The South Shore has produced more than a few standout girls high school soccer players.
Some went on to star in college. A few have made it in the pros, either here or abroad. And some have carved out significant places for themselves on the United States Women’s National Team.
In light of the country’s 250th birthday, we’ve asked our readers to help us pick the all-time greats from around here in high school football and high school boys hockey. Now it’s time to do the same for high school girls soccer.
After considerable research, our staff has narrowed it down to what we consider to be the South Shore’s top 10 high school girls soccer players ever. One note: All players on this list played for schools that The Patriot Ledger and Enterprise cover on a regular basis.
All of the choices we came up with are from this century. Call it recency bias or maybe it’s a reflection of how far the sport has progressed over the last 25 or so years. If you think we’ve missed any deserving candidates from pre-2000, send us an email at sports@patriotledger.com.
Cast a vote for your favorite candidate. Voting is unlimited. Print readers can find the poll at patriotledger.com.
Here is our list of 10 worthy candidates, listed alphabetically.
The poll
The candidates
Amy Caldwell, Braintree
One of the few local players who twice was named the Gatorade Player of the Year for Massachusetts, Caldwell won the award in both 2005 and 2006. She graduated as Braintree High’s all-time leading scorer with 112 goals and 58 assists. She led the Wamps to back-to-back Division 1 state titles; she was a member of the 2005 state-championship team (coached by Fred Marks) that was inducted as a group into Braintree’s Athletic Hall of Fame. That team went 22-1-2. Caldwell played four seasons at Boston College, netting 12 goals and 19 assists over 82 games.
Niki Cross, Notre Dame Academy
Seven players from schools that the Ledger and Enterprise cover have been named the Gatorade Player of the Year for Massachusetts since the award was first presented in 1997. Cross was the first local winner, back in 2001. A high school All-American, she went on to play four years at UConn as a defender and enjoyed a fine pro career that included stops in Sweden and Australia. She played for Bayern Munich’s women’s team from 2012-14, winning a German Cup in 2012, and finished up with two seasons in the NWSL with the Washington Spirit (2014) and the Houston Dash (2015).
Eve Hewins, Hingham
The 2016 Gatorade Player of the Year for Massachusetts, Hewins led the Harborwomen to three straight EMass Div. 2 crowns during her career and totaled 95 goals and 55 assists. As a senior in 2016, when she also was a high school All-American, she had 38 goals and 18 assists and scored the winning goal in the EMass final vs. Arlington. It was the second time in three years that her goal made the difference in the title game. That 2016 club, that finished 21-0-1, was chosen as Ledger/Enterprise Girls Soccer Team of the Decade for 2010s. Hewins converted to defense during her playing days at Princeton.
Sam Mewis, Whitman-Hanson
Before she blew up into a professional star and a leading force on the USWNT, the Hanson native was a two-time Gatorade Player of the Year (2009 and 2010) for Massachusetts at Whitman-Hanson. As a junior, the 5-11 midfielder recorded 32 goals and 12 assists in leading the Panthers (18-2-3) to the Div. 1 state semifinals. As a senior she had 28 goals and 8 assists as her team finished 17-1-1. She concluded her high school career with 77 goals and 34 assists. Mewis was an NCAA champion at UCLA in 2013 and made 119 professional appearances, both in the National Women’s Soccer League and in England. She earned 83 senior caps for the USWNT and helped lead the U.S. to the 2019 FIFA Women’s World Cup crown in France. She retired in 2024.
Samantha Mewis, right, and her sister Kristie, left, pictured here in 2008 when they were standout soccer players for Whitman-Hanson Regional High School. File photo
Kristie Mewis, Whitman-Hanson
The older sister of fellow star Sam Mewis, Kristie also starred at Whitman-Hanson High, finishing her career there with 74 goals and 34 assists. She was a three-time NSCAA All-American and a three-time All-New England and All-Massachusetts team honoree. In 2008, Mewis was named the NSCAA Youth Player of the Year and the U.S. Soccer Young Female Athlete of the Year. She was a Parade All-American in 2009. She and Sam also teamed up to lead the U.S. to a runner-up finish at the Under-17 World Cup in New Zealand in 2008. Kristie Mewis left Boston College No. 2 all-time in goals (39), assists (38) and points (116). She played professionally from 2013-2025, winning an NWSL title with Gotham FC in 2023, and got 53 senior caps with the USWNT, appearing at the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup in Australia.
