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Longmeadow makes quite a splash, entering this week's MIAA boys' lacrosse Top 25 poll at No. 11 while making its season debut.

The Lancers crack the rankings this week after notching a Top 25 victory over Central Mass Power Algonquin. However, they weren't the only Western Mass. squad entering the poll this week, as South Hadley -- only a half-game behind Longmeadow in the Wheel standings at 5-0 -- also makes its season debut at No. 22.

(Editors note: Rankings do not reflect Tuesday's results or the adjustment in records made in accordance with Foxborough's forfeited win over No. 12 Reading.)

A BIG WIN
Aside from Longmeadow, the team covering the most ground this week is Dover-Sherborn. The Raiders hop up 10 spots to No. 15 after a huge 6-3 win over Tri-Valley League rival Medfield -- showing why they're to team to beat (again) in Division 3. Now, we could have been more harsh on the Warriors, but we still believe Medfield is the team to beat in Division 2, so we're keeping them in the Top 10 at No. 7 -- for now. Also drawing a significant boost from a conference win last week is Andover, which moves up seven spots to No. 16 after a thrilling overtime victory over Merrimack Valley rival Billerica.

DOVER, Mass. -- Medfield senior Sarah Honan thrives in situations where most keepers would feel uncomfortable.

Succeeding against a medley of free position shots and one-on-one breakaways last night, Honan made 12 difficult saves as she battled defending Division 2 state champion Warriors (8-2, 5-2) to a 10-6 besting of Tri-Valley League foe Dover-Sherborn (6-2, 3-2), at Nora Searle Field.

“I love free position shots,” said Honan. “I like to stay on my toes, just watch the ball all the way to my stick and hopefully I come up with the save. Crashing together as a team and moving together.”

Honan's impressive outing was aided with five goals from fellow senior Katelyn Noschese and a strong showing from the Warriors' man-to-man defense.

Looking Like Defending Champs: The Warriors were looking to bounce back after a poor second half on Wednesday that lead to a tough 14-9 loss to fellow league power Hopkinton (6-2). Medfield was ahead for 46:01 of the 50 minutes on Friday as they edged away for good off a four goal streak in the first half.

Sophomore Lauren Tschirch crashed the net then lowered her head into a group of defenders to draw Medfield's first free position. She buried the effort top-net for a 2-1 lead at 18:11.

Noschese cradled her way past two straight defenders to net a 5-1 goal and end the run with 7:13 left in the first half.

“Not only does it physically prepare us, but it mentally prepares us to stay in games and not let up,” said Noschese. “First of all move the defender (and) get her off track then fake the goalie and just shoot to the corner she is not protecting. It forces them to crash on you.”

Noschese cut out in front of the goal from behind the crease and nailed a 10-yard effort to help clinch the game at 10-6 with 5:07 left in the game. The Warriors moved into their "stall" offense after that score as they wasted of the rest of the clock.

“I was very proud of how smart they were,” said Medfield coach Kathleen McCullough. “It is kind of like a stall if we are in a situation where we need to maintain possession. No shots (allowed).”

Senior Management: Lauren Harrity's two goals and one assist did little justice to show the senior midfielder's influence on Medfield's offensive management. Harrity played a role in half of the Warriors' scores, including the two straight tallies that put her team ahead 9-5 with 13:47 left.

The senior looped around the crease to setup both goals as she lobbed passes to freshman Grace Crowell and sophomore Hailey Tschirch for 10-yard scores and the 9-5 advantage.

“She is just very dynamic,” said McCullough. “If she gets covered too hard she knows that she is going to have to feed the ball and if they are not playing hard defense on them she knows to go to goal.”

Unable to Gain Ground: Dover-Sherborn struggled to pull even as they twice scored two scores then gave up a pair of goals.

Senior Nora Klemmer (three goals) converted a breakaway off a personal draw victory with 21:50 left in the game. Within 44 seconds, she lost two defenders as she cut away from net and produced enough space to sneak a 7-5 score along the post to finish the second run.

“Her first two shots did not go and she was able to adjust to the type of shot that was going to work,” said Dover-Sherborn coach Erin Newton. “We need to make sure we are capitalizing on fast breaks. Our offensive end needs to be quicker in terms of our cuts and our of ball movement.”

