MIAA girls lacrosse tournament preview, picks

Wellesley’s Abby Beggans, left, is pursued by Notre Dame Academy’s Elle Orlando during regular season action. Wellesley is the No. 2 seed in Division 1. (Staff Photo Chris Christo/Boston Herald)

For the first time in what feels like a few years, it has become truly difficult to handicap the Div. 1 girls lacrosse playoff field. Prior to this season, it seemed like you could circle one to three programs, and water would ultimately find its level when the premier teams met in the finals.

Now? That is no longer the case. There are plenty of schools in the hunt. So the question is, what will make the difference when it comes to crunch time? Experience could play a role.

Which is why it is quite possible that a school such as Westwood (18-3) could find itself in the winner’s circle again, despite being slotted as the third overall seed. The Wildcats have been propelled by a pair of UMass Amherst commits with Ava Connaughton and Lillian Hancock leading the charge, along with Dartmouth-bound Riley Harrington, as well as Kella McGrail, who is headed for Davidson.

Who else will make noise? Well, take your pick. Lincoln-Sudbury enters as the top-ranked team, while Steve Balter’s group at Wellesley is listed at No. 2. Fourth-seeded Walpole could be a strong contender, as will No. 5 Reading and sixth-ranked Longmeadow, all enjoying fantastic campaigns. Don’t forget No. 7 Franklin, always a state title contender under Kristin Igoe Guarino. Each of these schools have traded off wins, so it could simply come down to which teams play their best when it matters.

“I think playing (Lincoln-Sudbury) the last game of the season and winning, that definitely helps to kind of know where we stand with what we’ve done this season,” said Westwood coach Margot Spatola. “That helped, to see that we definitely grew from the beginning of the year to now. But I think with any of these teams, it’s anyone’s game on any day.”

The Div. 2 field appears to be a bit more top-heavy, especially with Notre Dame Academy (Hingham) leading the pack. A case could be made that the undefeated Cougars (20-0) could be the state’s top-ranked program, pacing all MIAA schools with a team rating of 18.6901. With contributors such as Emma Connerty and Jane Hilsabeck, they should be a strong favorite to make a run to the championship. Could a school like Wayland or Duxbury step up and challenge? It’s a possibility.

Meanwhile, in a similar fashion to what we’re seeing in the Div. 1 bracket, the Div. 3 tournament could be won by a wide array of teams. Top-ranked Newburyport (16-2) could continue its recent domination of the field and cruise to a title. But it’s completely fathomable to see Aizza Chase, Kira Fulton and Laney Larsen leading No. 3 Cohasset (16-3) right back to prevalence or to see second-seeded Medfield make the final. No. 15 Notre Dame Academy (Worcester) could be a candidate to surprise fans, entering the playoffs at 14-6.

Moving on to the Div. 4 ranks, third-seeded Dover-Sherborn (14-6) will be hoping to defend last year’s championship, but the Raiders could see tough competition from the likes of top-ranked Ipswich, as well as No. 2 Weston and fourth-seeded Nantucket. Archbishop Williams enters the tournament at 16-4, but is seeded 16th. The Bishops could take on the role of a dark horse team as the weeks progress.

Predictions

DIV. 1

Champion: No. 3 Westwood

Runner-Up: No. 1 Lincoln-Sudbury

Final Four: No. 1 Lincoln-Sudbury, No. 3 Westwood, No. 4 Walpole, No. 7 Franklin

Sleeper: No. 11 Weymouth

Best First-Round Matchup: No. 15 North Andover vs. No. 18 King Philip

Potential Upset: No. 19 Shrewsbury over No. 14 Winchester

DIV. 2

Champion: No. 1 Notre Dame (Hingham)

Runner-Up: No. 3 Duxbury

Final Four: No. 1 Notre Dame (Hingham), No. 2 Wayland, No. 3 Duxbury, No. 5 Leominster

Sleeper: No. 14 Dartmouth

Best First-Round Matchup: No. 15 Billerica vs. No. 18 Canton

Potential Upset: No. 24 Ursuline over No. 9 Burlington

DIV. 3

Champion: No. 3 Cohasset

Runner-Up: No. 2 Medfield

Final Four: No. 1 Newburyport, No. 2 Medfield, No. 3 Cohasset, No. 4 Foxboro

Sleeper: No. 13 Bromfield

Best First-Round Matchup: No. 15 Notre Dame (Worcester) vs. No. 18 Middleboro

Potential Upset: No. 23 Gloucester over No. 10 Essex Tech

DIV. 4

Champion: No. 3 Dover-Sherborn

Runner-Up: No. 1 Ipswich

Final Four: No. 1 Ipswich, No. 2 Weston, No. 3 Dover-Sherborn, No. 4 Nantucket

Sleeper: No. 15 Archbishop Williams

Best First-Round Matchup: No. 15 Archbishop Williams vs. No. 18 Tyngsboro

Potential Upset: No. 22 Hull over No. 11 Georgetown