A potential battle of two North Shore powerhouses in the second round, plus three teams that have top six playoff rankings, are just two of the storylines as eight local boys high school soccer teams qualified for the state playoffs across four divisions.
As the top team in Massachusetts the entire season, St. John’s Prep is the No. 1 seed in Division 1. The Eagles (15-1-2), who await the winner of a preliminary game between Lincoln-Sudbury and Algonquin, have won nine straight heading into the postseason. Goalie Matt Droggitis has 13 shutouts for a team that has surrendered just five goals while scoring 49 of their own. Captain Garrison Murphy leads St. John’s Prep with 12 goals and 19 points, with senior striker Ryan King adding another nine goals.
A potential second round bout looms with 16th seeded Beverly (16-1-1). The Northeastern Conference champions have more wins and have scored more goals (69) than any other team in Division 1. The Panthers will host 17th seeded Lowell (15-0-3) Tuesday at 5 p.m. in a first round battle. Senior captain Daniel Silva (23 goals, 12 assists) and junior Connor Sullivan (12 goals, 22 assists) are the two highest scoring teammates in the state. Sophomore Jackson Merritt (9 goals, 9 assists) and senior Dino Berbic (7 goals, 5 assists) are also scoring threats while netminder Adam Porcello has 10 clean sheets.
An excellent Masconomet (16-2) club leads the pack locally in Division 2 with the No. 6 seed. Riding a 14-match winning streak, the Chieftains have gifted scorers such as Enzo Nteta (17 goals, 9 assists), Timmy Lull (11 goals, 9 assists) and Gabe Fantin (10 goals, 7 assists) along with fellow standouts Quinn Lodewick (6 goals, 5 assists), Luke Fielder (3 goals, 7 assists) and Chester Thompson (5 goals, 5 assists). Twelve shutouts from senior goaltender Gabe Russo makes Masconomet strong on its back end, too.
Danvers (8-7-3) hopes to get another crack at Masconomet; as the No. 38 seed, it will travel to No. 27 Chelsea (12-4-2) for a Division 2 preliminary round game Monday at 5:30 p.m., with the winner taking on the Chieftains in the next round. Senior forward Luca Tirella has a team-leading 16 goals while captain Gianluca Locilento has produced another eight to go along with four helpers. Another senior, goalkeeper Zach Cotter, has turned in three shutouts.
Also in Division 2, Marblehead claimed the No. 24 seed after a solid 11-5-2 season. That earned the Magicians a trip to ninth seeded Hingham (13-3-3) in a first round clash Tuesday at 4:30 p.m. Senior captains Miles Fontela-Tuttle (12 goals) and Ilan Druker (9 goals) each have 16 points while sophomore forward Julian Poitevin has added five tallies and six assists. Matias Watts-Cruz, a senior goalkeeper, has 10 shutouts.
In Division 3, Bishop Fenwick (7-7-4) is back in the playoffs for the first time in six seasons. The No. 36 seed will play a prelim game at No. 29 Auburn (9-5-4) Monday at 6 p.m. Scoring pop for the Crusaders is provided by Edwin Flores (16 goals, 3 assists) and captain Marcus Simon (12 goals, 6 assists), with goalie Mason Oreste turning in four shutouts.
Ranked third in the Division 4 playoffs, Hamilton-Wenham (14-2-2) is looking for a long and fruitful postseason run. Nick Stein is third on the North Shore in scoring with 20 goals and 13 assists. Rory Taylor (8 goals, 8 assists) and Gus Tratnyak (9 goals, 4 assists) are also viable scoring options for the Generals, and goalkeeper Rowan McConnoughey has pitched seven shutouts. They will host the winner of Monday’s prelim contest between No. 30 Mystic Valley and No. 35 Wahconah on Wednesday at 6 p.m.
Ipswich (7-4-7) also earned a first round home game as the No. 15 seed and will host 18th ranked West Bridgewater (10-7-1). Michael Queen (11 goals, 4 assists) and Callum Schofield (2 goals, 8 assists) lead the offense and Finn Wright has four shutouts between the pipes.