TVL As A Playoff Standard: Five of the eight teams in the Tri-Valley League made last years' postseason. The TVL has represented both of the two available girls' lacrosse state titles for the past two years.

In league games like last night's represent a good example of postseason play especially for the two Division 2 squads that played.

“We know that every team comes out strong against us (and) we can't really let up,” said McCullough. “We learned a lot just from our last game against Hopkinton.”

CONCORD, Mass. –- With seven players finding the back of the net on Wednesday, Lincoln-Sudbury (5-0) showed off one of the most balanced and productive efforts of the young 2013 season as they defeated Dover-Sherborn, 15-4.

No. 2 Lincoln-Sudbury, playing at full strength for one of the first times this season, used a 7-0 second quarter run to pull away from No. 13 D-S (5-1) in the first round of the 2013 Coaches Challenge Cup.

“It was just a team effort today,” L-S head coach Brian Vona said after the game.

L-S was led in scoring on the day by senior attack Jordan Dow, who netted four goals to go with one assist.

“When we get both the midfielders and attack going we can be a tough team to beat,” Dow said.

Middies Dan Delaney, Brendan McCartthy, Harlan Smart, and Henry Guild each scored two goals and Greg Roder added one for the victors.

“It is what we talked about,” Vona said. “We had a couple of kids trying to do it all and we just talked about sharing the ball and we did.”

Two-Way Middie: Fairfield-bound middie Chris Giorgio (2 Goals) scored the games opening goal, eight seconds into the first quarter, on an aggressive dodge off a John Sexton face-off win.

As good as Giorgio looked on the offensive end it was work on the defensive end of the field that drew praise from his head coach.

“He is a very good player,” Vona said. “We did not get him into to many offensive sets today because we had him coming in on the wings so much and I did not want to gas him. He took the ball away from kids with the short stick a few times. The kid has worked really hard for us so I am proud for him.”

Opening Quarter: It may not have been how Vona drew up the start of the game but D-S came out moving and possessing the ball as they lead 2-1 after the first quarter.

“In the first quarter we were just trying to do too much,” Vona said. “Every one person was trying to do it themselves but when we sit back and trust each other and move the ball I think we are a good team.”

D-S, playing without senior attack Brandon Jaeger, who was out with an injury, got a strong opening effort from attackmen Grant Gregory (1G) and Matt Davies (1G, 1A).

From the second quarter on it would be all L-S as they used their depth, balance and strong two-way play to control the game.

“We settled down in the second quarter, got the quality dodges we wanted and executed,” Dow added.

L-S will take-on long-time neighboring rival Concord-Carlisle in the 4 p.m. semifinal game of the Coaches Challenge Cup on Thursday at Andover High School.

North Andover Advances: North Andover had finished in last place (Eighth) during the past two years of the Coaches Challenge Cup. On Wednesday they took a big step toward changing recent history as they defeated Division 2 power Hingham, 7-6, in the day’s closest contest.

After an opening half that saw both teams score only one goal each North Andover coach Ryan Connolly knew that his team had to start taking advantage of opportunities if they were going to prevail.

“We knew they would come around as long as we could start burying our opportunities,” Connolly said. “We were a little stagnant and we did not come out of the gates flying like I was expecting the guys too. Then we really started turning it on.”

Both teams came out of the second half more aggressive as Hingham middie Caleb Broadie (3 G) and North Andover attack Nick Pino (4G) matched each other goal for goal in a battle of two of the top talents in Eastern Massachusetts lacrosse.

Trailing 6-4 with 7:26 remaining in the game North Andover received three unanswered goals from attack Dante Querci (2G) and Pino to give them the final lead of the game.

The North Andover defensive unit of goalie Cosmo Capabianco and defenders Colin Cronin, Tom O’Mara, and Joe Samuelman all played very well down the stretch for NA in the win.

North Andover will take on Wellesley at 2 p.m. in the other semifinal match-up on Thursday at Andover High School.

Defending Division 1 state champion Duxbury opens another season as the No. 1 team in our initial MIAA boys' lacrosse poll Top 25 poll.

