MIAA girls’ lacrosse tournament: Favorites, sleepers, and players to watch for Divisions 1-4

Girls’ lacrosse state tournament action is underway, and the drama will only intensify in the coming weeks.

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Here’s an overview of all four MIAA divisions, with favorites, sleepers, players to watch, and more.

Favorites: No. 1 Notre Dame (Hingham), No. 2 Chelmsford, No. 3 Concord-Carlisle, No. 4 Westford

Sleepers: No. 6 Lexington, No. 7 Wellesley

Players to watch: midfielder Tara Battaglino (Wellesley, Sr.), midfielder/attack Kiley Carmichael (Westford, Jr.), midfielder Catherine Craig (Chelmsford, Sr.), midfielder Sadie Lopez (Notre Dame-H, Jr.), midfielder/attack Scarlett Mirak (Concord-Carlisle, Jr.)

Best first-round matchup: No. 18 Brookline at No. 15 Beverly, 6 p.m. Wednesday

Longest road trip: 71.5 miles — No. 25 Bridgewater-Raynham at No. 8 North Andover, 6:30 p.m. Tuesday

Analysis: No team will have an easy path in a loaded field. A newcomer to Division 1, top-seeded Notre Dame (Hingham) has mowed through 11 teams in the Globe’s latest Top 20, and will be the team to beat. But No. 2 Chelmsford, led by Siena-bound senior Craig, will be a difficult challenger. Defending champion Concord-Carlisle, the third seed, is dominant on the draw with Clemson-bound junior Mirak. No. 4 Westford, last season’s runner-up, is motivated and has the talent to win it all. No. 5 Bishop Feehan, No. 6 Lexington, and No. 7 Wellesley all have stars leading the way and could break into the final four and beyond. No. 11 Newton North, No. 12 Franklin, No. 14 Belmont, and No. 15 Beverly are other teams to monitor further down the seed line.

Favorites: No. 1 Walpole, No. 2 Reading, No. 3 Hingham

Sleepers: No. 7 Westborough, No. 9 Westwood, No. 14 East Longmeadow

Players to watch: midfielder/attack Gabby Fisher (Duxbury, Jr.), attack Ava MacLean (Walpole, Sr.), midfielder Maeve Maroney (Hingham, Jr.), midfielder/attack Olivia O’Brien (Bedford, Jr.), midfielder Lily Rodgers (Reading, Jr.)

Best first-round matchup: No. 21 Canton at No. 12 Milton, 7 p.m. Thursday

Longest road trip: 116 miles — No. 18 Plymouth North at No. 15 Minnechaug, 5 p.m. Tuesday

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Analysis: Division 2 isn’t quite as deep as Division 1 this year, but Walpole, Reading, Hingham, and Duxbury could make for a memorable final four. Reading beat Walpole by one, Walpole and Hingham beat Duxbury by one, and Duxbury beat Westwood by one. Reading is looking for redemption after being denied by Walpole in a memorable state final last spring. No. 5 Longmeadow, No. 7 Westborough, and No. 9 Westwood are all battle tested and capable of busting brackets. Further down, No. 15 Minnechaug, No. 25 Barnstable, and No. 27 Masconomet will try to provide a major shakeup.

Favorite: No. 1 Cohasset

Sleepers: No. 8 Foxborough, No. 9 Dover-Sherborn, No. 10 Medfield.

Players to watch: midfielder Lexi Davos (Norwell, Jr.), midfielder Julia Kipperman (Nauset, Sr.), midfielder Maddy Lubov (Ursuline, Sr.), midfielder/attack Avery Regan (Cohasset, Sr.), midfielder Stella Scobbo (Medfield, Sr.).

Best first-round matchup: No. 17 Hanover at No. 16 Nauset, 4:30 p.m. Wednesday

Longest road trip: 116 miles — No. 21 North Middlesex at No. 12 Falmouth, 4:30 p.m. Wednesday

Analysis: The gap between top-seeded Cohasset and the rest of the field is the largest of any this spring. The Skippers’ power ranking (10.4789) is more than three points higher than the next challenger, No. 2 Norwell, and when the two teams met on May 13, Cohasset cruised to a 17-5 victory. Still, Norwell would be the top contender to meet the Skippers in the championship game. No. 4 Newburyport will look to make a deep run after falling in the state championship last spring. No. 8 seed Foxborough and No. 9 Dover-Sherborn have tough paths for a deep run, but a potential second-round matchup would be thrilling, as both squads have been better than their seed suggests. Defending champion Medfield slots in at No. 10, and while the Warriors haven’t looked like last season’s team, they could pull off a few upsets.

Favorites: No. 1 Sandwich, No. 2 Ipswich, No. 3 Hamilton-Wenham

Sleepers: No. 8 Nantucket, No. 9 Bromfield, No. 11 Wahconah

Players to watch: midfielder Evie Bernard (Hamilton-Wenham, Sr.), goalie Ella Douglas (Nantucket, Jr.), defender Paige Morrison (Sandwich, Sr.), midfielder/attack Hayden Valiton (Lynnfield, Jr.), midfielder Allie Wile (Ipswich, Sr.)

Best first-round matchup: No. 18 Rockland at No. 15 Tyngsborough, 5 p.m. Tuesday

Longest road trip: 233 miles — No. 20 Northbridge to No. 13 Mount Greylock, 5 p.m. Tuesday

Analysis: Coaches and players won’t admit it, but they’re all secretly thrilled Cohasset and Norwell moved up to Division 3. That paves the way for a potential Sandwich vs. Ipswich final, but Hamilton-Wenham, Lynnfield, Fairhaven, and more will have something to say about that. Ipswich defeated Hamilton-Wenham, 15-14, in a thriller last Monday, and a potential rematch in the semifinals could be one of the best games of the tournament. Wahconah (16-2) is more dangerous than the typical 11-seed, and No. 12 Seekonk, No. 14 Mashpee, and No. 22 Hopedale are other teams to monitor. While Sandwich enters as the clear favorite after outlasting Duxbury and giving Norwell, Hingham, and Cohasset a fight, anything can happen.

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