Everything you need to know about Saturday's girls soccer championships
Four girls soccer champions will be crowned Saturday at Rhode Island College. Here's a look at each matchup, and Bill Koch's predictions:
State Championship
No. 1-B Cumberland vs. No. 1-B Mt. Hope
TIME: 11 a.m.
THIS SEASON: Cumberland 14-0-2, Mt. Hope 7-5-4
HEAD TO HEAD: The teams played to a 1-1 draw in Cumberland on Sept. 22 and another 1-1 draw in Bristol on Oct. 12.
HOW THEY GOT HERE: In the quarterfinals, Cumberland beat No. 5-B Smithfield, 2-1 while Mt. Hope beat No. 3-A South Kingstown, 4-0. In the semifinals, the Clippers dethroned No. 3-B North Kingstown, 2-0, while the Huskies beat No. 4-B Chariho, 1-0.
COACHES: Cumberland – John Hoxsie. Mt. Hope – Kerri Giarrusso.
TOTAL CHAMPIONSHIPS: Cumberland 3 (3 Division II), Mt. Hope 4 (2 State, 2 Division II)
LAST CHAMPIONSHIP GAME: Mt. Hope beat La Salle, 1-1 (3-1), in a shootout in the 2007 State Championship game. Cumberland lost to South Kingstown, 2-0, in the 2019 State Championship game.
LAST CHAMPIONSHIP GAME WIN: Mt. Hope beat La Salle in a shootout, 1-1 (3-1), to win the 2007 State Championship. Cumberland beat East Providence, 2-1, to win the 2003 Division II Championship.
WHAT TO WATCH FOR: The Huskies put the only two blemishes on the Clippers to date -- a pair of 1-1 draws. They've certainly earned a place on the last weekend. But this feels like the point where Cumberland breaks through after 20 years in the cold and claims a first title at the top level. Senior striker Nicole Calle has been the state's Most Valuable Player to date.
KOCH’S PICK: Clippers
Division II Championship
No. 1 Scituate vs. No. 2 Portsmouth
TIME: 1:30 p.m.
THIS SEASON: Scituate 10-1-2, Portsmouth 10-2-1
HEAD TO HEAD: Scituate took care of business at home, beating Portsmouth, 4-1, on Sept. 26.
HOW THEY GOT HERE: In the quarterfinals, Scituate beat No. 8 Ponaganset, 5-0, while Portsmouth beat No. 7 North Smithfield, 4-0. In the semifinals, the Spartans beat No. 4 Prout in a shootout, 0-0 (1-0), while the Patriots beat No. 3 Lincoln in a shootout, 1-1 (4-3).
COACHES: Scituate – Tim Brown. Portsmouth – Erin Cranstoun.
TOTAL CHAMPIONSHIPS: Scituate 5 (1 State, 2 Division II, 2 Division III). Portsmouth 7 (3 State, 2 Division II, 2 Division III).
LAST CHAMPIONSHIP GAME: Scituate lost to Burrillville in a shootout, 0-0 (2-0), in the 2017 Division II Championship game. Portsmouth lost to Burrillville, 1-0, in the 2022 Division II Championship game.
LAST CHAMPIONSHIP GAME WIN: Scituate beat Burrillville, 1-0, to win the 2016 Division II Championship. Portsmouth beat La Salle in a shootout, 1-1 (4-2), to win the 2016 State Championship.
WHAT TO WATCH FOR: Both teams rode their luck in the semifinals, surviving on penalty kicks. That previous win by the Spartans over the Patriots was ages ago -- these are different teams nearly two months later. Give me Mollyana McGuire to help make the difference on a field where her older sister, Marykate, led Portsmouth to Division I crowns in 2014 and 2016.
KOCH’S PICK: Patriots
Division III Championship
No. 1-A Toll Gate vs. No. 1-B Westerly
TIME: 4 p.m.
THIS SEASON: Toll Gate 8-1-3, Westerly 11-0
HEAD TO HEAD: Westerly beat Toll Gate, 5-0, in Warwick on Sept. 28.
HOW THEY GOT HERE: In the semifinals, Toll Gate beat No. 3-A Classical, 3-1 while Westerly beat No. 2-A Narragansett, 4-0.
COACHES: Toll Gate – Robert Enright. Westerly – Jay Hudson.
TOTAL CHAMPIONSHIPS: Toll Gate 3 (1 Division II, 2 Division III), Westerly has never won a girls soccer title.
LAST CHAMPIONSHIP GAME: Toll Gate beat Westerly, 1-0, in the 2022 Division III Championship game.
LAST CHAMPIONSHIP GAME WIN: Toll Gate beat Westerly, 1-0, to win the 2022 Division III Championship. Westerly has never won a girls soccer championship.
WHAT TO WATCH FOR: The Bulldogs are the only girls soccer team in the state who can finish with a perfect record. They were denied by the Titans in the finals last season, as a late Shinyu Vega goal broke Westerly hearts. I'd be surprised if the Bulldogs didn't carry motivation from that defeat to the pinnacle this time.
KOCH’S PICK: Bulldogs
Division IV Championship
No. 2-A Johnston vs. No. 3-A Rogers
TIME: 6 p.m.
THIS SEASON: Johnston 12-2-1, Rogers 11-3-2
HEAD TO HEAD: Johnston beat Rogers, 2-0, in Newport on Sept. 21 and 1-0 at home on Oct. 25.
HOW THEY GOT HERE: In the quarterfinals, Johnston beat No. 3-B Blackstone Valley Prep, 3-0, while Rogers beat No. 2-B Davies, 3-1. In the semifinals, the Panthers beat No. 1-B Tolman, 2-1, while the Vikings beat No. 1-A Providence Country Day, 3-2.
COACHES: Johnston – Toni Scavitti. Rogers – Jim Kelly.
TOTAL CHAMPIONSHIPS: Johnston 1 (Division III), Rogers 1 (Division IV)
LAST CHAMPIONSHIP GAME: Johnston beat East Providence, 2-1, in the 2017 Division III Championship game. Rogers lost to Providence Country Day, 2-0, in the 2022 Division IV Championship game
LAST CHAMPIONSHIP GAME WIN: Johnston beat East Providence, 2-1, to win the 2017 Division III Championship. Rogers beat Tolman, 2-1, to win the the 2006 Division IV Championship.
WHAT TO WATCH FOR: That old saying about how difficult it is to beat a team three times in a season? Rubbish. That's not the reason for this pick. Similar to Division III, the Vikings had to stew on a finals loss to Providence Country Day for 12 months before beating the Knights in the semifinals. They'll go one step further and finish the job here.
KOCH’S PICK: Vikings
This article originally appeared on The Providence Journal: Rhode Island high school girls soccer championship preview