The Dragons, despite losing 10 Division 1 recruits off of last year's team, are deep again and looking for their 10th state title in the last 11 years. They will surely face a stiff challenge from Lincoln-Sudbury, which checks in at No. 2, and boasts a host of Division 1 talent in its own right. Last year's Division 1 state runner-up Needham begins the season at No. 3

CROWDED IN D2
Once again, the Division 2 race should be one to watch. Defending state champion Concord-Carlisle gained the highest ranking by a D2 team, peaking at No. 5. But they'll field challenges throughout the year from a bunch of D2 teams huddled in the Top 10. Hingham claims the No. 6 spot, followed by Catholic Memorial (No. 7), Reading (No. 9) and Medfield (No. 10).

The Central Mass competition in the division will also be tightly contested with defending sectional champion Algonquin (No. 16), but look for Grafton to make a push, starting out at No. 18, and No. 23 St. John's (Shrewsbury) is always a force.

There is one lone Division 3 representative in our initial poll, with defending state champion Dover-Sherborn appearing at No. 13.

FRANKLIN, Mass. -- Medfield needed some sort of spark after giving up a shorthanded goal late in the first period and senior captain Ben Cox delivered it during the intermission between the first and second periods.

His message was about staying calm and composed in the face of a potential onslaught by rival Medway, and from the seniors down to a group of talented freshmen, the Warriors heeded his words.

Medfield strung together four straight goals in the second period and put themselves in the driver's seat for the Tri-Valley League championship with a 5-2 victory over the Mustangs at Sgt. Pirelli Rink Wednesday afternoon.

"What really turned us around was our captain, Ben Cox," explained Warriors freshman Matt Treiber, who had two goals and an assist in the win. "He got us really fired up during the first intermission. He just told us to go out there and do our job and that we can beat this team like we did today if we play our game."

With the memory of a 6-2 thrashing by Medway (12-1-3 overall; 9-1-2 TVL) earlier in the season still stinging, Medfield (16-1-0; 11-1-0) found itself on its heels as the Mustangs scored a pair of shorthanded goals. Jack Kilty got the first one, scoring on a breakaway with 2:11 left in the first, and Bobby Schindler scored in similar fashion just 11 seconds into the second.

Penalties would be an issue all night long, and with Cox's intermission speech eventually taking hold, Medfield made some adjustments to its extra-man strategy that paid immediate dividends. Rather than cycling the puck up high, the Warriors elected to move deeper in the zone and cashed in as freshman John MacLean fired a perfect pass to Justin Hirschfeld for a one-timer just 18 seconds after Schindler's goal.

Treiber continued the roll, burying a nice feed from Tyler Etzkorn at 3:44 to tie the game at 2-2. MacLean then put Medfield ahead for good, pouncing on the rebound of a shot by sophomore Will Murphy with 3:46 to go in the frame.

The Warriors added one more power play marker by Matt Crowell and a third-period score by Treiber for the final margin.

Undisciplined play did Medway no favors as the team took 13 penalties and had two players ejected in the third period.

"I thought we came out relatively well in the first period but once we started getting the penalties in the second period it obviously changed the whole momentum of the game to Medfield's favor," Medway head coach Chris Ross admitted. "Once we had those few penalties in a row we never recovered. We stopped moving our feet, we were undisciplined. I was not happy with how we played at all.

YOUTH SERVES WARRIORS WELL
The atmosphere was electric as fans from both towns filled the rink and made to make their presence felt. A potential league title was on the line, not to mention the heated rivalry between two towns who regularly battle one another for the TVL title.

Young players who may not be fully used to such situations are excused if they don't handle the elements well, but such was not the case for Medfield.

Freshmen Matt Treiber and MacLean combined for three goals and two assists while sophomore blue-liners Murphy and Hirschfeld made strong contributions as well.

"It's great to have kids who can come in here and play at this level and be very relaxed and handle the situation," Medfield head coach Toby Carlow praised. "I think this being the second time we've done this - big crowd, loud, great atmosphere - they were more relaxed this time, thats for sure and it showed. They're a good group of little players and I'm happy to have them, thats for sure."

Added Cox, ""We had some of the younger guys like Matt, who really stepped up, and John MacLean. It was really huge when they take some of the weight off the older guys. We just told them to keep their heads. Medway gets a little chippy sometimes, and so do we in big games, but we had to keep our composure and I think we did that."

TVL RACE
Both teams came into the game tied atop the Tri-Valley League with 20 points, and the Mustangs had a chance to clinch at least a share of the title. Medfield changed all that with the win, and can now claim the crown if they can take down Dover-Sherborn next Wednesday.

