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Top team in the state leads the way: Cape and Islands high school girls lacrosse rankings

courtney jacobs, cape cod times
·6 min read

The Massachusetts Interscholastic Athletic Association state tournament starts next week, and teams are looking to finish off the regular season strong.

The unbeaten Nantucket girls lacrosse are the highest ranked team on the Cape Cod and Islands as the top seed in Division 4 in the latest MIAA latest power rankings.

There are 11 other Cape and Islands teams that have a chance at the postseason. Cape Cod Academy (7), and Falmouth (9) in Div. 3, and Sandwich (7) in Div. 4, join the Whalers as the other current top 10 teams.

*Records, as of May 22, and previous ranking are in parenthesis.

Nantucket teammates Bailey Lower (left) and Emerson Pekarcik celebrate after a Lower goal against Nauset.
Nantucket teammates Bailey Lower (left) and Emerson Pekarcik celebrate after a Lower goal against Nauset.

1. Nantucket (18-0, 1)

The Whalers still have not lost a game this season since the last rankings. The high-powered offense is still led by senior captains Bailey Lower and Emerson Pekarcik, as the Whalers stand alone as the only team on the Cape and Islands with over 300 (308) goals.

Cydney Mosscrop, Mayson Lower, Suz Peraner, Dylan Damian, and Evy Stahl have also been some of the key contributors that helped this offense be one of the best in the state. The Whalers have scored at least 14 goals in every game, and at last 20 goals in three games.

The defense has also been solid behind the play of goalie Claire Misurelli. Nantucket has only allowed double-digit goals in one game this season, and has allowed the third fewest amount of goals (94) on the Cape and Islands. The Whalers are looking like a team that could not only finish the regular season undefeated but make a run at a state title.

Abi Kinney of Sandwich prepares in 2023 to put a shot on the Georgetown goal in the Division 4 round of 16 girls lacrosse.
Abi Kinney of Sandwich prepares in 2023 to put a shot on the Georgetown goal in the Division 4 round of 16 girls lacrosse.

2. Sandwich (17-1, 2)

The Lady Knights dropped their first game of the season last week to Cohasset, which is the third-ranked team in Div. 4. Outside of that contest, Sandwich has not really had any bad games. They have scored double-digit goals in 16 of their 17 wins, and are beating their opponents by an average of 10.5 goals per game. That comes from the depth they have on offense.

Kyla Darmon, Kolbie Darmon, Quinn Anderson, Avery Cobban, Aubrie Schwager, and Abi Kinney are some of the consistent players for Sandwich. They are tied with Upper Cape for the fewest goals given up with 91. They have only allowed double-digit goals in two games this season. Sandwich will look to make their third straight Elite Eight appearance this season, and possibly even further than that.

Olivia Powers of Cape Cod Academy moves on Carly Steenstra of Barsntable.
Olivia Powers of Cape Cod Academy moves on Carly Steenstra of Barsntable.

3. Cape Cod Academy (11-4, 3)

The Seahawks' recipe for success is simple: scoring goals. In every win, they have scored at least 11 goals. When their offense is rolling, they match up with some of the best in the state. They have wins over Barnstable (28th, Div 1), St. John Paul II (19th, Div. 3), Monomoy twice (13th, Div. 4), Upper Cape twice (31st, Div. 3), Falmouth twice (9th, Div.3) , Nauset (12th, Div. 3), and Apponequet (13th, Div. 3).

The only losses have been to Nantucket twice, and two teams they defeated in Nauset and Barnstable. Ella Bartolomei, Olivia Powers, Quinn Powers, and Tricia Carr, and Reese Moreshead have been the offensive leaders. Flynn Kayajan and Emma Davis have played in goal, while Colby Shipman, Liza Joseph and Scotia Crosby have also contributed on defense. The Seahawks will look to avenge their one-point losses in the Sweet 16 the last two seasons.

