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South Hadley goalkeeper Drew Alley makes a save against Pope Francis in the second half of the Western Mass. Class B girls soccer final earlier this season at West Springfield High School. -
Hampshire Regional’s Dan Martin (7) winds back for a shot past Lunenburg defender Mason Keefer (17) in the first half of the MIAA Division 4 boys soccer quarterfinal last week at Chicopee Comp. -
Frontier’s Aliana Pierce (6) lunges for the ball against Longmeadow in the second set earlier this season at Goodnow Gymnasium in South Deerfield.
As state tournaments across the Commonwealth wind toward their conclusions, a handful of Hampshire County teams will play for title berths on Tuesday evening. Three squads across three sports compete on the big stage as the Hampshire Regional boys soccer, South Hadley girls soccer, and Frontier girls volleyball teams will all be in state semifinal action.
Here is a preview of each match and what players to look out for on Tuesday.
Div. 4 semifinals
No. 1 South Hadley vs. No. 4 Lynnfield, at Doyle Field in Leominster, 6:30 p.m.
The Tigers only had one day to prepare for their state semifinal matchup against Lynnfield on Tuesday. South Hadley took care of business after a sluggish start in the quarterfinals, defeating No. 8 West Bridgewater 6-3 Sunday evening after falling behind 2-0 midway through the first half.
Lauren Marjanski scored four more goals, bringing her season total to 40, and added an assist (10th in 2023) to pace the Tigers offense per usual. South Hadley fans and those who follow Hampshire County girls soccer are probably becoming numb to Marjanski’s unbelievable numbers, but that shouldn’t take away from what the senior is doing. She stands at 50 points this season alone, and that number is likely to grow with at potentially two more games left in her career.
A serious argument could be made that the most important piece of South Hadley’s roster is keeper Drew Alley. The offense is going to score goals, there’s no doubt about that. But if Alley – who has recorded 151 saves this year – can hold the opposition to one or fewer goals (which she’s done 18 of 22 games), the Tigers are going to have a strong shot at hoisting the championship trophy when it’s all said and done. Oh, and having Gianna Roy and company on defense helps, too.
Elsewhere, Allison Fleury poses as a big threat on the front line as well. Fleury has netted 15 goals and added 11 assists to emerge as a potential No. 1 scoring option as a sophomore alongside Marjanski. Cianna Gurek and Maddie Soderbaum have stepped up in a big way this postseason for South Hadley, and the two of them have become legitimate threats up front while also controlling the middle of the field.
Only Lynnfield stands in the way of the Tigers’ second state final in four tournaments (excluding 2020, no tournament that season).
Div. 4 semifinals
No. 3 Hampshire vs. No. 2 Lynnfield, at Doyle Field in Leominster, 4:30 p.m.
The undefeated Hampshire boys soccer team out-classed No. 11 Lunenburg in the quarterfinal round last week to propel the Raiders into the semifinals Tuesday.
Senior Aidan Miklasiewicz netted the game’s only goal on an assist from junior Brendan Stevenson, which is who this preview will start with. Miklasiewicz this season has been nothing short of spectacular. The Raiders captain is up to 21 goals and 13 assists, good for a team-high 34 points – nine more than any other player on the roster.
The offense runs through Miklasiewicz, that’s quite clear. But the reason he gets so many high-quality scoring chances is because of his counterparts. Opposing teams can’t just single out Miklasiewicz because of how good his teammates are. Fellow forward Dan Martin has 17 goals and eight assists this season. Between the two of them up front, defensive units have their hands full trying to stop it.
Throw in the trio of midfielders – Owen Miller, Aidan Moynahan, and Stevenson – who dominate pace of play and love to help out offensively, and Hampshire’s nearly unstoppable, hence the 19-0-3 record. The midfield has combined for 21 goals and 19 assists.
The back line is led by the tall, athletic Ayden St. Martin. The junior is as close to a brick wall as it gets considering not much gets by him. With St. Martin conducting the back four and strong goaltending between the pipes from junior Colin Holt, the Raiders have given up only one goal in its three tournament games.
The Raiders fell in the quarterfinal round a season ago, but got over that hump against Lunenburg. Two years ago, they lost to Frontier in the semifinal round. Hampshire looks to leap over another barrier on Tuesday against Lynnfield to get into the championship game.
Div. 4 semifinals
No. 3 Frontier vs. No. 2 Bellingham, at Fitchburg High School, 6 p.m.
Redhawks head coach Sean MacDonald is two wins away from a picture-perfect ending to an illustrious career. But Frontier needs to get by second-seeded Bellingham to even have that opportunity.
What the Redhawks have done this season is astonishing. In 2022, they went 25-1 and won the state championship in Division 5. After losing a several key contributors and moving up to Division 4, Frontier still finds itself in a familiar position despite the increase in competition.
A lot of that can be credited to the players who have stepped up and dominated this year – starting with captain Caroline Deane. The senior leads the team in kills (323) and digs (206) and has been the team’s vocal spark throughout the season. Fellow seniors Gabby Adams and Kate DeMaio join Deane up front to make a deadly big three of strong hitters. Adams is second in kills and digs while DeMaio is third in kills and also has fiery serve to look out for.
Senior setter Allie Pierce is the glue that keeps it all together. Pierce has 83 aces and an incredible 581 assists (both team-highs) as nearly every point goes through her. There are many other timely contributors for this Frontier team and everybody is capable of producing when called upon, including Emilie Candelaria, Olivia Machon, and Abigail Hernandez.
Frontier dropped three of four matches midway through the season from Sept. 30 to Oct. 6, but it never panicked through the rough patch. Since then, the Redhawks have won 12 straight and are playing their best volleyball of the season. They hope to ride their momentum into Tuesday’s semifinal.
