MIAA boys soccer tournament preview
It isn t easy navigating through the postseason but Oliver Ames has done so flawlessly each of the last three years The Tigers have won their last state tournament games and they will try to keep that streak going in an effort to claim a fourth straight Division state title OA which is spearheaded by do-it-all playmaker Nick Babanikas and stellar goalie Zack Gilson will look to complete that monumental quest as the top seed and could have an fascinating second-round matchup on tap with No Sharon which tied its Hockomock League foe in the regular season There will be plenty of other challengers trying to take the Div throne Fourth-seeded Duxbury won the Patriot League Keenan title and certainly has what it takes to add more hardware while No Hingham which made it to the state final a year ago is capable of another deep run with a senior-laden group No company in the Div field had as various victories as -win Masconomet while No Holliston is a scary matchup for any opponent In Division top-seeded St John s Prep has a luxury of weapons at its disposal including UMass commit Garrison Murphy and the Eagles have allowed just six goals all season Bay State Conference powers Natick Needham and Weymouth are definitely battle-tested and have more than enough talent to be the last squad standing Third-seeded Newton South is extremely dangerous while Beverly and Lowell aren t typical No and seeds respectively The Panthers - - and Red Raiders who notched a second straight unbeaten regular season with a - - record face off in the first round Medfield is atop Division as prolific striker Max Tillmann led the Warriors to a Tri-Valley League Small title for the first time since TVL rival and defending state champion Dover-Sherborn which split the regular-season series with Medfield has its eyes on repeating as the No seed Medfield is the top seed in Division and features star Max Tillman Mark Stockwell Boston Herald Potent goal scorer Bret Amorosino leads No Norwell which turned in an impressive - - regular season with marquee wins over D-S and Hingham The Clippers are searching for their second state title in three years Patriot League counterparts in No Pembroke and No Hanover have the prospective to make noise on opposite sides of the bracket while No East Boston and No East Bridgewater could create an intriguing second-round matchup In Division No Hamilton-Wenham looks to become the latest Cape Ann League squad to capture a state title and has plenty of firepower to pull it off South Shore League rivals No Rockland and No Abington are primed for long tournament runs while No Cohasset can t be counted out despite the reigning state champs owning a - - record that isn t up to their usual lofty standard Division is Boston International s to lose as the top-seeded Lions try to replace the heartbreak of the last two postseasons with a more celebratory memory this time around No St John Paul II along with No Brighton and No Rockport could prove to be worthy challengers to Boston International Division Champion Newton South Runner-up St John s Prep Sleeper Lexington Best first-round matchup Lowell at Beverly Upset special Brookline over Saint John s Division Champion Oliver Ames Runner-up Longmeadow Sleeper King Philip Best first-round matchup Marblehead at Hingham Upset special Marshfield over Dartmouth Division Champion Norwell Runner-up Medfield Sleeper Pembroke Best first-round matchup St Mary s L at Watertown Upset special Lynnfield over Old Rochester Division Champion Hamilton-Wenham Runner-up Rockland Sleeper Cohasset Best first-round matchup West Bridgewater at Ipswich Upset special Cohasset over Maynard Division Champion Boston International Runner-up St John Paul II Sleeper New Mission Best first-round matchup Charlestown at Dearborn Upset special Pioneer Valley Christian over Atlantis Charter