"The kids knew if they they wanted to have a chance at the league title we had to come here and do this," Carlow said. "They did it and now it's one of those things where you control your own destiny."

Ross explained why the league race is now in Medfield's control, despite the fact that the two teams could end up tied in points once league play is complete.

"I don't forsee Medfield losing out any games. It's a weird situation. There's a rule that a team can opt out and Hopkinton opted out of playing Medfield so it will go by winning percentage. So if they win their next game they clinch the TVL title no matter what we do, even if the points end up even."

Dover-Sherborn boys' lacrosse attack/midfielder Grant Gregory has committed to Boston University for the 2015 season, he told ESPN Boston Tuesday night.

Gregory helped the Raiders to their first-ever MIAA Division 3 Eastern Mass. title in the spring and plays club lacrosse with Team Central. He is a three-sport athlete at D-S and also plays on the Raiders' soccer and basketball teams.

He also considered Virginia, Dartmouth, Providence, Brown and Princeton among his college choices. In the process, Gregory becomes the Terriers' first recruit for 2015.

Gregory was an Attack All-Star at both the Philly Showcase and the Baltimore Kick-off Classic. He's also played at UMass, Sea Wolf Shootout and the Philly Showcase this fall.

(Highlights courtesy of The Needham Channel)

LYNN, Mass. -- Mac Steeves scored two first-half goals, including one from the penalty spot, to bring Needham back from a goal down in a 2-1 victory over previously unbeaten Somerville on Wednesday night at Manning Field.

The Rockets' 6-foot-4 forward was a menace throughout. In addition to scoring goals, Steeves was a towering presence in the midfield and defense as Needham dropped back midway into the second half.

Needham head coach Don Brock, who will be looking for the third state championship of his illustrious career, spoke after the game about the team’s many uses for Steeves in late-game situations.

“We’ve been doing it for several years with Mac," he said. "He can play anywhere on the field. He’s one of the taller players and he’s got a tremendous boot.”

Somerville started the game brighter, with its own star Felix De Bona forcing Needham goalie Kevin MacMillan into two early saves. The Highlanders jumped out to a 1-0 lead in the 13th minute when Francisco Neto’s cross from the left caromed into the net off the knee of Rockets defender Jack Nardi.

Gradually, Needham started to get more control of the ball in the midfield through senior captains Brandon Miskin and William Corkery.

The game changed in the 25th minute when Steeves, who had already had an early chance well-saved by Luis Guerra, was played in by an incisive through ball from Miskin. The team’s leading scorer made no mistake with a cool finish into the bottom corner.

Just before the break, Steeves went down in the box as he battled with Somerville defender Andre Rolim (who also received a yellow card). A penalty was given and Steeves sent Guerra the wrong way to give Needham its first lead of the night.

The call was hotly disputed by Somerville head coach George Scarpelli.

“It’s disheartening," he said. "You play that long and that hard, you know...It was tough when you lose on something like that. You’re talking about two kids that battled all night long. This is why you preach- finish your chances and we would have been there.”

The second half saw little in the way of goalmouth action as the Rockets dropped back into a defensive shell. Both goalies were only forced into one save apiece following the halftime interval.

Scarpelli saw the strategy being implemented and knew that it would be problematic for his team given the size and strength of the Rockets.

“They dropped off," he said. "They put six guys in the back and left one kid up top and it worked. I give a lot of credit to Needham. Coach Brock is a legend, he knows how to play these games and he did it.”

For Steeves, and the rest of the Needham seniors, it was a job well done and sets up a chance to win the program’s first state title since the turn of the millennium.

“Our team, collectively, just played a great game," Brock said. "Our defense has improved so much all season. I think we just put together a good game there and knocked off a very, very good team.”

Needham will advance to the state championship game to be played Friday night at 7:30 p.m. against Amherst, at Worcester State University.