Lilly Reale, Hingham
A 2018 high school All-American for the Harborwomen, she scored 35 goals over her first two varsity seasons as a striker before transitioning to defense. Did extensive work for the U.S. Under-15 National Team while in high school. She originally committed to Boston College but flipped to UCLA, where she became a four-year starter. In 2022 she was won the Honda Sports Award as best player in women’s college soccer. She also was her league’s Defender of Year in both Pac-12 (as a junior) and Big Ten (senior). She signed with Gotham FC of the NWSL and was named the league’s Rookie of the Year in 2025 while winning the league crown. She was named the 2025 U.S. Soccer Young Female Player of the Year.
Alexis Rothmann, Norwell
She was two-time high school All-American (2017 and 2018), becoming the first player in program history to reach that level even once. In 2017 she had 15 goals and 20 assists in leading the Clippers (14-3-3) to the Div. 3 South quarterfinals. As a senior in 2018 she had 14 goals and 23 assists in leading the Clippers (22-2-1) to a Div. 3 state championship. She was the South Shore League MVP that season and was the EMass Girls Soccer Coaches Association Player of the Year for Div. 3 South. Rothmann finished her Norwell High career with 86 goals and 99 assists. She played at Div. I Providence College, where she started 72 games, earning one All-Big East First Team honor and two Second Team nods.
Jocelyn Savastano, Plymouth North
A 2002 high school All-American, she rewrote the North record book, becoming the program’s all-time leader in goals (99) and points (141). She also set the single-season record for goals (31) and was No. 3 all-time in assists (42). Savastano led North to a South Sectional final in 2000 and to sectional semifinals in 2001 and 2002. She kept up her torrid scoring pace at Div. II Saint Anselm College, where she had a 7-goal game and left as all-time leader in goals (82), assists (29), points (193) and game-winning goals (17). She led all of NCAA Div. II in points per game (3.53) and goals per game (1.53) in 2005. She helped her team to 33 victories across a four-year career.
Utah Royals FC forward Ally Sentnor (9) warms up before the match against Portland Thorns FC at America First Field on July 27, 2024.
Ally Sentnor, Thayer Academy
Sentnor played just two seasons of high school ball at Thayer — as an eighth-grader and a freshman, collecting 24 goals and 12 assists — before concentrating on her club work (for South Shore Select) and her commitments to various age-group U.S. national teams. She did help the Tigers win a New England crown in her first season on varsity. Sentnor, who’s from Hanson and actually got some hand-me-down middle-school textbooks from the Mewis sisters, was the 2019 Sports Illustrated Sports Kid of the Year. She starred at the University of North Carolina and was the No. 1 overall pick in the 2024 NWSL draft by the expansion Utah Royals. Sentnor now plays for the Kansas City Current. She’s scored 7 goals for the USWNT while earning 21 senior caps.
Caitlin Whelan, Weymouth
She was the 2004 Gatorade Player of the Year for Massachusetts as a senior, when she also was named an NSCAA All-American. She scored 140 career points for the Wildcats, whom she led to the Div. 1 South Sectional final as a senior. A four-time Bay State Conference MVP, she also was a three-time all-New England selection and made four Patriot Ledger All-Scholastic teams. She had a successful college career at New Hampshire after transferring from Northeastern. She was voted the 2007 America East Midfielder of the Year when she had 5 goals and 6 assists to rank third in league scoring.
This article originally appeared on The Patriot Ledger: Vote for greatest South Shore girls soccer player of all time
