Breaking down the brackets: MIAA releases girls lacrosse state tournament field
The playoff field is set.
The MIAA on Wednesday announced the high school girls lacrosse tournament pairings. The South Shore will be represent by 20 teams spread across the four divisions.
Defending Division 2 state champ Notre Dame is seeded No. 1 in its quest for a repeat in a field that also features No. 3 Duxbury and No. 7 Scituate.
Cohasset, a runner-up in Div. 3 last year, is seeded third this time and is joined in the top 10 by No. 6 Norwell and No. 7 Hanover.
Weymouth is the top local seed in Div. 1, sitting at No. 11, and Archbishop Williams leads the South Shore contingent in Div. 4 as a No. 15 seed.
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Division 1
The Field
Lincoln-Sudbury
Westwood
Walpole
Reading Memorial
Longmeadow
Franklin
Central Catholic
Chelmsford
Concord-Carlisle
Weymouth (14-6)
Acton-Boxborough
Natick
Winchester
North Andover
Hingham (13-8)
Algonquin
King Philip Regional
Shrewsbury
Brookline
Needham
Peabody Veterans
Westford Academy
Lexington
Newton North
Andover
Belmont
Bishop Feehan
Woburn Memorial
Beverly
Boston Latin
Hopkinton
Quincy (13-7)
Haverhill
Attleboro
Mansfield
New Bedford
Milford
Doherty Memorial
Bracket Breakdown
State champ prediction: No. 3 Westwood
Best first-round game: No. 16 Hingham vs. No. 17 Algonquin
Upset pick: No. 20 Brookline over No. 13 Natick
Who do the South Shore locals play?
No. 11 Weymouth vs. No. 22 Peabody Veterans
No. 16 Hingham vs. No. 17 Algonquin
No. 33 Quincy at No. 32 Hopkinton (preliminary round)
Favorite, contender or underdog?
No. 11 Weymouth - Underdog: The Wildcats, led by star midfielder Megan Doyle, have had a terrific season, but the Div. 1 bracket is a minefield. That includes No. 3 Westwood, the two-time defending champ that looms in the quarterfinals.
No. 16 Hingham - Underdog: A first-round matchup with No. 17 Algonquin is do-able. The winner, though, likely gets No. 1 Lincoln-Sudbury (16-2).
No. 33 Quincy - Underdog: A play-in game at Hopkinton will be a nice showcase for the Presidents, who were 8-12 a year ago. The winner of that one gets No. 1 Lincoln-Sudbury.
Division 2
The Field
Notre Dame Academy (20-0)
Wayland
Duxbury (15-5)
East Longmeadow
Leominster
Masconomet Regional
Scituate (11-7)
Grafton
Burlington
Falmouth
Ashland
Minnechaug
Plymouth North (11-7)
Dartmouth
Billerica Memorial
Melrose
Westborough
Canton (9-8)
Bedford
Holliston
Nauset Regional
Marblehead
West Springfield
Ursuline Academy
Norwood
Agawam
Nashoba Regional
Oliver Ames (8-10)
Westfield
Danvers
Whitman-Hanson (7-11)
Silver Lake (8-10)
Groton-Dunstable
Amherst-Pelham Regional
Somerville
Bracket Breakdown
State champ prediction: No. 1 Notre Dame Academy
Best first-round game: No. 16 Melrose vs. No. 17 Westborough
Upset pick: No. 18 Canton over No. 15 Billerica Memorial
Who do the South Shore locals play?
No. 1 Notre Dame Academy vs. winner No. 32 Silver Lake vs. No. 33 Groton-Dunstable (preliminary round)
No. 3 Duxbury vs. winner No. 30 Danvers/No. 35 Somerville (preliminary round)
No. 7 Scituate vs. No. 26 Agawam
No. 13 Plymouth North vs. No. 20 Holliston
No. 18 Canton at No. 15 Billerica Memorial
No. 28 Oliver Ames at No. 5 Leominster
No. 31 Whitman-Hanson vs. No. 34 Amherst-Pelham Regional (preliminary round)
No. 32 Silver Lake vs. No. 33 Groton-Dunstable (preliminary round)
Favorite, contender or underdog?
No. 1 Notre Dame Academy - Favorite: The Cougars have been unbeatable this spring. And they're the defending champs. Can't be much more of a favorite that that.
No. 3 Duxbury - Contender: The Dragons would like another shot at NDA after losing to the Cougars in last year's semifinals and again in this season's opener. Another meeting could only come in the title game.
No. 7 Scituate - Contender: The Sailors started the season 0-3 but have come on strong. They've played a slew of top teams, including Duxbury, Div. 1 contenders Weymouth and Hingham, and Div. 3 hopefuls Cohasset, Norwell and Hanover.
No. 13 Plymouth North - Contender: Any team with Annika Pyy, who has scored 200 career goals, must be considered a threat.
