Copyright The Boston Globe
There were a combined 63 MIAA playoff games across the other sports. But the day was dominated by soccer upsets, as both the boys’ and girls’ brackets were tossed into turmoil. It was particularly evident on the boys’ side, where two No. 1 seeds fell before reaching the quarterfinals. Before we delve into each upset, take a moment to check out our scoreboard, and peruse our nightly reading list (7,000-plus words!): Boys’ cross-country: With unrelenting depth, Brookline boys leave no doubt in Division 1A title run Girls’ cross-country: Even without their top runner, Billerica girls run away with Division 1C title Saturday’s boys’ soccer playoff roundup: Dartmouth’s depth delivers a Division 2 second-round win over Hingham Saturday’s girls’ soccer playoff roundup: Ainsley Siefer’s succesful season debut sends Concord-Carlisle to quarters Saturday’s field hockey playoff roundup: Walpole dominates familiar Division 1 matchup with Andover Saturday’s girls’ volleyball playoff roundup: Central Catholic’s breakout season rolls into semifinals Milton’s Caroline Ducharme battled debilitating concussions. This is how she got back on the court for UConn. The mighty are falling quick in the boys’ soccer tournament. ▪ Both Division 2 and Division 4 saw their top seed sent packing in the second round, with No. 16 Sharon shocking top-seeded and defending D2 state champion Oliver Ames, 1-0, in a six-round shootout thanks to a pair of saves from Sam Buder. ▪ It was also a shootout in D4, with Ronan Carnes connecting on the winning penalty kick and Jesse Rafferty making the clinching save for No. 17 Cohasset in a 2-1 second-round win over top-seeded Sutton. Division 4’s three-seed, Hamilton-Wenham, also faltered, losing 2-1 to No. 19 Gardner. And back in D2 for another shootout, No. 11 West Springfield nipped sixth-seeded Masconomet, 1-0, on PKs, which the Terriers won, 2-1. ▪ On the girls’ soccer side, 14th-seeded Hopkinton took down No. 3 Wellesley, the defending Division 1 state champions, in the second round on Alia Chase’s penalty kick. ▪ While Tewksbury didn’t pull off a major upset — blanking No. 24 Martha’s Vineyard, 2-0, in the Division 3 second round on goals from Samantha Ryan and Cordelia Zwirek — the 25th-seeded Redwomen are the highest seed to reach the quarterfinals. ▪ On Friday, No. 11 Auburn got a goal from Zhunay Moulton a minute into overtime to defeat No. 6 Lynnfield in a Division 3 second-round thriller. Also Friday, No. 11 Nashoba Valley Tech sent sixth-seeded Hopkins Academy home in the second round. ▪ A legendary career ended with a historic win Saturday. After 26 seasons at Worcester Academy, boys’ soccer coach James Proctor coached his final game, a 6-0 win over Austin Prep, which also served as the 300th win of his career. He finishes 300-84-66, coaching exactly 450 games. Over that span he won a national championship in 2022, plus two NEPSAC championships, four WNEPSSSA league titles, and sent countless players on to Division 1 programs. Proctor will lead the boys’ soccer program at the new Masters Academy International in Stow, which is expected to open in the fall of 2026. ▪ With a 2-1 Division 1 second-round win over Weymouth, the Cambridge boys’ soccer team reached the state quarterfinals for the first time in more than 20 years. The goals came from brothers Michael and Rhys Brown. ▪ Senior captain Ryan Hallisey contributed a goal and an assist to the Harborwomen’s 4-1 Division 2 field hockey quarterfinal win over Reading, notching her 100th career point in the process. ▪ On Friday, it was Auburn