The Smith Academy boys soccer team flew under the radar (no pun intended) during the 2024 season as one of Hampshire County’s best clubs.
Smith secured a 13-4-1 regular season record, then advanced to the Round of 32 in the MIAA Division 5 state tournament, before falling to eventual state finalist Dearborn STEM Academy.
The Falcons lost eight seniors to graduation, including points machine Cameron Graves, and head coach Jason Duncan returns a roster split evenly between upperclassmen and underclassmen. Smith lacks starting experience so the Purple-and-White may need a week or two before Duncan can solidify which players are suited best for certain roles.
“A couple of the guys had been on the team since ninth grade,” Duncan said. “I graduated my goalie. I graduated two out of the three defenders, so we graduated a lot of different pieces.”
Senior Cajun Benson is a name Duncan can pencil-in as the Falcons’ expected top offensive weapon as the forward/midfielder netted nearly 40 points last season and took home All-State honors as a junior.
“He’s obviously a big piece of what we try to do,” Duncan said.
Benson — who could surpass 100 career points on the pitch this year — is part of Smith’s eight-man senior class that also includes Matt Scagel, another name Duncan expects to have a strong season.
On the opposite end of the spectrum, the Falcons have seven freshmen getting their first varsity reps and a pair of Smith ninth-graders already look to be carving out roles. Goalie Callan Payne allowed four goals, but also parried away five shots in the Falcons’ 4-1 loss to Easthampton on Tuesday. Similarly, freshman Boden Crevier looked fearless on Smith’s backline against the Eagles in the second half, particularly.
“There’s a bunch of ninth graders that, because of the experience we had last year, just didn’t get playing time on varsity as eighth-graders,” Duncan said. “There’s a big jump between JV or middle-school games and varsity games, so we’re getting up to speed.”
The Falcons have hovered among the best of the best within the Class D Western Mass. tournament the previous several years. Smith has made it to the semifinal round in each of the last four seasons and took home the Class D title in two instances.
This fall, the Falcons will see some different competition en route to their goal of snatching another Western Mass. crown as members of the Schmid League.
Smith will face off against the likes of Monson, Westfield Tech, Springfield International Charter, Mahar and longtime rival, Granby, in league play. While Duncan is only familiar with Granby and Mahar — due to games against both programs in 2024 — he predicted tight matchups against Westfield Tech and SICS, specifically.
“We played Westfield Tech the fall before COVID. Springfield International, we played them before, they’re a well-coached program. I expect them to have talent on the field. I think they moved up a league then got a bunch of injuries, so their record from the previous two years doesn’t really reflect the quality of their program,” Duncan said.
Smith also scheduled six games against non-league opponents in Easthampton, Southwick, Turners Falls, Hopkins Academy, Hampshire Regional and Pioneer Valley Regional, the latter of which knocked the Falcons out of last year’s Western Mass. tournament.
Should Smith’s inexperience work itself out sooner than later, the Falcons may be positioned for another postseason run come November.
“It’s still the plan to make the Western Mass. tournament, compete for a title,” Duncan said. “In Class D, I think we have a shot if we get everybody healthy. The goal from the very first day is be better that last week of October, first week of November than we are in August. We’ve already gotten better but we still have some work to do.”
Belchertown, Easthampton look to take next step
On paper, it would appear as if the Orioles had a disappointing 2024 season. Belchertown won just four games during the regular season, but still managed to qualify for the MIAA Division 3 state tournament, largely due to eight draws and a difficult strength of schedule.
A 1-0 shutout win over Watertown highlighted the Orioles’ run to the Sweet 16 last postseason and head coach Zach Siano brings back an intriguing roster this year with expectations of returning to the high level of success of past seasons.
“The team is looking to come back into form after having lost in the state tournament and Western Mass. tournament after having previously winning four-straight Western Mass. titles and appearing in four-straight Final Four appearances,” Siano said. “A good balance of senior leadership and contributions from underclassmen should right the ship.”
Senior Tim Haley will make his high school debut this fall after starring for the New England Revolution Academy the past three years. Siano — who enters his eighth season as head coach — believes Haley can be “one of the most dynamic players in the region” and should be Belchertown’s top scorer.
The Orioles will have to replace goalie Jack Mandeville which will be a tall order as the former keeper graduated from the program as the all-time leader in career saves.
Senior Luke Dudek and sophomore Andrew Lambert will battle for the starting spot in net for Belchertown.
The Orioles slotted into the Smith League this season, which also includes Ludlow, East Longmeadow, Longmeadow, West Springfield and Pope Francis. The Cardinals eliminated Belchertown from last season’s state tournament with a 3-0 victory.
Easthampton started the 2025 season strong with a convincing win over Smith Academy earlier this week and they’ll look to take another step forward as a program this year.
The 2024 season saw Easthampton improve by five wins from the year prior (four to nine W’s), plus grabbed one of the last spots within the MIAA Division 4 state tournament bracket.
The Eagles then took Stoneham to the brink in their state tournament matchup, but fell in overtime, 1-0.