Tournament Notes:

• After Needham’s win, Don Brock commented that he wished that the Rockets would be taking on Ludlow in the state finals so to “get even with them.” Brock, who has more than 600 wins in his career, will have the chance to add his fourth state title on Friday Night.
• Brock will not get Ludlow, but he will be facing a West region team. Amherst held off Leominster 1-0 in the semifinal game played at Nashoba Regional to advance to Worcester. This was not the expected semifinal matchup as most predicted a rematch of last year’s battle (in the metaphorical and literal sense) between top seeds Worcester North and Ludlow. It was fitting that the two teams that knocked off the top seeds would get to play each other. Amherst have now won three in a row by 1-0 scorelines (the game against Ludlow was scoreless into penalties but goes down officially as a 1-0 win), but it will be a tough task to keep the Rockets off the board.
• Franklin will face Nashoba in the D1 girls final after the Panthers beat Beverly 2-0 in the early game at Manning Field. Kristi Kirshe, who is on the list of submitted names for All-American status, ended a two-game scoreless streak and notched her 100th goal of her career on an early free kick. Kirshe was dropped into a midfield role against Beverly as they looked to disrupt its attack. The star of the game was Julia Bireley, who was given the man-marking job on Beverly junior striker Caitlin Harty. Harty has scored an incredible 50 goals this season, but barely got a whiff of the goal thanks to the attentions of the junior defender. Friday’s early game should be a classic between two teams that have been ranked all season. Nashoba knocked off Minnechaug, who beat the favorites East Longmeadow in the sectional.
• Groton-Dunstable will attempt to defend its D2 boys’ state title after handing Belchertown its first loss of the season. The opponent will be the mustangs of Medway who have advanced to the state finals despite losing their best player, Matt Coakley. Sutton will also look to defend its title (Division 3) when it takes on Watertown in the finals. The D3 North sectional champs advanced with a win over Dover-Sherborn in penalties.
• It will be a battle of unbeaten in the D2 girls’ championship game as Medfield (the 2010 state champs) will face West sectional champions Belchertown. This is the final season for the Orioles at this level and they will have a tough task against the Warriors, who received national top 25 votes in the latest NSCAA poll released yesterday.

LYNN, Mass. -- The incredible tournament run of the Beverly Panthers continued on Sunday afternoon at Manning Field in Lynn.

The No. 4 seed Panthers took home the girls’ Division 1 North sectional title, 2-1 (4-1 in penalties), over No. 3 seed Central Catholic. All four Beverly penalty-takers made their shots, while Central missed its first two shots.

Captain Diandra Crowley calmly slotted home the final penalty setting off rapturous celebrations from her teammates and the large Beverly contingent in the stands.

The Panthers (17-3-1) reached the shootout thanks largely to a superb performance from goalkeeper Casey Cook. The junior netminder made a series of important saves including two in overtime robbing Alli Wiggins and Kylie Regan of game winners.

Beverly head coach Kristin Simpson was in awe of Cook’s play.

“She was by far the MVP of this game. We would not be where we are without her. She made some amazing saves towards the end and kept us in the game.”

The Panthers needed Cook to play well as Central Catholic (15-0-5) dominated large portions of the game, particularly in the first half. Wiggins, Regan, and midfielder Alexa Poulin pulled the strings in the center of the park and kept possession almost entirely in the Beverly half of the field.

It took half an hour, but Central Catholic was able to make the pressure pay with a goal from Alex Nagri off a great pass by Courtney Walsh. Raiders head coach Casey Grange was disappointed that her team was unable to find a second score.

“I thought we were going to get it eventually," Grange said. "This team has been patient all season in terms of scoring. We’ve always found a way to find the back of the net, but unfortunately the soccer gods weren’t on our side today."

Beverly equalized immediately after halftime through record-setting junior striker Caitlin Harty. The forward was raced on to a long pass and was able to chip the ball over the onrushing keeper despite being surrounded by two defenders.

Unbelievably, it was Harty’s 50th goal of the season, which is by a large margin a school record.

Simpson credited an improved effort by her team for changing the tone of the match after halftime.

“The biggest thing was the effort," she said. "We were losing the 50-50 balls and they were outworking us. We started yelling at them a little bit and they started winning some of the 50-50 balls and I think that made the difference.”

Central Catholic had a great chance to win the game in regulation, when Wiggins sprung free on a break following a Beverly corner, but her shot came back off the crossbar.

The Raiders will not advance in the tournament but will finish the season unbeaten (penalty shootouts do not count as losses but as draws). Amidst tears on the sideline, Grange spoke about the impressive season that her team had in 2012.

“Technically we tied and we haven’t lost all season so it’s a tough way to go out," she said. "Our defense was rock-solid, we have the top three scorers in the MVC, but unfortunately we didn’t get one when we needed it.”

