 2

Favorite: No.1 Masconomet (17-0-1)

Sleeping: No. 9 Oliver Ames (9-3-4)

Best first round matchup: No. 21 Bishop Stang (13-4-1), no. 12 Westwood (10-6-2)

Longest first round trip: No. 18 Longmeadow (8-4-6), No. 15 Notre Dame (Hingham) (8-6-3), 182 miles

Players to watch: Maggie Blosser (Masconomet, So.), Megan Carney (Duxbury, Sr.), Taylor deVos (Oliver Ames, Sr.), Aly Fernandes (Mansfield, Jr.), Emily Fernandes (Somerset Berkley, Jr.)

Overview: Top-seeded Masconomet finished its third straight regular season undefeated, led by the leadership and strong performance of senior Amanda Schneider and received stellar contributions from the lower and upper levels of the roster. No. 2 Duxbury boasts the Patriot League’s leading scorer in Megan Carney, but Lauren Sutliffe (14 goals, 14 assists) has struggled to overcome defense all season.

Under first-year coach Moussa Traore, No. 6 Somerset Berkley had a perfect 18-0-0 regular season. Youngsters Aryanna Secia (22 goals, 5 assists) and Emily Fernandes (11 goals, 17 assists) stood out. Fernandes’ offensive performance is particularly impressive considering he operates as a defensive midfielder.

No. 4 seed Mansfield is looking to return to the championship game after coming up short last year. No. 5 Holliston and No. 12 Westwood are capable of beating anyone as they take on Division 1 powerhouse Hopkinton. No. 15 Notre Dame (Hingham), the defending champion, has adopted a difficult schedule and has faced No. 14 Scituate twice in what will be a tough game.

Chapter 3

Favorite: No.1 Norwell (18-0-2)

Sleeping: No. 7 Danvers (12-3-3)

Best first round matchup: No. 18St. Mary’s (9-6-3), No. 15 Hannover (11-6-1)

Longest opening tour journey: No. 35 Martha’s Vineyard (10-6-0), no. 30 Bishop Fenwick (7-8-3), 193 miles

Players to watch: Emma Darling (Weston, Sr.), Kenzie Ellis (Nipmuc, Jr.), Allie Lanciani (North Reading, Jr.), Milla Lee (Dover-Sherborn, Sr.), Georgia Prouty (Danvers, Sr.)

Overview: No. 1 Norwell, under first-year coach Rob Williams, has compiled an 18-0-2 record and hasn’t lost since the start of last season. The Clippers will try to defend their title, which includes five players with at least 23 points. Olga Spasic and Eden Wheeler represent one of the state’s premier defender duos.

There is no shortage of prolific goalscorers; seniors Emma Darling (No. 3 Weston), Milla Lee (No. 5 Dover-Sherborn) and Georgia Prouty (No. 7 Danvers) are some of the area’s leading scorers. No. 9 Saugus is led by prolific junior Maddison Botta. Senior Alexis Greenblott and No. 10 Newburyport could put any team in a tight spot.

Chapter 4

Favorite: No. 2 Hamilton-Wenham (14-0-4)

Sleeping: No. 4 Matches (12-3-1)

Best first round matchup: No. 22 Nantucket (10-5-3), no. 11 Lunenburg (15-1-1)

Longest opening tour journey: No. 33 Easthampton (12-4-2), no. 32 Sturgis East (10-4-3), 159 miles

Players to watch: Tess Barrett (Cohasset, Sr.), Emilee Dunham (Rockland, Sr.), Anna Joseph (Sutton, Sr.), Annie Moynihan (Hamilton-Wenham, Sr.), Emma Rose (Lynnfield, Sr.)

Overview: No. 1 Sutton look set to compete again as Division 4 champions after gaining promotion from Division 5 ahead of last season. Overall, the Suzies won three state titles with Anna Joseph (UMass-Lowell) at the center.

No. 2 Hamilton-Wenham and No. 4 Cohasset are no strangers to lifting the hardware. Senior Annie Moynihan is a jack of all trades for the Generals. Tess Barrett is a must-watch talent for the Skippers as Boston College surpassed 200 career points last week.

No. 3 Lynnfield and No. 7 South Hadley will present challenges for each team.

Chapter 5

Favorite: No.2 Body (12-2-4)

Sleeping: No. 6 St. John Paul II (14-4-1)

Best first round matchup: No. 17 Westport (12-2-3), no. 16 Nashoba Valley Tech (16-2-0)

Longest opening tour journey: No. 38 Boston Collegiate Charter (14-3-2), no. 27 Drury (6-9-2), 145 miles

Players to watch: Lucia Antonucci (Mystic Valley, Jr.), Raegan Dillon (St. John Paul II, Jr.), Hannah Murphy (Monson, Jr.), Lizzy Shoucair (Tahanto, Jr.), Elly Thomas (Hull, Sr.)

Overview: No. 11 Monson enters as the defending champion and has advanced to the championship game in consecutive seasons. Junior Hannah Murphy surpassed the 200-point career-point plateau this season.

In addition to Elly Thomas (31 goals, 5 assists), senior Fallon Ryan (16 goals, 16 assists) recorded her 100th career point this season as Hull had a strong offensive duo. Senior Elsie Harper forms a strong backline for the Pirates.

Eighth-grader Lily Veracka scored 23 goals for No. 17 Westport, including eighth-grader Ella Camara (14 goals).


Cam Kerry can be reached at [email protected]. Henry Dinh-Price can be reached at [email protected].