MIAA girls' lacrosse tournament: Favorites, sleepers, and players to watch for Divisions 1-4
Favorites:
No. 1 Concord-Carlisle, No. 2 Wellesley.
Sleepers:
No. 7 Franklin, No. 11 King Philip.
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Players to watch:
midfielder/attack Kassidy Carmichael (Westford, Sr.), midfielder Allie Collins (Lincoln-Sudbury, Sr.), attack Olivia Comella (Wellesley, Sr.), midfielder/attack Kerri Finneran (Central Catholic, Sr.), midfielder Karleigh Mutch (Concord-Carlisle, Sr.).
Best first-round matchup:
Friday (5 p.m.), No. 17 Bishop Feehan at No. 16 Peabody.
Longest road trip:
Thursday (5 p.m.), No. 28 Barnstable at No. 5 North Andover; 99.1 miles.
Analysis:
The Division 1 champion is going to earn it. With star power at the top and depth all over, this field is a particularly impressive one. The University of Denver-bound Mutch (64 goals, 111 draw controls) will look to steer the top-seeded Patriots to their first state title. Comella (86 goals), who will play at Arizona State, and the No. 2 Raiders may be their biggest challenger. No. 3 Lincoln-Sudbury, No. 4 Chelmsford, and No. 5 North Andover are also dangerous, and
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Division 2
Favorites:
No. 1 Notre Dame (Hingham), No. 2 Walpole, No. 3 Westwood.
Sleepers:
No. 6 Duxbury, No. 7 East Longmeadow.
Players to watch:
midfielder Caroline Haggerty (NDA, Sr.), midfielder Grace Maroney (Hingham, Sr.), midfielder Caitlyn Naughton (Walpole, Sr.), midfielder/attack Caroline Nozzolillo (Westwood, Sr.), midfielder Megan Shanahan (Reading, Sr.).
Best first-round matchup:
Friday (5 p.m.), No. 17 Hopkinton at No. 16 Methuen.
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Longest road trip:
Monday (5 p.m.), No. 20 Dartmouth at No. 13 West Springfield; 119.1 miles.
Analysis:
Division 2 is just as stacked as Division 1 at the top, with each of the top eight seeds capable of making a deep run. Both North Carolina-bound senior Emma Connerty of NDA and Quinnipiac-bound senior Emilie DeMaio of Westwood are sidelined with ACL tears, but both rosters are loaded with talent. Shanahan, Libby Quinn, and Molly Trahan
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Division 3
Favorites:
No. 1 Medfield, No. 2 Newburyport.
Sleepers:
No. 9 Bishop Fenwick, No. 11 Ursuline.
Players to watch:
attack Reese Bromby (Newburyport, Sr.), midfielder Izzy Kittredge (Medfield, Jr.), midfielder Maddy Lubov (Ursuline, Jr.), midfielder/attack Cece Levrault (Apponequet, Sr.), midfielder/attack Cate Noone (Foxborough, Sr.).
Best first-round matchup:
Thursday (5 p.m.), No. 17 Archbishop Williams at No. 16 Nauset.
Longest road trip:
Thursday (4 p.m.), No. 33 Martha's Vineyard at No. 32 Groton-Dunstable; 132.2 miles.
Analysis:
This year's field features the same top two seeds as last year, as
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Division 4
Favorites:
No. 1 Cohasset, No. 2 Ipswich, No. 3 Norwell.
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Sleepers:
No. 7 Pentucket, No. 8 Nantucket.
Players to watch:
goalie Brigid Carovillano (Manchester Essex, Sr.), attack Lyla Greenleaf (Ipswich, Jr.), midfielder Reese Hansen (Cohasset, Sr.), midfielder/attack Mayson Lower (Nantucket, Sr.), midfielder Holly Panttila (Norwell, Sr.).
Best first-round matchup:
Friday (5:30 p.m.), No. 20 Mashpee at No. 13 Tyngsborough.
Longest road trip:
Saturday (1 p.m.), No. 25 Wahconah at No. 8 Nantucket; 232.8 miles.
Analysis:
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