It will be an all-Panthers match on Wednesday evening at Manning Field when Beverly takes on Franklin in the state semifinals. The game is scheduled to start at 5:30 p.m.

DIVISION 1 NORTH FINAL: SOMERVILLE 1, ST. JOHN'S PREP 0

In the boys’ D1 North sectional final, the Somerville Highlanders beat St. John’s Prep 1-0 through a goal by star forward Felix De Bona two minutes into the second half.

The final score was not a true reflection of how dominant Somerville was on Sunday afternoon. The Highlanders created numerous chances, particularly the potent DeBona, but were repelled by Prep goalie Ben Alpern.

On the other end, Somerville’s defending was solid and Prep struggled to create any clear cut chances.

It has been nearly 20 years since Somerville had reached this stage of the tournament. Highlanders head coach George Scarpelli explained that he focused on keeping Prep off the board in the first half and then using the wind after the break.

“If we could get the zero in the second half then something’s going to happen and it worked out. We should’ve put some more chances away and that’s something we need to grow on for the next game because I’ll have a heart attack if we do that again.”

St. John’s Prep head coach David Crowell raved about the performance of Alpern, who took over the starting role when captain Brian Keogh was injured prior to the season.

“He kept us in the game and gave us the chance to get the tie and send it to overtime," Crowell said. "But we didn’t really produce any chances in the second half. He was awesome today.”

In reaching the finals, Prep defeated two of the top five teams in the state (No. 4 Acton-Boxborough and No. 1 Masconomet) and Crowell was surprised at his team’s nervousness in the finals.

“I don’t know why we were so tight," he said. "We’ve already come in and beaten so many good teams. I think they felt some pressure today. Somerville deserved it today.”

The Somerville players were spurred on by a huge traveling contingent of fans, which created a great atmosphere for the game. At the final whistle, the players recognized the contribution of the fans by racing over to celebrate right in front of the stands. Scarpelli believes that this result is important not only for the soccer program, but for the city as a whole.

“I don’t think people realize how much this means for the city of Somerville.," he said. "For these kids to realize that if you do the right thing, everything falls into place. Winning comes along with doing everything right and going to school on time and being a good citizen. It’s an unbelievable feeling.”

Somerville will play in the state semifinals on Wednesday night at 7:30, at Manning Field.

State Tournament Notes:

" There will be a new boys’ state champion in Division 1 this year. Two-time defending champ Ludlow Lions, perennially one of the best teams in the state, were beaten in the West sectional finals by Amherst 1-0 (7-6 in penalties). The Lions had a chance to win it in the end, only to see the shot saved. Amherst will move on to play Leominster, the surprise champions of the Central sectional, in the state semifinals on Wednesday night.

" The Franklin Panthers have continued their amazing unbeaten season and took home the South sectional with a 3-2 win over fellow Hockomock team, Oliver Ames. Franklin built a 3-0 lead early in the first half, but were forced to hold on late when the Tigers scored twice within 90 seconds late in the second half. Panthers top scorer Kristi Kirshe did not get a goal in the win and is still stuck on 99 goals in her career.

" Somerville will face the top seed in Division 1 South, the Needham Rockets, in the state semifinals. Needham earned a hard-fought 2-0 victory over conference rivals Weymouth. Senior captains Nolan Brady and Brandon Miskin getting the goals for Needham. The Rockets are a talented group front to back and, with the losses by Masconomet and Ludlow, can make a strong claim to be the best team in the state. Having one of the state’s best players, forward Mac Steeves, certainly helps their cause. Wednesday night will be exciting to watch Steeves and De Bona go head-to-head.

" As colleague Bruce Lerch tweeted earlier today, what a great year it has been for Dave Wainwright. He led the Dover-Sherborn girls’ soccer team to a state title last season, brought them back to the sectional finals this year, and also led the Needham boys’ lacrosse team to Harvard Stadium in June. While the Lady Raiders may have been beaten today, the boys’ team clinched the sectional title with a 3-0 win over top seed Nantucket.

While there was very little movement to our MIAA girls' soccer Top 20 poll, Bishop Feehan was the lone team to make a new claim to the poll.

The Shamrocks reenter our poll at No. 19 after going 6-0-1 in its last seven matches. Feehan started the season in our preseason Top 20.

The big moves this week were Auburn dropping to No. 20 after two draws, and Dover-Sherborn moving into the last 10 out after another defeat. This week's big game is on Friday when Oliver Ames travels to Franklin to take on the Panthers.

