Every year, it seems like the MIAA girls lacrosse playoffs are featuring more parity. Time and time again new programs jump to the forefront in the chase for titles, and this has become the norm in the Div. 1 field.
This spring, a handful of schools were jockeying for the top seed, which landed with Concord-Carlisle following an 18-2 campaign. Scarlett Mirak and Karleigh Mutch are two of the standouts who will be leading the Patriots in their pursuit of hardware, but it will not be an easy accomplishment to attain.
The usual contenders are back in the hunt, with Bay State Conference juggernaut Wellesley (16-4) at No. 2. After finishing as the state’s runner-up to Central Catholic in 2024, Steve Balter’s group will look to take things a step further with a championship. Expect the Raiders to rely on Kaitlyn Uller, Tara Battaglino and Olivia Comella. Lincoln-Sudbury is slotted as the No. 3 seed, and has battled through a gauntlet of a schedule.
However, other schools could also emerge as threats. No. 4 Chelmsford, No. 5 North Andover, No. 6 Westford Academy and No. 7 Franklin all caught fire as the season progressed, and enter on respective tears. Lexington dropped just one game and is the No. 8 seed. Last year’s champion – Central Catholic – is ninth.
The Div. 2 field is loaded at the top. In fact, the bracket may boast the three top teams in the Commonwealth. Leading the way again is Notre Dame (Hingham). The Cougars suffered the loss of arguably their top athlete in UNC (Chapel Hill) commit Emma Connerty (knee injury) during the season. Like clockwork, the school turned to rising stars like Sadie Lopez, Taylor Watts and Anna Haggerty, and simply kept on rolling to the top seed. The Cougars (17-3) have to be the favorite, but there will be challengers.
Second-ranked Walpole suffered its lone loss to Notre Dame back on May 9, and essentially stampeded through the rest of its very difficult slate. Look for UMass (Amherst) commit Caitlyn Naughton to take on a lead role for the Timberwolves, along with Jenna Wong, as they chase a crown.
Powered by Quinnipiac commit Charlotte DeMaio, Hofstra commit Cecelia Thurmond and Brown-bound Caroline Nozzolillo, Westwood (18-3) made a bold charge back into contention as one of Massachusetts’ top programs. The Wolverines have attained the third seed, and will certainly be a tough out.
No. 4 Reading (17-3) could very well go on a run of its own. Marist commit Megan Shanahan will be leading the Rockets.
In the Div. 3 bracket, Medfield (17-3) stands as the No. 1 seed, looking to repeat as champion. Last season, the Warriors knocked off Newburyport in the championship game. Now, they hope for a similar result. Izzy Kittredge, Kendall Herrick and Maeve Kelly will serve as the team’s leaders.
Newburyport (13-5) lost countless pieces from last year’s team. Thanks to UMass (Amherst) commit Reese Bromby and junior Avery Tahnk, the Clippers have coasted back to prominence. It’s very easy to envision a repeat of last year’s title bout.
Bedford (8-9) and Wayland (9-9) are the three and four seeds, respectively. Foxborough (13-5) is an interesting team to watch at No. 5, as are No. 8 Apponequet (16-3) and No. 9 Bishop Fenwick (17-2).
Is the Div. 4 field the South Shore League’s to lose? It seems like it, as Cohasset (17-2) enters as the top-seeded school under first-year coach Kara Connerty. Meanwhile, Norwell (14-3) is seeded third, while Sandwich (13-5) is listed at No. 4.
No. 2 Ipswich (14-2) will look to play spoiler, as will fellow contenders such as No. 5 Weston (13-6).
Predictions
Div. 1
Champion: No. 2 Wellesley
Runner-up: No. 1 Concord-Carlisle
Final Four: No. 1 Concord-Carlisle, No. 2 Wellesley, No. 3 Lincoln-Sudbury, No. 5 North Andover
Sleeper: No. 23 New Bedford
Best first-round matchup: No. 14 Belmont vs. No. 19 Braintree
Potential upset: No. 23 New Bedford over No. 10 Andover
Div. 2
Champion: No. 1 Notre Dame (Hingham)
Runner-up: No. 3 Westwood
Final Four: No. 1 Notre Dame (Hingham), No. 2 Walpole, No. 3 Westwood, No. 4 Reading
Sleeper: No. 21 Northampton
Best first-round matchup: No. 12 Westborough vs. No. 21 Northampton
Potential upset: No. 21 Northampton over No. 12 Westborough
Div. 3
Champion: No. 1 Medfield
Runner-up: No. 2 Newburyport
Final Four: No. 1 Medfield, No. 2 Newburyport, No. 5 Foxboro, No. 11 Ursuline
Sleeper: No. 22 Dighton-Rehoboth
Best first-round matchup: No. 15 Dover-Sherborn vs. No. 18 St. John Paul II
Potential upset: No. 20 Wakefield over No. 13 Old Rochester
Div. 4
Champion: No. 1 Cohasset
Runner-up: No. 3 Norwell
Final Four: No. 1 Cohasset, No. 2 Ipswich, No. 3 Norwell, No. 4 Sandwich
Sleeper: No. 15 Fairhaven
Best first-round matchup: No. 16 North Reading vs. No. 17 Monomoy
Potential upset: No. 25 Wahconah over No. 8 Nantucket