girls’ soccer senior Zhunay Moulton who recorded her 100th career point, scoring a minute into overtime to lift the Rockets past Lynnfield in the Division 3 second round. With the exception of a Division 1 match between fifth-seeded Franklin and fourth-seeded Andover on Sunday, the other 19 girls’ volleyball semifinalists have been determined. Semifinal games will be played at a neutral location. Division 1 will see No. 6 Central Catholic at No. 2 Newton North, while 16-seed Newton South, the lowest seed remaining, awaits its opponent. Seventh-seeded Wayland crashed the party in Division 2 and will play No. 3 Longmeadow, while No. 5 King Philip and top-seeded Oliver Ames will meet. Division 3 went to chalk, with No. 1 Bellingham facing No. 4 Lynnfield and No. 2 Medfield taking on No. 3 Joseph Case. Fifth-seeded Rockland snuck into the D4 semifinals and will take on top-seeded Bourne, while No. 2 East Bridgewater and No. 3 Nipmuc meet. Seventh-seeded Smith Voke crashed the D5 semis and faces No. 3 Pioneer Valley Christian. Top-seeded Hopedale takes on No. 4 Lenox. The field hockey semifinals are also nearly set, with two games to be played Saturday. Games will be at neutral locations. In Division 1, top-seeded Walpole will face No. 5 Winchester, while No. 3 Wellesley awaits the winner of Monday’s game between No. 10 Hopkinton and No. 2 Franklin. Top-seeded Hingham will take on No. 4 Canton in Division 2, while No. 2 Nashoba will faces the winner of No. 3 Somerset Berkley and No. 6 Longmeadow, who play Sunday (11 a.m.). Over in D3, second-seeded Sandwich faces No. 3 Dover-Sherborn on Wednesday (5 p.m.) and No. 1 Uxbridge takes on No. 5 Watertown in the first-ever meeting between the power programs. Both the D4 semifinals will be played Thursday (5 p.m.) with No. 1 Monomoy vs. fifth-seeded Frontier and No. 3 Cohasset battling No. 2 Dennis-Yarmouth. Hopkinton and Longmeadow are angling to be the only teams seeded lower than fifth to reach the semifinals. Greater New Bedford pitcher/outfielder Dorian Fortes announced his commitment to UConn to play baseball. The 6-foot-2-inch, 185-pound junior throws in the upper 80s and also plays for Team Boston. Catholic Memorial has hired Malcolm Mitchell, a former St. John’s Prep standout, as its new wrestling coach. Mitchell, a 2016 SJP graduate, won a state championship in high school and has served as an assistant with the Eagles. “Coach Mitchell brings with him a strong background in wrestling, leadership, and mentorship, as well as a deep commitment to developing young men of character, discipline, and faith. His passion for the sport and dedication to building positive team culture make him a perfect fit for our CM Athletics family,” the school wrote in an announcement. Raegan Dillon, St. John Paul II, 3 Devin Crofford, St. John Paul II, 2 Lucas Heald, Duxbury, 2 Ally Kelly, Norwell, 2 Hannah Lasch, Hingham, 2 Grady Oliveira, Old Rochester, 2 Chelsea Wagner, Oliver Ames, 20 Julie Hall, Central Catholic, 18 Mia Milani, Bellingham, 15 Val Nolan, Bellingham, 14 Sydney Faria, Central Catholic, 13 Nola Timo, Bourne, 11 Taylor Donohue, Oliver Ames, 10 Clair Kenny, Oliver Ames, 6 Madison Blanchet, Central Catholic, 37 Lyla McDonough, Oliver Ames, 32 Sydney Faria, Central Catholic, 20 Taylor Donohue, Oliver Ames, 17 Sophia Soto, Bellingham, 15 Mia Milani, Bellingham, 5 Val Nolan, Bellingham, 5 Clair Kenny, Oliver Ames, 2 Clair Kenny, Oliver Ames, 5 Sophia Soto, Bellingham, 5 Taylor Donohue, Oliver Ames, 4 Lyla McDonough, Oliver Ames, 4 Sydney Faria, Central Catholic, 3 Julie Hall, Central Catholic, 3
