SALEM — Changing a program’s fortunes, basically overnight, doesn’t happen all that often in high school sports.
But that’s exactly what the Salem High girls soccer team seems to have done in the first month of the 2025 campaign.
After downing visiting Winthrop, 2-0, on a damp and misty Wednesday afternoon at Bertram Field, Salem is now 4-2-1 on the season. What’s more impressive is that the Witches are 3-2-1 in Northeastern Conference play and have put themselves in the thick of the Lynch Division title charge with defending champ Saugus and an always tough Swampscott team.
Consider that Salem went four full seasons without an NEC win from 2020-23, and claimed just one league triumph last fall. That alone sums up the massive difference these Witches are seeing on the field.
“The girls are seeing what their potential is, and they’re seeing that they can compete,” said head coach Jenette Lord. “There’s a huge confidence piece that comes from seeing that they can stick with these teams.”
The Witches controlled play throughout the second half of Wednesday’s win, bombarding the Winthrop net with shots and earning a fair number of corner kicks. Sophomore Jackie Fritz put one directly into the net for her team-leading fifth goal of the season while freshman Isla Heppner scored her first varsity goal to give her team some insurance.
Being at the point where they’re happy with the victory, but also know they need to work on putting away a few more of those changes, is another sign of growth for Salem.
“We’re doing a much better job of finding each other, finding openings and then taking the shot,” Lord said. “We didn’t always take out shots in the past, and doing it when we have those opportunities has been huge.”
Goalkeeper Amelia Meegan posted her fourth shutout in six games and the Witches’ back line was immense in front of her. Junior Maymay Eichel is a key building block in the back whose motor never stops running, while sophomore Dever Cornell has been a rock in the defensive midfield spot. At outside back, junior Julia Gauthier, sophomore Ivy Gillis and senior Mallory McCarthy are also doing a great job limiting opponents.
“It’s a super solid group in the back,” Lord said. “The defense has been rock solid.”
Senior Lily Navins has also provided Salem with scoring punch during its strong start. Sophomore Maddy Leonard and freshman Caroline Antczak are also offensive sparkplugs.
The Witches boast four seniors: Navins, McCarthy, Lizzy Reid, Mary Gillis. They’ve provided strong leadership for a team primarily made up of sophomores that have been playing together since youth soccer with a fair amount of success they’re now translating to the varsity pitch.
“The improvement has been huge in their overall technical and tactical abilities,” Lord said. “The biggest thing is that they trust each other. A huge theme for us was making sure we trust each other out there.”
Whether that means sticking to your lane, trusting that a teammate will do her part, or trusting in your own abilities, Salem’s belief has been evident all year. They held defending Division 2 state champion Masconomet largely in check in a 2-0 loss (they’ve trailed by six at halftime in recent years) and grabbed their first point off Peabody in close to a decade with a 0-0 tie.
And while it may seem like Salem’s fortunes have changed overnight, don’t discount the focus and determination the players showed leading up to the beginning of tryouts in August.
“They all worked really hard over the offseason,” Lord said. “There was a ton of stuff that they put their all into. They wanted it, they worked for it and now they’re starting to put it all together.”
What’s next for the Witches? They face Gloucester, Amesbury and Lowell Catholic next week. Long term, banking enough points to make the program’s first playoff trip since 2019 — and first-ever in the power ranking statewide format — is a true possibility.
“I’m super proud of them,” Lord said. “These girls give all they have every single day. And I couldn’t ask any more from this crew.”