With the heart of the team back from the squad that made it to the MIAA Division 1 state quarterfinals last year -- including five college commits and returning All-New England Selection Georgina Clarke -- the Hopkinton (Mass.) High girls soccer team appeared poised for another Tri-Valley League championship bid and deep tournament run this fall.
Thanks in large part to the way the Hiller role players and newcomers have helped complement the standout talents, Hopkinton has become one of the teams to beat across the state this fall with 13 straight victories to start the season and a 37-5 scoring differential.
"Obviously, we have a great core," Hopkinton coach Tom Skiba told New England Soccer Journal this week. "We had a good group coming back. But to be quite honest the biggest surprise has been the role players. We did graduate both outside backs and had to effectively replace them. Being able to do that has given us a tremendous amount of flexibility."