Once again, Peabody claimed the top spot in our poll, and the Tanners have a new claim as the No. 1 team in the nation, according to the latest NSCAA poll.

There were very few changes heading into Week 4 of the MIAA boys' soccer Top 20 poll.

Most of the teams, especially those at the top either won or lost close games to higher ranked opponents. Top team Ludlow struggled and dropped a point against West Springfield, but holds onto the top spot over Concord-Carlisle, who took part in their annual Kicks for Cancer event this weekend.

The big move of the week was Dover-Sherborn, dropping four spots after a loss to the surprise package of the Tri-Valley League, Holliston. Sharon dropped from No. 20 into the Last 10 Out, after a defeat to No. 13 Oliver Ames, and was replaced by Archbishop Williams. Archies has started the season 9-0-0 and deserves consideration in the Top 20 teams in the state.

The game of the week may be in CMass. On Tuesday, No. 6 Algonquin takes on a Nashoba team that is right on the edge of being ranked.

The MIAA girls' soccer Top 20 poll has been updated for this week.

Congratulations are in order for Canton’s Lauren Berman who scored her 100th career goal last week in a win over Oliver Ames. Berman, a senior, was the 2011 ESPN HS Girls' Soccer Player of the Year for Massachusetts and is a two-time Hockomock MVP. She will attend the University of Maryland next fall. Her Lady Bulldogs made a big move this week, jumping from No.16 to No. 8.

Falling this week is Dover-Sherbourn, which is winless in its last three and Oliver Ames after their crushing loss to Canton (7-0 loss). The Tigers can get a measure of revenge, however, as the teams are set to meet again Oct. 16.

With the season just getting out of the gates, there weren't too many big moves from our in our Week 2 MIAA boys' soccer Top 20 poll.

The top four teams all remained the same, but there was movement in the Top 10 with Needham and Worcester North both slipping after first-week losses.

Climbing into the Top 10 are Wellesley and Weymouth. Wellesley continues to be a thorn in Needham's side, knocking off the Rockets for the third season in a row. Weymouth had struggles scoring down the stretch last season, but have banged home seven goals in their first two games, including an impressive 4-1 scoreline over Framingham.

Out of the Top 20 this week are Sandwich (0-2-1), Newton South (0-1), Silver Lake (0-2) Franklin (1-1). Taking those spots are Dover-Sherborn (cue the comment board), Nauset, Oliver Ames and Billerica who are all off to undefeated starts.

Games to watch this week:
No. 4 Concord Carlisle at Lincoln Sudbury
No. 2 Groton-Dunstable at No. 8 Algonquin

Dropping out of the poll:
Sandwich (0-2-1), Newton South (0-1), Silver Lake (0-2) Franklin (1-1)

As always lest us know what you think, and continue to Tweet your team's scores and updates at us @espnbostonhs and @bhallespn.

Duxbury went box-to-wire for the second straight year in our MIAA boys' lacrosse Top 25 poll.

The Dragons closed out the season as repeat Division 1 champions, claiming a 10-8 win over Needham and securing their ninth state title in 10 years.

Concord-Carlisle, winners of the Division 2 state crown, finished as the only undefeated team in the state, posting a 22-0 record after the program's fourth state title. Division 1 EMass runner-up Wellesley ended the season at No. 3 with fellow Bay State Conference foe Needham at No. 4.

Division 3 state champion Dover-Sherborn climbed to No. 7 to finish the year.

The complete poll can be found HERE.

FIRST TEAM
G - Doug Gouchoe, Sr., Concord-Carlisle
The Air Force-bound goalie backstopped the Patriots to their fourth state title and an undefeated season. The Eastern Mass. All-American recorded a .682 save percentage this season.
D - Max Randall, Sr., Duxbury
A true shut-down defender, the 5-foot-10 pole always drew the matchup of the opposing team’s top offensive threat. Randall, who will continue his lacrosse career at Dartmouth College next season, was named an Eastern Mass. All-American and also earned ESPN Boston All-State football consideration as a linebacker on the Dragons’ repeat Super Bowl title squad.

LSM - James Burke, Sr., Duxbury
One of the most dynamic talents in the state, the Penn State-bound long-stick did a little bit of everything for the Dragons, from winning ground balls off the wing on faceoffs to providing hounding defense. An Eastern Mass. All-American, Burke was also an ESPN Boston All-State football defensive team selection on.

