Boys high school soccer is back.
Last year, we witnessed Oliver Ames win a Div. 2 state championship (over Hopkinton, 3-2) after only losing one game all season. Meanwhile, Randolph, Plymouth North and Weymouth reached the semifinals in their respective divisions.
Last year there were underclassmen who are now big dogs and leaders of their team. Key returners and unexpected stars will fill the field this fall. Some teams even get All-Scholastic and all-star players back on their roster.
Most teams will hope to make that next step, while others might just be happy with a playoff appearance. No matter the goal, here are the players to watch out for this season.
Note: The only players mentioned are from schools that responded to us in a timely manner.
David Byrne, Abington
A sophomore center back who’s tough and aggressive on the field. Head coach Brian Claus said he’s grown into a leader this fall.
Cam Cooper, Abington
A sophomore goalkeeper who impressed his teammates last year. He’s expected to pick up where he left off, even as an underclassman.
Liam Murtagh, Abington
A senior striker with an eye for goal and elite passing skills. He’ll be put in a lot of positions to score and possibly have a breakout season.
Michael Folan, Archbishop Williams
The senior captain has returned at center back after being a Catholic Central League All-Star last season. He’ll be a strong backline piece for Archies’ defense.
Antonio Guarino, Archbishop Williams
A returning CCL All-Star, he led the team in assists last season at forward. As he enters his junior year, he’ll be an interesting player to watch in terms of how his game continues to develop.
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DJ Tandy, Archbishop Williams
As a freshman, Tandy was the Bishops’ leading scorer last season with 13 goals. He’s a sophomore captain now.
Kaedyn Digou, Blue Hills Regional
Blue Hills will have a young team, which makes Digou one of the veterans. He’s expected to be a top defender in the league as a junior. A two-year starter, he’ll look to take another leap.
Manny Dominguez, Blue Hills Regional
A returning captain who will look to build the attack from his center-midfielder position. With such a young team, coach Quinn Peters will look for him to be a leader.
Jaxson Norton, Blue Hills Regional
Norton was a starter last year and will be a key defender this season. Vocally and playing-wise he’ll be one of the leaders on the team.
Eamonn Maloney, Braintree
Entering his second year as a starter, the junior will be one of the top defenders for the Wamps.
Calum McClorey, Braintree
A junior and three-year starter for the Wamps at the forward position. He scored 10 goals last year and will be a big part of their offensive attack.
Kayky Silva, Braintree
A junior who will be a three-year starter, he saw significant playing time last season at center midfield.
Matt De Vito, Canton
A versatile senior who has valuable playing experience. The Bulldogs will only go as far as he takes them.
He played every game last year for Canton, and will continue as their starting goalkeeper.
Caleb Green, Cardinal Spellman
A striker, senior captain, and three-year starter for the Cardinals. In 2022 he was a Catholic Central League All-Star and the team’s second-leading scorer.
Jesse Ierardi, Cardinal Spellman
After transferring to Spellman nine months ago, he’s ready to be one of the best defenders on the team. A rare senior who could take the conference by surprise.
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Koen Poulter, Cardinal Spellman
The Cardinals’ starting goalkeeper will have a lot of responsibility on him. Short on experience, but he got the job for a reason.
Nathan Askjaer, Cohasset
This junior striker was an All-State player for the Skippers in 2022. He’s going to be the main offensive threat for Cohasset as a second-year starter and returning All-Scholastic player.
Ian Linhart, Cohasset
He’s the team’s engine in midfield. The senior captain will be a three-year starter. He has the heaviest influence on offense and defense for the Skippers.
Zach Smith, Cohasset
Smith is a senior with some playoff experience as a striker. The captain will be a three-year starter and will play big on the wing.
A senior captain who’s a top defender for the Dragons. He was an EMass All-Star as a junior. “Shutdown defender who can create counter attacks with distribution after winning the ball,” said Duxbury head coach Brian Johnson.
Noah Eggers, Duxbury
A senior captain who plays center midfield. He has the speed and dribbling ability to get past defenders with ease to create scoring opportunities. Johnson considers him the “engine of the team.”
Jackson Rix, East Bridgewater
A three-year starter and senior with playoff experience. He can play in the midfield and at the back, so he can be seen all over the field.
Aidan Toomey, East Bridgewater
Senior center back will be an important piece to winning big games late in the season. He has the playoff experience and is a three-year starter.
Ryan Butzbach, Hanover
A senior captain, he’s a proven scorer in the Patriot League.
Ben Elliott, Hanover
A senior captain who can play midfielder or forward for the Hawks. His athleticism is what keeps opponents on their heels.
James Solari, Hanover
After graduating more than 10 seniors last year, it’s up to returning players like Solari, a senior captain goalkeeper, to make things happen.
Mason Lemieux, Hingham
A versatile player who can line up anywhere from center back to striker. He’s a senior captain that opponents should always worry about when he’s on the field.
Nick Oravitz, Hingham
A senior captain who plays center midfield. He’ll fill a key role on both the offensive and defensive side of the field.
Jacob Riker, Hingham
A junior captain who will protect the net for the Harbormen as their goalkeeper.
