Girls soccer preview: Bishop Feehan still a standout

In any other year, with the experience and firepower at its disposal, Division 1 champion Bishop Feehan would be among the favorites to defend the first girls soccer state title in program history.

But this is not any other year. Concerns over the pandemic will largely limit competition to abbreviated league schedules this fall with no MIAA tournament, denying the Shamrocks a shot at back-to-back crowns.

Still, like many coaches around Eastern Mass., Phil Silva has taken a glass-half-full attitude as his team prepares for a season which appeared unlikely this summer.

“We’re looking at it more as an opportunity to play together in a new league and to test ourselves in a regular season that we haven’t had the least few years in a small league, so that’s our first priority, and keeping everybody healthy and playing soccer is a big priority as well,” said Silva. ”I think they are more excited than they usually are at the beginning of the season. Waiting that extra month has made them a little hungrier as group.”

Villanova-bound scoring machine Francesca Yanchuk, who enters her senior campaign with 109 career goals, leads Feehan into its first season in the Catholic Central, one of six returning starters that would be eight if not for injuries to Grace Robison, out with an ACL tear, and Anne Pearl, whom the Shamrocks hope to get back early in the campaign.

Among their chief challengers in their new league will be Bishop Fenwick with CC MVP Isabella DelVecchio and goalie Claudia Keith, and Austin Prep with Gabby Vachon, Catherine Gallagher and Isabella Tenreiro.

Feehan had to go through Division 1 North champion Brookline to claim the crown. The Warriors were hit hard by graduation, but there is no shortage of talent in the Bay State Conference as Natick and Needham were both sectional semifinalists. The Redhawks bring back Kelly Pease and Emily Bubonovic, while the Rockets will be led by young stars Maddie Ledbury and Caroline Hood.

The Shamrocks aren’t the only EMass squad with a strong nucleus of a state championship team intact as Holliston has one of the state’s premier goalies in senior MaryKate Ward, a UConn commit, as well standouts Megan Putvinski and Mia Luisi back from their Div. 2 title run. Dover-Sherborn, the reigning Div. 3 South champs, are also a team to watch in the Tri-Valley League, led by Annie Parizeau and Hope Shue, while Millis is coming off a third straight Div. 4 state final appearance and has Jordyn Ferrantino returning.

“While I do feel we could have made another run at a state title this year, I am just so grateful that we got to experience it last year and that we will get the opportunity to play together this fall,” said Holliston coach Brielle Chadsey. “This is a very competitive group and I have no doubt that they will continue to bring the intensity to every game”

Winchester was the Panthers’ opponent in the Div. 2 final, its second straight berth after winning in 2018, and the Sachems remain loaded. Dartmouth-bound All-American Hannah Curtin headlines a trio of future Ivy Leaguers with Ally Murphy (Princeton) and Ellie Rappole (Yale), who is back from Development Academy. Stoneham also made a deep run out of the Middlesex League a year ago, winning Div. 3 North, but will need to lean on Valerie Duhamel and goalie Bridget Haley with the departure of its catalysts, twins Amanda and Samatha Cardarelli.

After originally deciding to push all sports to the Fall II window, most of the Northeastern Conference reversed course. Danvers is stocked with league MVP and All-New England selection Ariana Bezanson and Livvi Anderson, both Colgate commits, and Riley DiGilio, while the NEC also boasts stars like top keeper Sydney Anderson of Beverly, Mackenzie Kearney of Swampscott and Morgan Bovardi of Masconomet, a new addition to the league this fall.

With King Philip losing five league all-stars, including Kelley-Rex Co-MVPs Avery Snead and Chloe Layne, from a team that ran the table in the regular season, Foxboro could be ready to take the mantle of top dog in the Hockomock behind the dynamic seniors duo of Jordyn Collins and Kailee McCabe.

Likewise, Andover relied heavily on a strong group of seniors to gain the Div. 1 North final. League rivals Central Catholic have been a consistent force in the Merrimack Valley and should be again with Sydney Wnek.

Whitman-Hanson continues to pump out prolific performers in the Patriot League and figure to be in line for another outstanding campaign with Olivia Borgen and Kelsee Wozniak, who were both All-State selections as just sophomores a year ago. Hingham looks to be back on the rise with its own wealth of youthful talent under new coach Sarah Dacey.

The Dual County League had a pair of Div. 1 North semifinalists in Westford Academy and Acton-Boxboro. The Grey Ghosts were hit harder of the two by graduation, having to replace Large Division MVP Ally Giovino, while the Colonials will have Ella Cormier as their linchpin.

With twins Kelly and Kristen Mederios in tow, Dartmouth stacks up again as the class of the Southeastern Conference, which will add West Bridgewater for the Fall I season.

East Bridgewater and Norwell each made noise in Div. 3 South before falling and have key players back to navigate the South Shore League slate as the Vikings will be paced by Avery LeVangie and the Clippers by Allie Connerty.

Div. 4 North champion Amesbury returns one of the state’s elite players in All-New England senior forward Alyssa Pettet in the Cape Ann League, while Pentucket can counter with another of the area’s best in Jacey Jennings.

Down in the Cape & Islands, MVP Livi Varetimos is back for Barnstable, as is standout Ariana Silva for Falmouth.

The Greater Boston League, Mayflower League and South Coast Conference have all elected to move girls soccer to the Fall II window from Feb. 22 to April 25, as have nearly half of the schools in the Commonwealth Athletic Conference and various individual towns classified as red, or high risk, by the state. The Boston City League will also not play this fall but has not made a decision on a shift to Fall II.

from Boston Herald https://ift.tt/34fZ1D2