Entering last year’s Div. 1 state tournament, Lincoln-Sudbury could feel the wind behind its sails.

It just finished its first unbeaten regular season in program history. Never in the power rankings era had previous Warriors teams earned a seed higher than No. 16, but they ranked No. 1.

Confidence was at an all-time high.

A longtime wellness teacher at the school, head coach Vicky Caburian is always urging her players and students to accept lessons in stride. When 17th-seeded King Philip upset L-S in the second round, that’s exactly the approach she looked for.

A strong returning core isn’t treating that loss as a chip on their shoulder. Instead, the Warriors (7-1-3) are building off the experience.

“I think it was just uncharted waters,” Caburian said. “We’ve got great experience and a talented team, and a clean slate. Hopefully we learned a hard lesson last year. We put a lot on the ranking and what-not, and I think our focus is not (on) that this year. It’s just, get better and better, and peak at the right time.”

“It’s definitely lessons learned,” added senior Trinity commit Blaire Brennan. “We kind of were thinking too far ahead, and not taking it day by day. … We didn’t know the feeling of a loss, we only knew the highs of a win. Going into that (loss), we just thought it was going to happen again.”

Within Caburian’s coaching style is a list of expressions drilled into players’ minds. “M.G.C.” – make good choices. Never have a “but” after your name. Don’t let your teammates down.

And, perhaps most applicable after last year, it’s not how you start, it’s how you finish. Players have taken that one to heart.

“Just thinking about that undefeated season, that’s how we started,” Brennan said. “Long-term is in the postseason.”

“I would say this season, too,” added junior Providence commit Elise Cecere. “We didn’t start off slow, but we tied (Concord-Carlisle), we lost to Wellesley. That Franklin game (we won on Tuesday) really showed us that statement’s true.”

Forwards Brennan, junior Sabrina Tibbert and Emmy Channel work well with each other up top. Junior twins Avery and Emerson Acquaviva are dynamic players on the attack and in the midfield, as is Cecere. Sophomore Madison Porter and junior Isabelle Waugh are two leaders within a strong team defense, while Brooke Mitchell, Ava Beihagi and goalie Kaitlyn Page complement them.

Chemistry is at the heart of their success so far.

“I think it’s really strong on and off the field.” Brennan said. “It sounds cliche, but it’s like a sisterhood kind of vibe. … I can trust any of these girls with my life, so that really translates on the field.”

Brennan, Cecere and Caburian all agree that confidence took its biggest spike over the last week.

Premier athleticism and teamwork was at the forefront of a 1-0 win over Franklin. It edged Concord-Carlisle before that in a rematch from an early tie, and the Warriors just gritted out a 1-1 tie with Div. 2 power Nashoba on Friday.

“Why not us, you know?” Caburian said. “Why not L-S? Why can’t we finally do this and really make a statement here in Massachusetts?”

“I think we’re a really good team,” Cecere added. “We have basically all the things you need to succeed. After a lot of our games we talk (about how it went) … I really felt like that (win over Franklin) solidified, ‘We are good.’”

Scorchin’ Wilson

Few players are on the same scoring rate as Newburyport senior Olivia Wilson, whose three goals in a 5-4 loss to Belmont on Friday puts her at 35 on the year.

“She is super versatile and one of the more competitive kids that I’ve had the pleasure of coaching,” said Clippers head coach Shannon Haley. “She is just so talented. She’s an ice hockey player, so she definitely has some ice hockey tendencies when she plays – which definitely makes her, I think at times, an even better field hockey player.”

Wilson is one of 12 seniors on the team. Five of them – Wilson, midfielder Riley Lombard, defender Olivia Cruz, defender Rachel Casson and goalie Cody Saboliauskas – were on varsity when Newburyport (11-2-1) made the 2023 Div. 3 state final. Cruz and Lombard rank alongside Wilson as MVP-like impact players, though everyone has stepped up.

Schneider stars for Walpole

Two-time reigning Div. 1 state champion Walpole lost a major piece at center-midfield with the graduation of four-year star Caitlyn Naughton. Yet, the Porkers (12-1) haven’t skipped a beat with senior Kate Schneider’s move from the forward line into that role.

“She’s just the key up there,” said head coach Jen Quinn. “She’s telling people where to go. She’s just doing everything I need her to do, which is what you want.”

Even with more responsibility across the field, her scoring hasn’t been too affected with nine goals over the team’s last four games.

“She’s doing so much more, there’s way more weight on her shoulders, and she’s still putting up decent numbers,” Quinn said.  “She is just so good in the circle. Her hands her so good. And literally, when you watch her go down the field, the ball is glued to her stick. Her skills from last year to this year, it’s astronomical how much better she got.”