LSM - Ryan Cassidy, Sr., Wellesley
Leading one of the state’s top defensive units, Cassidy led the Raiders to the Division 2 EMass finals at Harvard Stadium. On the season, the Amherst College-bound long-stick collected 175 ground balls.
LSM - Reilly Naton, Sr., Duxbury
Paired on the wing with Burke on Duxbury’s face-off set, the Yale commit was one of the state’s best players during the last couple of years. In addition to winning three state titles with the Dragons, Naton was also a starting safety on two Duxbury Super Bowl title-winning football teams.

M - Kurt Hunziker, Sr., Masconomet
One of the most physically intimidating forces in the state, the 6-foot-3 linebacker/tight end/midfielder extraordinaire was a force. Hunziker, a UMass-Amherst signee, earned back-to-back Eastern Mass. All-American nods in his junior and senior seasons.
M - Billy Polk, Sr., Dover-Sherborn
Among the top faceoff men in the state, the two-time All-American was also a scoring threat for the first-time Division 3 state champions. Also a multi-sport athlete, Polk plans to play both football and lacrosse at Colby College.
M - Kyle Soroka, Sr., Acton-Boxborough
A key element to the Colonials rise to prominence in the Dual County League this season. The Middlebury-bound middie was named an All-American after scoring 30 goals with 39 assists.
A - Kevin Blair, Sr., Hingham
A two-time Eastern Mass. All-American, Blair has been one of the most feared scorers in the state and was an ESPN Boston All-State second-teamer last season. Blair, who finished with over 100 points on the season, will attend Providence College next year.
A - Paul Hellar, Sr., Duxbury
While Duxbury’s defense got most of the headlines, Hellar proved the Dragons could score in bunches as well. The All-American was the fulcrum of the Duxbury attack and has signed a Letter of Intent to play at Fairfield University.
A - Nico Panepinto, Jr., Needham
The Fairfield commit showed why he was one of the most dynamic attacks in the state during the Rockets’ state final tilt with Duxbury. The All-American tallied 54 goals with 30 assists on the season.
Faceoff specialist – Henry Narlee, Jr., Duxbury
Ask any member of Duxbury’s coaching staff or its players and they’ll tell you their ninth state title in the last decade started at the faceoff X with Narlee. The midfielder won a high percentage of his draws and was more than capable of finishing on the rush as well.

Second Team
G - Connor Darcey, Sr., Wellesley
G - Jared Fong, Sr., Weston
G - Greg Stamatov, Sr., Foxborough
D - Matt O'Keefe, Sr., Duxbury
LSM - John Sexton, Soph., Lincoln-Sudbury
M - Henry Guild, Jr., Lincoln-Sudbury
M - Mark Riley, Sr., Needham
M - Chris Williams, Sr., Duxbury
A - Tucker Ciessau, Jr., Scituate
A - Jay Drapeau, Soph., Wesford Academy
A - Ben Melaugh, Sr., Billerica
Faceoff specialist – Clay Richard, Sr., Medfield

Best of the Rest - Honorable Mention
Henry Bumpus, Sr. D, Concord-Carlisle
Henry Buonagurio, Sr. G, Duxbury
Cody Carbone, Sr. A, North Reading
Matt Comerford, Jr. G, Reading
Jeff Desko, Sr. A, St. John’s (Shrewsbury)
Jackson Finigan, Sr. M, Concord-Carlisle
Conor Healy, Sr. A, Algonquin
Stephen Iodice, Sr. D, Weston
Cam Joyce, Sr. A, Archbishop Williams
Matt McIver, Sr. A, Andover
Tyler McKelvie, Sr. A, Acton-Boxborough
Cabot Noyce, Sr. A, Norwell
Joey Pasquale, Sr. A, Weston
D.J. Smith, Jr. G, Billerica
Tom Stanton, Sr. M, Catholic Memorial
Ian Yanulis, Jr. D, BC High

Coach of the Year
Tom Dalicandro, Concord-Carlisle

ESPN Boston High Schools co-editor Scott Barboza, correspondent Bruce Lerch and host Lynn Herman broke down the action from the Division 3 boys' lacrosse state championship game that saw Dover-Sherborn finally get over the hump in a 16-6 win over North Reading: