The superb 2024 season for the Kickemuit Middle School girls' soccer club came to a hurtful halt Tuesday afternoon, Oct. 22, in the quarterfinal round of the Rhode Island Interscholastic League state tournament.

The undefeated Huskies, who entered the playoffs with a perfect 16-0 record, were upended by visiting and likewise unbeaten Lincoln, 2-1, at Deets Field in Bristol. The loss ended the fall for the locals with a 17-1 overall record, including a similarly close 2-1 win on penalty kicks over Scituate in the preliminary round the week prior.

All of the scoring in the game came in the first half. Eighth-grader Alaina Enes accounted for the sole KMS score. Searching for the tying tally, the junior Huskies dominated the final 40 minutes of play, but could not break through a bend-but-don't-break defensive performance by the Lions, who maintained their near-perfect mark while improving to 10-0-2 for the fall. Lincoln beat De La Salle Middle School, the grades 6-8 arm of La Salle Academy in Providence, in its preliminary round contest late last week.

KMS co-head coach Katie Golden credited Lincoln's one-v-one, man-marking of Huskies' standout Brooke Avila as one of the defensive tactics that worked for the visitors. She also called the locals' lack of finishes in the game a bit "unlucky."

"Nobody can take away the fact they went undefeated up until this point and were division champions," Golden said about her squad, which finished first in the East Bay section during the regular season, adding of the playoff loss, "I think it'll make the girls stronger and better as a individuals and as a team. They have a lot to be proud of."

MHHS girls' soccer
The Mt. Hope High School girls' soccer team reached the final week of its 2024 Division I regular season slate clinging to its playoff hopes, and the Huskies responded with one of their most dominant efforts of the fall.

The locals throttled visiting Smithfield, 9-0, on Senior Night for the Huskies in a game played Tuesday, Oct. 22, on Deets Field just after the KMS girls' contest. Fittingly, Class of 2025 team member Lilliana Redman potted four goals for Mt. Hope.

"I was having a really good night," Redman said of her four-goal output on Senior Night. She had scored just one time previously.

"It meant a lot," Redman continued. "I've really been trying every opportunity I've had this season to score and I finally got a couple in the net."

Thea Jackson scored two goals and also assisted on three others. The standout junior upped her season goals total to a team-best 18.

Sophomore Emma Goglia had a goal and an assist as did classmate Kendra Ascoli. Sara Nencka added the other tally while Abby Rodrigues also had a helper.

Senior keeper Emily Moran played the first 60 minutes of the contest and made three saves as she and freshman Moira Ware combined with the Mt. Hope defense to post the cleansheet.

The win lifted the Huskies into 10th place in D-I under the new Interscholastic League power rankings formula and basically sealed a spot into the preliminary round of the upcoming state championship playoffs with one game left in the regular season, which concludes Thursday afternoon, Oct. 24, on the road in Warwick against Pilgrim. First kick is 4:30 p.m.

MHHS boys' soccer
The Mt. Hope High School boys' soccer squad suffered just its second setback of the 2024 regular season after the Huskies fell to host Pilgrim, 2-1, in a Division II contest played on the road in Warwick, Tuesday, Oct. 22.

Haiden Riess accounted for both of the goals for the Patriots, one in each half, who improved to 6-9-2 in D-II games.

Aidan Pereira notched the lone tally for the Huskies, who slipped to 10-2-3 both overall and in the league.

Despite the loss, Mt. Hope maintained the top spot in D-II under the Interscholastic League's new power rankings formula for playoff qualification. The Huskies are set to wrap up their regular season schedule Thursday, Oct. 24, at home against Middletown. Kickoff is 6:30 p.m.