By John Orrell, Contributing Writer

Algonquin girls’varsity soccer senior co-captains (l to r) Meg Stassi, Kate Hostage, Kayla Barletta and Zoe Chang. Photo/John Orrell
Northborough – An encore to one of the most successful seasons in Algonquin Regional High School girls’ varsity soccer would be seemingly out of reach in 2016 if common-sense logic were to prevail. But not so fast, say Tomahawk players and coaches.
2015 saw the squad notch a jaw-dropping 21-2 record that earned them a Midland A championship and Central Mass Division 1 title while advancing to a berth in State final competition. Algonquin dropped a heartbreaker 3-1 decision to Needham leaving the team just shy of the ultimate goal, but it was a season to long remember.
Lost to graduation are standouts Caroline Leonard, Annemarie Moy, Kendall Sweeney, Lauren Camarrano, Katelyn Thebado, Kaitlyn Shreeve, and CC McClancy, a virtual all-star cast, many agree. But a closer look at this year’s squad shines a light on what should be many good things ahead for this Tomahawk bunch.
Back are a number of high caliber players including the top two scorers in Midland A last season. Kate Hostage and Sydney Carney (29 points each) will spark an offensive punch that will test the mettle of oncoming opponents. Alongside them are a dozen talented and battled-tested seniors combining with a new cast of talented youth that could render this 2016 campaign as much fun or more as that of a year ago.
“I like our team depth. Being able to substitute freely and having the quality of players that we do, I think will be a very positive thing this season,” said seventh-year head coach Scott Taggart. “We have a solid core of returning senior players and with our senior leadership, I think we should be fine.”
That leadership is vested in a quartet of senior captains who are embracing their responsibility and providing team leadership helping not only more experienced players but those new girls coming on board looking to assimilate into the program. Meg Stassi, Kate Hostage, Kayla Barletta and Zoe Chang will be a treat to watch on the field but also on the sidelines guiding younger players as well.
“We have a lot of new talent who look really good and I think we have a lot to replace upon what we had last year,” explained Stassi. “With time working together we can get to good places.
“We have a lot of returners and we all know that we have to forget about last year and be determined to be strong, work together and play together and improve every single game until we’re at our best.”
“We definitely need to support the younger players and we do that by providing positive feedback while maintaining structure to the program,” added Barletta. “I think that helps to lead them to become where they need to be.”
“We try to bring as much support as we can,” echoed Chang. “We’re more outspoken in bringing the team together. Everyone has their role and is team-supportive. That’s really important to develop good chemistry.”
The Tomahawk girls open their campaign on the road versus Wachusett Regional High, a team they defeated with a 3-2 edging to claim the Central Mass Division 1 crown on the Mountaineers home turf. The sting from that loss still resonates making that matchup and others starting the season all the more challenging.
“The opponents that we start the season playing against (Wachusett, Nashoba Regional, Groton-Dunstable) are difficult opponents so we’ll have to be ready as best we can for the first part of the season,” acknowledged Taggart.
“It would be great if we get off to a fast start but we’re always working toward improving our performance over the long term. We want to try to achieve our best soccer at the end of the season. That’s when we should be playing our best. Every game and practice we’re trying to build upon our individual and team skill.”
“This team is really hard-working and we have great team chemistry,” added Hostage. “Everyone plays for their school and plays with their heart. Hard work is a really good quality to have.”
The 2016 Algonquin Regional High girls varsity soccer team is: seniors Barletta, Hostage, Chang, Stassi, Maddie Forde, Hannah Grinblatas, Bridget Kiley, Alex Madamba, Caroline McAndrews, Kelley Morin, Natalie Rogers, Kendall Scholl, Emily Smith, Mackenzie Smith: juniors Kayla Burns, Sydney Carney, Bridget Monaghan, Erin O’Reilly, Rebecca Poretsky, Olivia Mihalek; sophomores Tyler Potter, Jacqui Moy, Katherine Lee and Abby Thorup. Lucy Gauvin joins the squad as the team’s lone freshman.