Head coach Andrew Lawrence (fifth season) boasts several core pieces in Brayden O’Connor, Luc Tetreault and Younes Oulbeid again this year and all three recorded at least one point against the Falcons on Tuesday.
Although, Lawrence revealed there will likely be growing pains at some point due to Easthampton’s sheer number of inexperienced players.
“We’re young, so that maturity or that experience could be a weakness,” Lawrence said. “But I really like the way that they play. No one is too selfish. They have no problem giving the ball up and they’re starting to build that trust. The seniors are giving it to the freshmen, the freshmen are giving it back.”
The Eagles swooped into the Moriarty League this season alongside Mt. Greylock, Taconic, Wahconah, Lenox and Hampshire Regional.
Elsewhere in Hampshire County
Hampshire Regional lost a trio of stalwarts from last year’s team that won 10 games and advanced to the Elite Eight of the MIAA Division 4 state tournament. Brendan Stevenson, Owen Miller and Colin Holt (goalie) are all gone, leaving first-year head coach Josh Wietecha with a tough task at hand. Seniors Collin Cahill and Parker Christy, along with juniors Eli Fern and Jack Cameron should be reliable contributors for the Raiders this season.
Frontier Regional have been contenders in the Div. 4 state tournament the last few years and expectations are no different this season. The Redhawks have four seniors in Ian Paciorek, Gus Radner, Diego Frazier and Eric Larsson that’ll spearhead head coach Evan Horton’s (eighth season) club, along with junior Casey Bestler. Frontier, which went 15-3-4, made it to the Div. 4 Final Four for the third time in four years, but lost to Lynnfield, 1-0. The Redhawks are in the Holley League with South Hadley.
Smith Vocational will look to build off a historic 2024 season that saw the Vikings capture a league title in consecutive years for the first time ever. Head coach Ryan Della Penna’s (fourth year) bunch will be highlighted by senior Cameron Ball and junior Josh Cole. Smith Voc qualified for the MIAA Div. 5 state tournament after compiling a 13-3-0 record, but fell in the first round. The Vikings are now in the Bi-County East Division with Holyoke.
Granby has had a sturdy foundation in net since Daniel Santiago joined the varsity team two years ago and the senior keeper will look to push the Rams to the promised land this fall. Santiago has managed 21 shutouts since taking over the net as a sophomore. Granby head coach Todd Dorman (22nd season) will roll out an upperclassmen-heavy group this season with a majority having at least one year of varsity experience. The Rams went 13-5-2 a season ago, lost in the Round of 32 of the MIAA Div. 5 state tournament as well as the Western Mass. Class D semifinals.
Hopkins Academy lost a whopping 12 seniors from last season’s team that went 5-11-1, so expect a rebuilding year on the pitch for the Golden Hawks. Second-year head coach John Fillio will rely on senior James Andersen and juniors Nate Rickles and Owen Cain to usher in a new era for Hopkins, which’ll be part of the Tri-County League North.
Amherst Regional gave opposing teams fits despite only winning four games in 2024. The Hurricanes totaled six draws, which boosted their state ranking enough to qualify for the MIAA Div. 2 state tournament. Daniel Nunez Saravia, Ty Thomas-Paquin, Fernando Aguila and Noe Arboleda-Ruff will all be factors for first-year head coach Jordan McCarthy’s ‘Canes squad. Amherst slots into the Churchill League with Northampton.
Holyoke will strive for more wins this season following a two-win campaign last year. Head coach Cam Rivest (third season) brings back Ryan Kennedy and Xavier Davila who combined for nine goals in 2024, plus multi-year captain Christian Piedra. The Purple Knights have nearly a dozen underclassmen on their roster this year.
Gateway Regional has a handful of players to watch in seniors Bow Briggs and Andrew Chepurenko and junior Zack Hess. The Gators concluded 2024 with a 3-11-1 record and head coach Andrew McCaul (fifth year) hopes his team can develop more this fall. Gateway will play in the Bi-County League West with PVCICS.
PVCICS will field a co-ed team once again this year that’ll feature 35 total players. Ninth-year head coach Michael Locher believes Sebastian Blanchard Nieves, Sean Wallace and
Owen Wallace can be difference-makers, however, considering the Dragons lost many seniors, expectations aren’t set in stone.
“The girls team didn’t have enough players, and an emergency co-op with Smith Academy fell through, so I absorbed those players,” Locher said. “We also don’t have a true JV team (lack of a coach and field space), so I have a lot of developing players who will get limited time in varsity games.”
Northampton should put together another solid year on the pitch as returners Will Senn-McNally and Sam Busone will each play pivotal roles with the Blue Devils once again. Northampton won 12 games a season ago and advanced to the Round of 32 of the MIAA Div. 2 state tournament.
South Hadley will look to return back to the MIAA Div. 4 state tournament after winning 10 games last season. The Tigers are just three years removed from their 2022 state championship winning season and will likely be in the mix again this season.
