EAST PROVIDENCE — The Mateo Andrade era gets underway full bore this week as the East Providence High School girls' soccer team starts its 2024 Division II regular season under the direction of its new head coach.

The former Townie boys' team player and 2018 EPHS grad is assisted by another school alum and girls' soccer program standout Mia Jackson. Jackson is a 2020 grad, starting goalkeeper for the 2016 Division III championship team and league runner-up squad the next year. Another notable school alum, former player and long-time EPHS boys' head coach Tony Vieira is also serving as a volunteer aide this fall.

Andrade observed of his side on the eve of the 2024 season, "We're a very young team. We're going to carry probably anywhere from six to eight freshmen on varsity this year. What I've seen so far they're a hard-working group and they absorb information very quickly. From the two scrimmages we played and the Injury Fund, we've gotten better each time out. The potential is there. Now it's a matter of putting the pieces together to get them ready to play for real."

The Townies struggled the last couple of seasons, going a combined 1-26-2 the previous two falls, first competing in Division I and a year ago back in Division II.

Only eight of the 18 players expected to be on the 2024 varsity roster were team members last fall led by senior starting goalie Kloey Iacovone, classmates Katherine Almeida, Ava Soares, Thalia Lima and Ava Williams. Alyssa Karalekas, Nadiyah Calouro-Vargas and Acadia Ullucci are the juniors returnees and Amalia Amici is a sophomore.

Andrade plans to start the season employing a 4-3-3 formation. In front of Iacavone are Almeida and freshman Liz Pacheco, holding down the left and right centerback positions, respectively. The coach expects to fill the left and right outside spots "by committee" with Williams, Calouro-Vargas, Ullucci along with freshmen Vanessa Swanson and Zophia Slaughter.

"Kloey is very good. She's going to be a vital piece to our program this year. She's been really, really good in the preseason and her leadership both on and off the field is going to be integral for us," Andrade of his defensive group.

He continued, "I think Kat and Liz compliment each other well. They both see the game well and can handle the ball and clear it out of the box under pressure. Liz is very smart and Kat is an athletic freak. The upperclassmen give us experience, they know how to play at this level. And the two freshmen athletically can hang, they have good feet and good minds for the game."

The three starters in the midfield are freshman Samantha Rodrigues as well as sophomores Katherine Amado and Amalia Amico.

"They're a young group, but they're very technically sound. They're fast. They make good decisions. They cover ground well. We expect those three together to create havoc," Andrade said of his midfield trio.

Karalekas, Soares and Lima are the veterans at the top of the formation along with senior Adriana Perry and three freshmen: Victoria Capelo, Eva Fontaine and Opal Rocha Lussier

"The three returning kids bring back a lot of versatility," Andrade said of his attacking contingent. "I don't think anyone has a fixed role. They're going to help us in different ways. We're going to able to change little nuances in how we play game-to-game. I think the older kids all came in open-minded. They want to succeed. They want to do well. And the young kids are all skilled. They're technical. They're hungry. They bring a lot to the team."

How much the Townies can play on the front foot this fall, really any team for that matter, will depend a lot on their ability to put the ball in the net and keep it out of their own. The last few years they haven't positively done much of either.

"I believe we have the ability and the quality, now it's about finding the moments in games and putting (the chances) away. I think we'll be able to get into teams a bit, press some teams. And I think we can be gritty, not be so nice," Andrade said. "I think we can be expansive against some teams, but like I've said since I started we're going to play into the kids' abilities, not some set system."

East Providence was scheduled to begin its 2024 slate September 5 at home against fellow D-II side West Warwick. Of note this year, the Rhode Island Interscholastic League has instituted a new scheduling format, which allows schools to pick between 20 and 50 percent of their opponents with the league assigning the rest. EPHS, across all sports, picked the 80-20 option.

The change also includes for the first time ever regular season contests against both teams from outside of their own division and out-of-state competitors that impact playoff qualification. Teams will be awarded points for their wins based on a strength of opposition measure akin to the RPI/Ratings Percentage Index used at the collegiate level.

Teams will receive the following points for victories from in and out of state matches: Division I 10; Division II 6, Division III 3.6, Division IV 2.2. And in general, the RIIL considers the following enrollments to determine the level of competition: 0-500 students, D-IV; 501-1,000 D-III; 1,001-1,500; D-II; 1,501-plus, D-I.

The rest of D-II in 2024 is Coventry, Toll Gate, Scituate, Middletown, Moses Brown, North Providence, Ponaganset, Prout, Westerly and North Smithfield. Each of the Townies' 16 regular season games are against fellow D-II competitors. The top nine of the 12 teams, points-wise, qualify for the league championship playoffs.

Of his team's prospects, Andrade concluded, "Realistically for us it's about building continuity and making sure we hold standards that continue through the years. As for on the field, we'll do what we can. It's my first time going around the league. I don't know where we'll finish. I don't want to make any predictions, but I think we have a good group. If they keep absorbing information and progressing every day like they have so far, I could see a good year ahead of us."