Everyone on the Reading field hockey team last year, a Div. 2 superpower, felt the build-up of a kind-of must-win season.

After falling short of the program’s first state title as the seventh seed in 2021, then doing the same as No. 3 in 2022, the pressure was on to finally break through when the Rockets earned the top seed. Five of the 10 seniors on the team had been Middlesex League Liberty All-Stars for two straight years. Two were All-Scholastics. So, last year was more like THE year to win the whole thing – almost to the point where if they didn’t, when would they?

It was a sigh of relief then for the team to pull out a 2-1 overtime win over Norwood in the Div. 2 final. Head coach Taylor Reynolds took comfort in adding that ultimate trophy in her final year before moving on for family reasons.

The job was finished. Relax. Kick back. It’s done. Right?

Not even close.

“Everyone came into this year having the same goal and mindset of like, ‘Let’s go,’” said returning starter and captain Libby Quinn. “I think a lot of talent did leave, but a lot of talent also came to the team. … We’re all putting in as much work as we can and just giving it our all for the season.”

“We all want it (again),” added fellow returner Kendall Graves, a junior captain. “They all saw us last year and how exciting it was to win a state championship. So, we were all going into (this year) with a positive mindset and a lot of energy.”

Repeating as champions is an ambition new head coach Delaney Yule picked up on right away when she first met the team, and it’s a goal the program is proving more realistic every day.

You’d never guess they graduated 10 seniors. It took five games for them to finally allow a goal. It took 10 for them to finally lose a game – which came by a mere 3-2 deficit to a Watertown team that beat them 7-0 last season.

Both of Reading’s losses in an 11-2 start came by just one goal, clocking in at No. 5 in the latest MIAA Div. 2 power rankings.

“They do just want to work hard like they have something to prove,” Yule said. “Winning last year wasn’t enough. They want to do it this year – new team, new title – just kind of keep going for it.”

Quinn says it does feel a bit like Reading is an underdog. But Yule has seen confidence on the team grow, and they know they shouldn’t feel like underdogs because they’ve played like reigning champions.

Opportunity has allowed others to flourish. That includes the entire defensive unit, which has a very new look in the starting lineup. All-Scholastics Myles Lakin (goalie) and Natalie Wall left big shoes to fill in particular, but goalie Sarah Hamilton and low-center midfielder Olivia Bass have played phenomenally.

Junior Leah Jackvony, sophomore center-back Liza O’Brien and Morgan Brown round out a group that’s only allowed eight goals in 13 games, posting eight shutouts.

“I feel like the defense has stepped up the most (of newcomers),” Graves said. “I feel like that’s more of our new players and they’ve really grown from the start of the season and are starting to connect with each other more.”

“They’ve done an awesome job,” Yule added.

A lot of the starting lineup looks new, but there’s still a lot of experience on the field in a mix of players that had big and small roles last year.

Up top, senior Avery Conway is a strong player at the post, Dani Bowers’ speed has led to some explosive performances, and freshman Maddie Lotterhand’s athleticism stands out.

Graves and Quinn star in the midfield alongside Mary Lewis and Ashley Brown above Bass.

“I think everyone on the field has contributed, and we’ve done a good job of working on connecting all over the field,” Quinn said. “It’s a new (starting) group, but it’s the same group that a lot of the girls on the team now have been playing with.”

This title race is shaping up to potentially be the toughest and deepest of any division.

The superpowers the Rockets showed in their title run is how Norwood is constructed. The Mustangs returned most of their starters and have rolled through a tough schedule to an 11-1-1 mark. Goalie Ava O’Neil and forward Shea Larkee are two of the best in the state.

Emily Spadorcia is a high-impact player all over the field, while Morgan Naumann and Ally Mannering are great complements to Larkee. And nobody has forgotten the heartbreak of last year’s loss in the state final as they aim to finish the job this time.

“I think (how we’ve played) just keeps reiterating the fact of where we want to be,” said head coach Allison Doliner. “It’s not going to just come. We have to play good teams and beat good teams to get there. The girls understand that.”

Canton nearly knocked off Reading in overtime in the state semifinal last year, and looks even stronger this time around. Tough defense has always been there, but the offensive boost from sophomore Shannon Lane (30 goals, 18 assists) and junior Carolyn Schiavo (18 goals, 10 assists) might put the Bulldogs (12-1) over the top.

If they play anything like they did in their 4-2 loss to Div. 1 power Franklin, head coach Chrissy O’Connor likes their chances.

“If we play on that caliber, where everyone is playing well at the same time, then we can go deep in the tournament,” she said. “We have some good scoring power this year. I think we’ve always hung in there, but it’s what’s giving us an edge this year.”

Hingham didn’t fare well in a 5-0 loss to Reading in the state semifinals last year, but also return much of the group that made the program’s first trip to the state semifinals. Haylen Wilson has four hat tricks in leading an attack that’s scored at least four goals in all but two of its games in an 11-1-1 start. Siena Brackett is a star in the midfield, while Ryan Hallisey and Kaitlyn Manning anchor a defense that’s only allowed eight goals so far.

“I think that we finally got that postseason experience that we’ve been looking for for a few years,” said Hingham head coach Susan Petrie. “Coming off that and having most of those players back, they know what it takes to get there and, more importantly, know how capable we are.”

What makes this year so exciting for Div. 2 is how much deeper the field goes compared to a thin group of contenders last year.

Somerset Berkley (10-1) is a dangerous power with an electric attack through Julie Pacheco, Ryan Crook and Addie Finlaw. Nashoba (9-2-3) has been in every game within an extremely difficult schedule, ranking No. 2 in the latest power rankings.

The Tri-Valley League keeps showing moments of just how dangerous outside of league play it is, most recently with Dover-Sherborn beating Bishop Feehan. Westwood and Hopkinton are right within the mix as serious sleepers. Masconomet’s unbeaten showing in the Northeastern Conference, and a close loss to Central Catholic, shouldn’t be taken lightly. Doherty also played the Raiders tough, and will very much be a Final Four-capable power.

Add in the scattered big wins from Longmeadow, Malden Catholic, Notre Dame Academy of Hingham, and Duxbury, and this postseason is going to be quite the show.

Grab your popcorn.