Soccer season is in full swing as teams hit the pitch for their third week of matches across Hampshire County. Some teams already look to be in mid-season form while others are finding their rhythm in the early swing of the season. Several girls soccer teams left their mark during the playoffs last year and hope have similar runs this season.
All eyes will be on Granby after the Rams made a spectacular surge to the MIAA Division 5 state semifinal in 2025. Other teams who made deep playoff runs in the tournament include Northampton and South Hadley. Meanwhile, teams such as Belchertown and Hopkins look to be among the top competitor after returning top scorers.
Amherst
After winning four of its last seven games in 2025, the Amherst girls soccer team is hoping to carry that momentum in 2026. A combined 10 juniors and sophomores, including the majority of last year’s starters, return for head coach JW Benoit’s second season with the Hurricanes.
While the team hopes to improve on its 6-9-1 record from last season, Benoit hopes to continue building a culture that goes beyond the wins and losses.
“We want to compete with purpose, remain committed to one another, and consistently demonstrate a positive attitude, strong effort, dedication, and accountability,” he said.
Junior co-captains Bea Eggemeier and Lucia Jacoby are among the key starters back for the Hurricanes. Eggemeier led the team in goals in 2025. Striker and junior Maeve Fitzgerald will be another important piece on offense.
The team’s third co-captain, Aliya Morales-Fernandez, is the lone senior on the roster and will help guide the young roster.
“If we stay healthy, work hard, and continue growing together, we believe we have an opportunity to compete at a high level and make this a successful and memorable season,” Benoit said.
Belchertown
The Orioles are looking to improve upon an 8-8-4 record last season as they head into their 10th year under Kyle Thibeault. A year after losing in the Round of 32, the team returns key players from both sides of the field.
On offense, the top-scoring duo of senior Morghan Litz and junior Aubrey Klingensmith are back after combining for 20 goals in 2025.
Sophomores Ava Stelmokas and Linnea Anderson split time in goal as freshman. So far this season, Stelmokas has seen more time in net, though Thibeault has rotated Anderson in for multiple games.
While the Orioles are relying on youth in the net, their back line brings plenty of experience. Seniors Avery Cooper and Isabella Vozzella are both important pieces on defense tasked with limiting opponents’ shots.
Easthampton
Eagles coach Brian Miller looks for a bounce back season after failing to reach 10 wins for the first time since 2021 while bowing out in the first round of the MIAA state tournament.
Senior Arie Kuchyt was the lead goalscorer for the team last year and will be counted on to do so again. Returning players Gianna Covalli, a senior midfielder, and Sonia Romero, a junior defender, are expected to play key roles in their areas of the field.
In goal, freshman Natalie Lisatinski takes over the starting duties in her first year on the team.
Gateway
First year coach Kristina Schultz looks to build on her predecessor, Kellye Dowd, who led the Gators to an 8-5-2 record and a trip to the state tournament.
Elle DeMoss and Addison Green return as senior co-captains and both will play important roles on offense and in the midfield.
Though just a freshman, this will be Ella DeGregorio’s third year on varsity, who should play a large role on offense.
The Gators have seen early success in 2026 with a strong 3-0-2 record.
Granby
The Rams had a historic run in 2025. First they won the Western Mass. Class D title. Then they earned the No. 1 seed in the MIAA Division 5 state tournament where they eventually made it to the semifinals where they lost to Monson. Another run will be tough but not impossible for this team after losing just a few players.
Few have faced more shots at the varsity level than senior goalkeeper Meredith Bartosz who has been making saves for the Rams since 2022 as an eighth grader.
Senior Kalli White and sophomore Marcela Tapia were first and second on the team in goals in 2025. White has three straight years with over 20 goals.
With good mix of upper and lower classmen, coach Bob Weaver is in good position to lead the team for another strong year.
Hampshire
The Raiders ended last season with a win in the state tournament before falling to Southwick in the Round of 16. The team did lose some key seniors such as Libby Puttick but returned plenty of important pieces for coach Steve Croft.
Junior Karaghan Rogalski returns as the starting goalie after making over 140 saves last season. Her and senior defender Katelyn Krause will be tasked with leading the defensive side of the field.
Shayne Moynahan, a senior, has helped alleviate the scoring concerns as she leads the team in goals through the early part of the year.
