BRISTOL/WARREN — Winless the two previous years playing in the state's top tier, the Mt. Hope High School boys' soccer team has thrived to date upon its return to the Division II ranks in time for 2024.

The Huskies entered this week undefeated in seven outings, 4-0-3, under first-year head coach Tucker Shepard. Mt. Hope went 0-11-3 and 0-14-0, respectively in 2022 and 2023. The locals were 11-1-3 and a playoff team their final season in D-II in 2021.

Shepard, a Phys Ed teacher in the Fall River School District, has an impressive resume in the sport. He was a starter his senior year at center-back on the 2008 Division III champion Tiverton High squad. He went on to a superb career at Rhode Island College, where he was a four-year contributor/three-year starter in the same position and captain as well for the Anchormen in his senior season. He later remained at RIC as an assistant. Mt. Hope represents his first head coaching gig at the high school level.

"I feel like the kids are just having fun," Shepard said of his team's early success. "They're always smiling at practice, before games. It's a great group of kids."

Shepard said he knew there was quality in the Mt. Hope ranks upon taking over the program this past summer, following his initial observations then training in the preseason. The Huskies started the regular season with a pair of draws before recording their first win in over two seasons, 5-1 on the road September 9 against North Providence.

"Obviously coming off no wins the last two years I don't think any of us knew what to expect. But from the first day the buy-in from them with me and my assistant coach (Mike Patriarca) was immediate," Shepard said. "And I saw a difference in them after we won that first game, how happy they were. It's just kind of continued on since. I think a big key so far has been the team camaraderie. They really get along and like each other."

The Huskies entered their match Tuesday night, Sept. 24, against Hope having won four of their previous five games, the last three on the trot. Senior forward and co-captain Maddox Canario has sparked the offense with a team-high eight goals. Classmates and fellow captains Lucas Andreozzi and Miguel Ferraz have led the defensive backfield in Mt. Hope's 4-3-3 formation.

Juniors Thomas Loiselle and Aidan Pereira are the other starters on defense. Another junior Christopher Moniz and freshman Caden Romano are reserves who also see ample time in front of the goalkeeper tandem of junior Evan Garies and sophomore Cole Tavares.

The midfielders include juniors Aidan Hudak and his team-high three assists to date, Dylan DeOliveira along with sophomores Thomas Levis and Gavin Avila. The rest of the forwards include juniors Diego Gonzalez (4 goals so far in 2024), Mohsin Khan and freshman Rocco Minnella.

"Things are going good. That they're a great group of kids has made my life easier," Shepard said of his club. "They're playing really hard and we've been able to keep possession, play the way I want them to play."

As the second half of the Huskies' 16 game regular season comes and goes over the next week, Shepard wants his team to "just be consistent with how we play. Don't play down to the level of our opponents. Play up to how we want to play."

It would be easy for a team that hasn't had much if any success lately to be basking in the glow of its early-season results. The current crop of Mt. Hope players, however, don't appear to be in that category. Or at least their coach "hopes" they aren't.

"We just try to take it one step at a time. We focus on the next game, not the one after that. We're really trying not to look ahead," Shepard added. "But obviously at this point playoffs are a goal. And once you get in, anything can happen after that."

The Huskies, who defeated their coach's alma mater 4-2 on September 16, have a rematch with Tiverton on the road Friday night, Sept. 27, at 7. They then play a morning outing the next day, September 28, in Scituate at 9:30 followed by another road game in Pawtucket against St. Raphael Tuesday afternoon, Oct 1, a 4:15 start.