The energy at the first soccer game of the season between rivals Belchertown and South Hadley was palpable.
The two teams clashed in last year’s Western Mass. Class B final, where Belchertown scored a late goal in the final minute to emerge victorious over South Hadley, 3-2. It was a similar result in the first game of the season – both teams entered the last minutes of the game knotted at 2-2, but this time it was South Hadley that tallied the late goal to seal the win.
“To be honest, that game, it was the first game of the season… but that game had like a playoff atmosphere. The Belchertown fans travel well, we travel well, we were both in the Western Mass. final last year,” South Hadley head coach Rich Marjanski said. “When you open up with that game, and you get that kind of environment, the kids get very excited about it. Our bench was happy when we scored, they were excited when they scored. So it was a great feel for the first soccer game.”
South Hadley could very well return to that Western Mass. title game this year, and the Tigers are looking to make a deeper state tourney run after they were bested by upstart No. 23 Ursuline in the Division 3 Round of 32. The Tigers have nearly all of their starters back, returning 10 from a season ago. That group is headlined by junior Lauren Marjanski, who’s led the team in scoring over the past two seasons. Their scoring depth will be augmented by Emma Sanford, Jordyn Balint and Maddie Soderbaum, while Gianna Roy and Kacie Levrault will be looked to to keep the defense locked down.
“We’re still trying to find a little more offensive punch that we need. Defensively, we’re pretty solid, and especially in the middle, we’re a lot faster, so our speed is good,” Coach Marjanski said on his team.
The Tigers are hoping that some of the opponents they face in the regular season will help prepare them for the difficult matchups that they’re bound to face in the Western Mass. and state tournaments.
“We play in a very hard league. Our team goals are winning our league, getting to the Western Mass. finals – trying to win Western Mass… it’s a very hard thing to do. And then (we want to) get in a pretty good place in the state rankings,” Marjanski said. “So that’s why we up our schedule and play the Ludlows, the West Sides, the Belchertowns, just so that we can get a feel of the speed and quickness that’s in those divisions. When we get to the tournament, hopefully it’ll give us a little more comfort.”
Belchertown knows that there is a target on its back. After winning the Class B title and getting all the way to the state quarterfinals, there’s a lot to live up to this year.
“Everyone, I’m sure, has us circled on their schedule to some regard about trying to beat us and take us down based off of the success we had last year,” Belchertown coach Kyle Thibeault said. “So once again, we’re up for the challenge.”
It’ll be a tall task for the Orioles, especially after graduating eight seniors, including the Gazette’s 2021 Girls Soccer Player of the Year in Avery Klingensmith. That said, there are plenty of returners who are more than capable of keeping Belchertown up to the higher level of play it’s come to expect.
“Our defensive line is pretty strong. For the ones we have returning, with Aida (Name) in the back, with Ashley Cunningham, who are now seniors (with) very smart soccer IQs, they know the game and know how we’re looking to build off things there defensively,” Thibeault said.
Madysen LePage and Madison DeCosta will be the team’s rocks in the midfield, looking to fill part of the void that Klingensmith left behind. Offensively, younger scorers like sophomores Fallon Clancy and Mia Corish will be the go-to’s for the Orioles.
“I think it’s gonna be a different kind of flavor for this year. Every year is different with the different people that may be playing at the different levels, different formations, different positions, all play into that,” Thibeault said. “Last year we did things a certain way, this year it might be completely different, which is fine. You’ve got to play into your strengths as a team.”
Frontier won a state tournament game in 2021, but head coach Phil Pittelli lost some key starters to graduation. This year’s senior class is talented, and Pittelli said the club will look to blend those upperclassmen with a crop of newcomers.
“We lost a lot of veterans and good leadership so I’m hoping our seniors kind of step up in that department,” Pittelli said. “I still feel like we have enough pieces and enough moving in to keep us at a competitive level.”
Senior Cadince Wells-Robinson takes over the full-time goalkeeping duties this fall, and she’ll have a strong defense in front to aid the transition. Senior Anna Petrin, junior Hannah Mackin and sophomore Claire McFarland will key the back line, with help from the likes of seniors Caroline Crocker and Sophia Leone.
