It’s never easy stepping in for a legend.

Dave Leahy knows. When longtime Hingham boys soccer coach Ken Carlin retired following an impeccable 25-year run, former assistant Leahy now must carry on the winning tradition the Harbormen have built, just with a few minor tweaks.

So far?

So good. To the point of perfection.

Hingham has emerged as one of the Commonwealth’s hottest teams, undefeated at 7-0.

“I’ve been an assistant coach for Ken for two years prior to this,” said Leahy. “I knew the quality of the kids that are at Hingham, knew the quality of soccer. So am I surprised? No. It’s kind of what I kind of had hoped to be at this point, but it is also very awesome to look at and see (an unblemished record) in my first year coaching. I just try not to think about it too much.”

Leahy also served as head coach of Whitman-Hanson’s program for four years, bringing experience. It helps that he has spent the majority of his time scouting the Patriot League.

With key contributors such as Michael McNabb, Brayden Lawler, and Adam Healey lighting up the scoreboard for Hingham, the transition has proven seamless. Meanwhile, Jacob Riker has been a wall in net for the Harbormen, playing a vital role in six shutouts.

“I feel we’ve been moving the ball pretty well,” said Healey. “Getting quick passes going. A lot of movement in the final third of the field has really opened up things, and opened up more shots, goal-scoring opportunities. Originally, at the beginning of the season, in the first few games, we were kind of limited with how many goals we were scoring. But I feel like in the last few games, we’ve started to pick that up due to the movement up top, and the quick passing, controlling of possession.”

The Harbormen have suffocated their opposition, registering 21 goals while allowing just one (in a 3-1 win over rival Plymouth North).

Healey and his teammates are determined to prove their scorching start is no fluke.

“(We need) to (continue) the high-energy, highly-competitive practices each and every day,” Healey said. “No slacking off, no rest days. We’ve got to put in the work every single day if we want to compete at the top, and win a state championship.”

The road to a state title doesn’t get any easier, as the Harbormen see their Patriot League (Keenan) schedule heat up, and with non-conference games remaining in the regular season against BC High and Brockton.

Leahy doesn’t plan on looking too far down the road.

“I think what helps as a head coach myself is that my mentality is one day at a time,” Leahy said. “A curse and a blessing for me, because that’s really how I think. But I think that’s the best way to go about doing things, one day at a time. One game at a time. No one’s too big, no one’s too low. Just play your hardest every single time.”

Cohasset’s Tess Barrett BC-bound

The state’s soccer community has come to learn about Tess Barrett and her record-shattering performances with Cohasset. This week, the senior made one of the most important choices of her life, committing to play at Boston College.

“It’s honestly like a dream come true,” Barrett said. “It’s like a joke, everyone always just thought that I was going to go to BC. (Originally), I tried to pave my own path by going to Maryland, but luckily, it was kind of like fate that I ended up at BC.”

During her junior season, Barrett powered Cohasset to the Div. 4 Elite Eight, as the Skippers finished with a 12-4-3 record. This season, she eclipsed a major milestone by scoring her 100th career goal.

During a 27-year tenure at the helm of the Skippers’ girls soccer program, Deb Beal has seen plenty of talent roll through the ranks. She lists Barrett as the top athlete she has coached.

“Don’t get me wrong, I’ve had a lot of great players,” said Beal. “Maggie McGoldrick played D1 at Holy Cross. Sarah Coggins played D1 at UVM, and Torey Hart played D1 at URI. But I feel like Tess is a little bit different, in the sense that soccer is what she does. She does it year-round. It’s her passion. It’s the one thing that she truly loves to do, and she’s worked very hard to get where she is.”

The midfielder initially committed to Maryland last year. But when an NCAA lawsuit resulted in a shift in roster limits for soccer, Barrett and a series of other athletes nationwide were suddenly left with their futures in flux. Barrett reopened her college search on Sept. 14. When she looked at her phone later in the evening, there were already dozens of messages to delve through.

“I got home,” said Barrett. “Then, two hours after my game, I had a text from BC.”

The choice soon became clear: she would continue her career in the ACC, following in the footsteps of her father, Paul, a former Eagles hockey star and a member of the Boston College Varsity Club Hall of Fame.

“It’s honestly awesome,” said Barrett. “My parents obviously wanted me to stay close to home the first time, but let me do my own thing. Now, they’re just super excited…my Dad is like a BC superfan, obviously, because that’s where he went to school. So now it’s great to be able to go there.”

Barrett will be graduating from Cohasset early, set to do so in January. Then, it’s on to Chestnut Hill.

“I grew up going to all the hockey games and the soccer games,” Barrett said. “Now, it’s going to be a full-circle moment of (my family) coming to my games. My sister actually goes there too, as a student. So, I’ll get to go there with her, and have my parents at every game.”