The spring season is underway and the South Shore is home to plenty of talented high school girls lacrosse teams.
In 2022, Notre Dame Academy rolled to a Division 2 state title. Cohasset dropped a competitive game in the Div. 3 state final. Duxbury reached the Div. 2 Final Four.
Last season was dominated by the usual culprits and that looks to be the case again in 2023. But the high school seasons always bring a couple of surprises to keep an eye out for.
Where we left off in 2022:NDA a no-doubt No. 1: Our final Top 10 South Shore high school girls lacrosse rankings
Final ranking at the end of last year in parentheses.
1. Notre Dame Academy (1)
The Cougars were absolutely dominant en route to a Div. 2 state title last spring. NDA won all of its postseason games by double digits and capped off the run with a 14-1 win over Bedford in the final. The Cougars are already off a to a 4-0 start with decisive wins over Duxbury (16-4), Gloucester (17-0), Falmouth (16-3) and Cohasset (17-6). On April 25, NDA will play defending Div. 1 champion Westwood. That might be the best girls lacrosse game in the state this season.
More:New year, same NDA: Cougars have championship aspirations once again
Jane Hilsabeck and Alexa Kenney are returning All-Scholastics. Those are just two of a bunch of key returners for NDA. The Cougars have big South Shore showdowns against Hingham (April 21) and Norwell (May 4).
2. Cohasset (2)
The Skippers are off to a 3-2 start, but those losses have come against defending state champions NDA (Div. 2) and Medfield (Div. 3). Coach Kully Reardon stepped down and Billy Bitter, a former player at the University of North Carolina, has taken over. Laney Larsen and Kira Fulton led the way offensively for this bunch. Aizza Chase is one of the area's top goalies and Alexis Donovan is a key defender.
More:Cohasset girls lax stars Laney Larsen and Kira Fulton each have 'redemption' on their mind
More:Kully Reardon steps down as Cohasset girls lax coach; ex-UNC star Billy Bitter takes over
The Skippers already have some high-quality wins over rival Norwell (6-3) and Weymouth (18-5). This team has a lot of tournament experience after last year's run. In a very competitive Div. 3 bracket, the Skippers made a run to the state final as a No. 8 seed. That was by far the lowest seed (in boys and girls brackets) to make a lacrosse state final.
3. Duxbury (3)
The Dragons destroyed the competition in the tournament before running into powerhouse NDA in the state semifinals last season. Duxbury outscored its first three tournament foes by a combined score of 52-12. The Dragons opened the season with a 16-4 loss to NDA, so there's still a lot of ground to be made up. Duxbury bounced back nicely with decisive wins over Marshfield, Needham and Quincy. On April 21, Duxbury plays at Weymouth. That's one worth circling on your calendar.
4. Norwell (5)
Kara Connerty's bunch only went to the state quarterfinals before falling to eventual state champion Medfield. That's just how the bar is always is for this program. That was a young team last season that enters this spring with a little more experience. Maddie McDonald battled injuries last season, but she should be in store for a big senior season. Charlise Cox, a sophom*ore attack, flashed her potential as a freshman. The Clippers dropped a season opener to Cohasset, 6-3, but rebounded with impressive wins over Div. 1 Hingham and Weymouth. This is a team to keep an eye on come June.
5. Hingham (4)
The Harborwomen have long been in the mix in Div. 1, but there's always a gauntlet at the top of the division. Grace Maroney is off to a fast start this season as Hingham is 3-2 through the first five games. Hingham has lopsided wins over Scituate, Quincy and North Quincy and the losses have come against Norwell (10-8) and Wellesley (13-2). Hingham plays one of the toughest non-league schedules around, so look for them to be in the mix in Div. 1 once again.
6. Weymouth (6)
The Wildcats are coming off the best season in program history. Weymouth finished 15-6 and won a tournament game before bowing out in the Div. 1 Sweet 16. Junior Megan Doyle is one of the best athletes on the South Shore (she'll continue her lacrosse career at Yale). Weymouth has two losses to teams on this list: Cohasset (18-5) and Norwell (12-11). They'll have plenty of chances to score marquee victories in a tough Bay State Conference.
7. Hanover (NR)
Last season, the No. 11 Hawks reached the Div. 3 Sweet 16 and almost upset No. 6 Foxboro. The Hawks have opened this season with impressive wins over Plymouth North (14-9) and Silver Lake (15-3). Hanover has spread out the scoring early. Thursday's game against an improved Whitman-Hanson is a good measuring-stick game for both teams.
8. Hull (NR)
The Pirates have been mighty impressive early on. Hull is off to a 5-0 start, all of those wins coming by at least three goals. The Pirates' best win is a 10-7 victory over Mashpee. Mashpee was in the Div. 4 Sweet 16 last season and was the No. 8 seed. Last season, No. 19 Hull upset No. 14 Tahanto in the Div. 4 Round of 32 before running into eventual state champion Dover-Sherborn in the Sweet 16.
9. Canton (9)
The final two spots on this poll came down to a pair of Hockomock League teams. Those teams (Canton and Oliver Ames) played on Wednesday, and the result was enough to earn the Bulldogs this spot. Canton won a hotly contested game, 8-7, behind three goals from Sierra Abbott. Last season, Canton and OA were the No. 22 and 23 seeds, respectively. Already there have been some highlights early in the season for the 3-1 Bulldogs. Ellie McCabe recorded her 100th career point in a 9-point effort against Mansfield.
10. Oliver Ames (NR)
Wednesday's aforementioned loss to Canton dropped the Tigers' record to 3-2 on the young season. In the three wins, OA combined for 44 goals. Catie Wilson and Erin Cottam are off to strong offensive starts to the season. The Tigers' other loss was a 17-15 defeat against Ursuline Academy.
On the bubble: Whitman-Hanson, Scituate, Plymouth North