Seniors Addie Miklasiewicz and Maggie Lashway are among four co-captains and will be counted on to make a difference on both ends of the field. Both were on the team when the Raiders went to the state semifinals back in 2022.
Holyoke
Kellen Matthews returns for her fourth season after a tough 5-10-3 year, though there is plenty of excitement around the program.
Senior Kyra Lippman returns for her final season with the Knights after a historical junior year where she surpassed 100 career points. With 80 career goals, she has a chance to hit another milestone of 100 goals this year.
While Lippman will get plenty of attention from opponents, senior Leilany Figueroa is also a formidable scorer after netting 16 goals last season.
Kyleigh Luther will be the starting goalie for the second straight year. The senior and junior centerback Kayleigh Coutinho will be two key players to watch for on defense.
Co-captains (along with Lippman and Coutinho) Selina Alicea and Grace Bechard will provide stability in the midfield as seniors.
Hopkins
After a heartbreaking 1-0 loss in the Round of 16 last season, the Golden Hawks with plenty of talent that should expect to make another in the Western Mass. and state tournaments.
All-State senior Ephie Vissas returns after helping Hopkins win its first state tournament game under head coach Vincent Catania. The midfielder led the team in assists and was a reliable goal scorer.
Hopkins’ attack will look similar to last year by returning its top three forwards. Junior Morgan Augustin had a team-high 20 goals while fellow junior Olivia Earle and sophomore Bridget Benoit also found the back of the net on a regular basis.
In goal, the Golden Hawks are counting on seventh grader Hannah Guggino-Laramie to step in and be a vocal leader on the field. Avelynn Augustin is expected to contribute as an eighth grader as well.
Already the Golden Hawks have shown their tenacity this season. After falling behind 4-1 in their game against Easthampton, Hopkins scored a flurry of goals in the final 20 minutes of the game to win 5-4.
Northampton
It’ll be hard to find a team bringing back more experience than Northampton. After a run to the quarterfinals as the No. 14 seed in Division 2, the Blue Devils return 13 players from last season, and will have 11 seniors on the roster.
Leading goalscorer Willow Claps is among that senior crew. She will be a player opposing teams will have to keep track of at all times on the field.
Coach Vanessa Butynski is excited to see what her midfielders can do with another year under their belts. Among that group are seniors Malia Silver, Olivia Busone and junior Hatteras Lewis. Silver had eight goals last season, second most on the Blue Devils.
Senior Lilah Sage is one of the few players not on last year’s roster expected to make an impact. After scoring 10 goals as a sophomore, she missed last season after tearing her ACL.
Last year’s starting goalie, senior captain Anna Oravec, returns as well. She had a successful junior season where teams had trouble scoring more than a goal against her.
Smith Academy
After winning a playoff game and a 8-10-2 record, the Falcons are hoping to continue that success under new coach Madeline Niedbala.
The team will have to find a way to replace Anna Scagel and her 26 goals.
The young trio of junior Alli Cloughley, freshman Emilia Barscz , and eighth grader Alexa Sikorski have all found the back of the net for Smith this season.
Sophomore Grace Rachele will be the team’s starting goaltender.
South Hadley
The Tigers enter 2026 with a new, but familiar, face leading the team. Former assistant coach Molly Foley takes over for legendary coach Rich Marjanski after the latter closed out his tenure with a Western Mass. title and a run to the MIAA Division 4 quarterfinals.
The team did lose one of its top offensive players in Allison Fleury, but certainly have the talent to make up for her loss.
Forward Hannah Haesaert led the team in goals as a sophomore and should be one of the top scorers in the area.
Junior Olivia Athas enters her third season as the starting goalkeeper, already with over 300 saves to her name. After a tough loss to Ludlow, she has been at the center of back-to-back shutouts to start the season.
Senior co-captains Mikayla Weaver and Cara Dean are among seven seniors who are looking to finish their high school careers on a high note.
Smith Vocational
The Vikings have won 15 games in back-to-back seasons and look to be one of the top teams in the area once again.
Junior Isabella Letourneau and senior Erin Miller both scored 10 or more goals last season and are back patrolling the field. The duo, along with senior Julianis Suarez should be major forces on offense.
Suarez, who was the starting goalie in 2025, move onto the field will allow sophomore Evelyn Wanczyk to take over goalkeeping duties.