Kaden Puglia, Marshfield
After the Rams lost 17 players from last year’s team, it’ll been on returning players like Puglia, a captain, to step up to fill the void.
Connor Walsh, Marshfield
Another returner for the Rams, he will play a big role as captain.
Ryan O’Donnell, Milton
A junior captain who will be key on the back line for the Wildcats. After losing nine starters last year, Milton needs all the experience it can get.
Karim Camara, Milton
A senior captain who will play alongside O’Donnell as one of the best defenders on the team.
Zach Bello, Norwell
Last season he was a South Shore League All-Star. Now the senior will be the anchor of the defense.
Ronan Blake, Norwell
After being hindered by injury last season, the senior captain will look to put up a lot of goals as a midfielder.
Will Morse, Norwell
This senior captain is already committed to UMass-Amherst next year for lacrosse. He will look to lead the front line this season.
Luke Churchill, Oliver Ames
Churchill will make a midseason appearance around October, but he’s a returning starter from last year.
Jackson Mercieri, Oliver Ames
He converted from a forward to a defender as a sophomore to help OA win a state title. He’s another guy with playoff experience who’ll play a big role.
Diego Riveira, Oliver Ames
After All-American Casey Milliken chose to leave high school soccer for the MLS Next circuit, it’ll be on guys like Reveira to step up. He was part of that championship team last season as a solid defender.
Matt McAuliffe, Pembroke
Last year, the senior suffered a knee injury that sidelined him. But his sophomore year he was an Patriot League All-Star. Now McAuliffe is expected to be one of the strongest center midfielders on the South Shore.
Wil McManus, Pembroke
A senior and four-year varsity player who plays center forward for the Titans. Last season he finished with 13 goals and 6 assists, and he’ll hope to build on that.
Quinn Reilly, Pembroke
Coach Adam Scott calls this senior attacking midfielder “A technically gifted player who projects to have a breakout year from a point-production standpoint.” Reilly is a four-year varsity player and returning league all-star.
Eric Godlewski, Plymouth North
The senior captain anchors a veteran backline that will be the strength of the Blue Eagles this season.
Liam Hewins, Plymouth North
Hewins has a ton of experience already as the senior captain gets ready for his final high school soccer season.
Joshua Murray, Plymouth North
A talented offensive player, the junior midfielder will be asked to take on a bigger role in the attack.
Colin Riley-Perec, Plymouth North
Riley Perec is part of a talented backline that will protect a new goaltender this season.
Will Kenney, Plymouth South
The senior can make plays all over the field for the Panthers.
Gabriel Takahashi, Plymouth South
A junior who plays in the midfield, Plymouth South will count on Takahashi to make some big plays for them.
Declan Rogers, Quincy
This captain is a four-year varsity player than can line up all over. He can fill any role needed for the Presidents, but he’ll be a defensive midfielder that can kickstart the attack.
Jack Reilly, Quincy
Another captain, Reilly is a vocal leader for the Presidents as a junior.
Jonas Norsica, Randolph
As a sophomore last year he had 23 goals and 7 assists as the Blue Devils advanced to the Div. 4 state semifinals. He was a South Shore League All-Star and a Patriot Ledger/Enterprise All-Scholastic.
Hugo Teixeira, Randolph
Goalkeeper started every year of his high school career up to this point. Last season he posted six shutouts en route to being named a South Shore League All-Star and a Patriot Ledger/Enterprise All-Scholastic.
João Faria, Rockland
Last year’s South Shore League Tobin Division Player of the Year poured in 33 goals to make the program’s all-time leader in that department. He was selected as a South Shore League All-Star and was an EMass All-Star, EMSCA All-State and USCA All-Region selection.
Alvaro Alves Correia, Southeastern
A senior captain who anchors the team at midfielder. He’ll be a strong player on both sides of the field at all times.
Richard Ferreira, Southeastern
Ferreira has high IQ on the field at midfielder and will be a reliable source of experience. The senior will play right next to Correia.
Michael Martins, Southeastern
He’ll be the one to create the majority of chances at the wing position for the team. The senior captain has dribbling skills and speed.
Kyle Grant, Stoughton
After a tough season last fall, Grant heads into his senior season as one of the top guys at midfielder.
Derek Cashman, West Bridgewater
Senior defender will be leaned on for leadership.
Jamie Sheedy, West Bridgewater
Another senior defender who will be big for WB as a leader and player.
Bo Carley, Weymouth
First-year starter had a breakout season for the Wildcats as a junior, earning a Bay State Conference All-Star nod. Expect a few shutouts from the senior this fall.
Cam Walty, Weymouth
Junior was the Wildcats’ second-leading scorer last year with 8 goals. He’s a center midfielder with a lot of upside.
Bruno DeSouza, Weymouth
Senior forward was a revelation last season with 16 goals, including an overtime strike to beat BC High in the playoffs. Bay State Conference All-Star will be the focus of the Wildcats’ offense.
Cam Cassidy, Whitman-Hanson
A returning starter who will be one of the better defenders for the Panthers.
Ethan Fostello, Whitman-Hanson
A senior midfielder who has a strong presence at the middle of the field, he will be one of the important returners on the team.
This article originally appeared on The Patriot Ledger: 65 South Shore high school boys soccer players to watch in 2023