Crocker will also see time in the midfield, as will sophomore Josie Fosnot and senior Sydney Tor. Other midfielders include senior Kylie Laford and junior Magdeline McDermott-White.
Up top, Pittelli said he has a lot of options. Junior Jillian Worden and freshman Maddie Fagan, who transferred in from Smith Academy, should be offensive threats, while junior Madeline Bennett is another player with goal-scoring potential.
“We’re just trying to figure out where our new pieces are going to fit,” Pittelli explained.
Last year’s Hampshire squad was electric in the latter half of the season. The Raiders didn’t lose a game in their last six contests, winning five and tying once, and advanced to the semifinals in the Class B Western. Mass tournament and the quarterfinals in the Division 4 state tournament.
It’s a new look this year for the Raiders – they graduated six seniors, including all-state player Kayla Lukasiewicz, and nearly all of those seniors comprised the group’s main midfielders. As a result, head coach Steve Croft has had to rely on a new group of players to fill a key part of the team. So far, he’s pleased with the results – the club has won its first two games to kick off the season.
“Early on, I thought we looked really good. I have some younger players in there who definitely stepped up and were ready to play that game,” Croft said. “Definitely some holes to fill but I think players can definitely step up and make a difference to fill those voids left by the seniors from last year.”
Croft will rely on his current captains Ella Forest, Parker Pallante and Caroline Taylor to fill leadership roles this season both on and off the field. He also expects junior Maisie Bowler to take on more responsibilities this year, especially in the goal-scoring department.
Most Northampton soccer fans are used to watching Chloe Denhart shine on the offensive side of the ball. Last season, Denhart finished as the Blue Devils’ second leading scorer, behind only Sofia Ciaglo.
This season, instead of filling the net, Denhart is protecting it as one of Northampton’s keepers. A combination of injuries and field management means that the super-athletic senior is now her team’s backstop. Despite her talent offensively, Denhart is a sneaky good goalie – as a freshman, she actually was called up to serve as an emergency keeper for one game, and her lightning fast reflexes and knowledge of the game have made her a natural fit. She likely won’t be there all season – head coach Vanessa Butynski expects that Denhart will be back in the field for at least some of the games this season – but it’s helpful to have a player who can fill both roles.
“We’ve always felt that we needed her more on the field than we did in net, and this year it’s kind of reversed,” offered Butynski. “As a coach, I’m like ‘She’s our goal scorer, too.’ So it’s gonna be interesting to see, is Chloe going to be in net today? Or will Chloe be on the field today?”
Easthampton has rocketed full speed ahead with its offensive firepower early in the season. In its first two games of the season, the Eagles have outscored their opponents 15-1, earning an 8-1 victory in their opening contest and a 7-0 shutout in the second.
The scoring surge has been led by senior Abigail McClaflin, who’s netted six goals and three assists during that two-game span. Fellow senior Maria Belfakih and junior Ana Growhowski are close behind her, each with three goals and two assists.
It’s not just the upperclassmen getting the glory – sophomores Hannah Neumann (1G) and Raegan Delisle (1G, 2A) and freshman Samone Young (1G, 1A) have provided key scoring depth, and look to continue doing so for Easthampton moving forward.
After starting last year’s season with a 5-0 run, the Golden Hawks are poised to keep make another splash this season.
Hopkins is 3-0 after their opening spread of games and has yet to allow a goal, thanks to the team’s stellar defense and the impressive goalkeeping of Cassidy Fyden. They’ve outscored their opponents 13-0 and don’t seem like they’ll be slowing down any time soon.
There are questions for the Golden Hawks after they graduated senior Tia Fyden, who scored 40 percent of the team’s goals last year. So far, the answer has been a mix of older and younger players. Senior Kasey Earle and sophomore Helen Vissas have both notched three goals, co-leading the team in goal-scoring; Earle’s also tacked on three assists for good measure.
Hopkins will be scoring more by committee this year, with Sadie Cyr (2G, 1A), Daisy Vendetti (2G), Juliana Eichenlaub (1G), Kiely Knchla (1G), Aurora Moynihan (1A), Olivia Earle (2A), Alayna Bailey (1A) and Morgan Augustin (1A) all contributing so far.