Sophie Philbrick of St. John Paul II puts a shot on Cape Cod Academy goal surrounded by Reese Moreshead (8) and Livy Daigle.
Sophie Philbrick of St. John Paul II puts a shot on Cape Cod Academy goal surrounded by Reese Moreshead (8) and Livy Daigle.

4. St. John Paul II (12-5, 4)

The Lions have won nine of their last 10 games with the only loss coming at the hands of Bishop Stang (11th, Div. 3). The other losses have come at the hands of Nauset, Nantucket, Cape Cod Academy (7th, Div. 3), and Barnstable. They have some solid victories over Martha's Vineyard twice (25th, Div. 3), Monomoy (13th, Div. 4), and Nauset.

The Lions have scored double digits in every game except their third game of the season. They have the third most total goals on the Cape and Islands with 218. Mia Curley, Sophie Philbrick, Akira Umbrello, Katelyn Lawson, Charlotte Sturgis, Raegan Dillon, and Emma tucker are some of the offensive weapons for the Lions. Last season, JPII made it to the Sweet 16, but fell short to the eventual state champs Dover-Sherborn.

5. Falmouth (8-10, 5)

The record may have you question the Clippers spot on this list, but they did not have the easiest of schedules. The losses so far have been to Old Rochester (11th, Div. 3), Marshfield (15th, Div. 2), Notre Dame-Hingham twice (1st, Div. 2), Cohasset (3rd, Div.4), Cape Cod Academy twice, Nantucket twice, and Dartmouth (18th, Div. 2),. They also have some victories over some good teams like Dartmouth, Monomoy, Barnstable, and Nauset twice.

Honorable Mention

Nauset (10-8)

The Warriors have beaten some good teams in St. John Paul II, Cape Cod Academy, Martha's Vineyard, and Barnstable twice. They also have dropped some games to the best in the state in Sandwich twice, Nantucket twice, Falmouth twice, St. John Paul II, and Cape Cod Academy. Coral Punch, Julia Kipperman, Sienna Reeves and Allie Higgins have been some of the key offensive players, while Sophia Boucher and Norah Swanson have played well in net.

Barnstable (9-6)

The Red Hawks are playing the best they have all season with four wins over their last five games, with at least 12 goals in all those wins. Barnstable is a good team, it's only problem is just staying consistent. The longest win streak for Barnstable is two games. Alyssa McEneaney, Shelby Locascio, Claire Kayajan, Chloe Egan, and Emelie Jonsson have led the offense, while Morgan Mueller has been solid in goal. Barnstable has wins over Pembroke (22nd, Div. 3), Cape Cod Academy, and St. John Paul II, and has dropped games to tough competition like Cape Cod Academy, Nantucket twice, Nauset twice, and Falmouth.

Monomoy (10-7)

The Sharks have won three of their last four games, but have not been able to beat the good teams they play. They have fallen to Martha's Vineyard, St. John Paul II twice, Hull (16th, Div. 4), Falmouth, and Cape Cod Academy twice. They did get the Vineyarders back with a win on the road. Abrielle Long, Casadi Manchuck, Karah Deveau, Lucy Bates, Ileana Babedeel, Paige Nash, Gabby Basset, Susannah Brown, and Tessa Grodzicki led the offense, while Victoria Letendre has played well in goal for Monomoy.

Upper Cape (13-4)

The Rams are a good team just like I said in the rankings, but they have not beat any team in the top 32 (current guaranteed playoff teams as of now). They also lost to a Bourne team (4-13) that they beat 14-3 in the season opener. They have lost to Cape Cod Academy twice, and league opponent South Shore Tech (14-1) in overtime. Adryanna Turner has been the best player with over 200 career goals, while Alaina Hines, Caitlin Greeley, Emma Hanoian, Jessi Girouard, and Hayley King have also contributed on offense.

Contact Courtney Jacobs at cjacobs@capecodonline.com. Follow him on X/Twitter: @CJ_Journalist.

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This article originally appeared on Cape Cod Times: Cape Cod and Islands high school girls lacrosse rankings