No. 18 Canton - Underdog: Three one-goal losses prevented the Bulldogs from having a better seed.
No. 28 Oliver Ames - Underdog: The Tigers lost seven of their last nine regular-season games, but a first-round upset of No. 5 Leominster would change the conversation.
No. 31 Whitman-Hanson - Underdog: The Panthers will try to recapture the magic of their 6-2 start to the season.
No. 32 Silver Lake - Underdog: The Silver Lake v. Groton-Dunstable winner gets NDA in the first round.
Division 3
The Field
Newburyport
Medfield
Cohasset (16-3)
Foxboro
Pentucket Regional
Norwell (15-4)
Hanover (10-6)
Apponequet Regional
Swampscott
Essex North Shore
Fairhaven
Old Rochester Regional
Bromfield School
Bishop Fenwick
Notre Dame (Worcester)
North Reading
Cardinal Spellman (11-8)
Middleboro (7-9)
Bishop Stang
North Middlesex Regional
Dighton-Rehoboth
Shawsheen Valley Tech
Gloucester
Dedham
Malden Catholic
St. Mary's-Lynn
Norton
Pembroke (2-18)
Pope Francis
Lee
Greater Lowell Tech
Auburn
Hoosac Valley
Bristol-Plymouth
Bracket Breakdown
State champ prediction: No. 3 Cohasset
Best first-round game: No. 7 Hanover vs. No. 26 St. Mary's-Lynn
Upset pick: No. 20 North Middlesex Regional over No. 13 Bromfield School
Who do the South Shore locals play?
No. 3 Cohasset vs. No. 30 Lee
No. 6 Norwell vs. No. 27 Norton
No. 7 Hanover vs. No. 26 St. Mary's-Lynn
No. 17 Cardinal Spellman at No. 16 North Reading
No. 18 Middleboro at No. 15 Notre Dame (Worcester)
No. 28 Pembroke at No. 5 Pentucket
Favorite, contender or underdog?
No. 3 Cohasset - Favorite: The Skippers, under new coach Billy Bitter, will take a 13-game winning streak into the playoffs. Cohasset was the state runner-up last year, losing to No. 2 Medfield.
No. 6 Norwell - Contender: The Clippers have won eight straight going into the postseason. They've played their typical grueling schedule with wins over Weymouth, Hingham, Scituate, Duxbury and Hanover and losses to Cohasset, NDA and Medfield.
No. 7 Hanover - Contender: The Hawks suffered four straight losses (to powerhouses Hingham, Scituate, Duxbury and Norwell) late in the season but rebounded for back-to-back wins heading into the playoffs.
No. 17 Cardinal Spellman - Underdog: The Cardinals have won five straight, giving themselves some momentum heading into their first-round matchup with North Reading.
No. 18 Middleboro - Underdog: No. 2 Medfield, the defending state champ, awaits in the second round if the Sachems can win at NDA-Worcester.
No. 28 Pembroke - Underdog: The Titans have a daunting task to get by No. 5 Pentucket in the first round.
Division 4
The Field
Ipswich
Weston
Dover-Sherborn
Nantucket
Manchester Essex
Sandwich
Hamilton-Wenham
Mount Greylock Regional
Cape Cod Academy
Nipmuc Regional
Georgetown
Tahanto Regional
Medway
Saint John Paul II
Archbishop Williams (16-4)
Lynnfield
Monomoy
Tyngsborough
Lunenburg
Watertown
Littleton
Hull (14-5)
Winthrop
Martha's Vineyard
Oakmont Regional
Bourne
Advanced Math & Science
Stoneham
South Hadley
Triton Regional
Sturgis Charter West
Belchertown
Upper Cape Tech
Saint Bernard’s
Tri-County
South Shore Tech (12-4)
Nashoba Valley Tech
Hampshire Regional
Bracket Breakdown
State champ prediction: No. 3 Dover-Sherborn
Best first-round game: No. 15 Archbishop Williams vs. No. 18 Tyngsborough
Upset pick: No. 22 Hull over No. 11 Georgetown
Who do the South Shore locals play?
No. 15 Archbishop Williams vs. No. 18 Tyngsborough
No. 22 Hull at No. 11 Georgetown
No. 36 South Shore Tech at No. 29 South Hadley (preliminary round)
Favorite, contender or underdog?
No. 15 Archbishop Williams - Underdog: The Bishops, who have only three seniors, hit the playoffs on a 12-1 hot streak with the lone loss coming against Div. 3 Bishop Fenwick.
No. 22 Hull - Underdog: The Pirates won 10 in a row to start the season, so they have experience at getting on a roll.
No. 36 South Shore Tech - Underdog: If the Vikings can knock off South Hadley in the prelims they get a trip to No. 4 Nantucket in the first round.
This article originally appeared on The Patriot Ledger: MIAA high school girls lacrosse state tournament pairings
