By HockomockSports.com Staff
Player are listed alphabetically
Breanna Atwood, Senior – Franklin
Franklin has had a good run with goalkeepers and that is continuing with Breanna Atwood. The senior netminder played all 18 games for the Panthers last season and has emerged as the top shot stopper in the league. A HockomockSports.com Best XI performer last season, Atwood recorded nine clean sheets and helped Franklin finish the season with a league-low 10 goals allowed. Tall and athletic, Atwood dominates the penalty area, which will be important this year as the Panthers have an almost completely new back line, and she is capable of getting to shots that other goalies in the league don’t. With the inexperienced defense in front of her, Atwood could be busier this year, but the Panthers will be confident that if opponents do get scoring chances that they have a goalie to make the necessary stops.
Jordyn Collins, Junior – Foxboro
The Warriors were the top scoring team in the league last season and junior forward Jordyn Collins was one of the main reasons why. She had a breakout year, putting together her speed and athleticism with clever footwork and clinical finishing to score a team-high 17 goals and five assists. A physical forward with a deft touch, Collins was able to hold the ball up and bring in the Foxboro midfield and if the defenders got close she would roll them and break free into space. Her volleyed goal off a corner in the playoffs against Medfield was the perfect example of her growth as one of the premier strikers in the Hock. Foxboro is still a relatively young team, but coming off the program’s first league crown since 1993 and with Collins continuing to lead the line expectations are high for a second straight title and an even deeper tournament run.
Abigail Hodges, Senior – Oliver Ames
Defense has long been a strength for the Tigers and this season will be no different with an experienced back line coming back and senior Abigail Hodges will be the leader of that group. A versatile player, who can play in the back line or move forward to play in the center of the pitch, Hodges is strong and confident on the ball and can match up physically with the league’s top attackers. Her experience in different positions has developed her ability to read opposition’s attacks and cut things out before they get dangerous. OA has a young roster overall and Hodges will be one of the experienced players that the Tigers will count on to guide the team up the Kelley-Rex standings and to another state tournament appearance.
Chloe Layne, Senior – King Philip
King Philip senior Chloe Layne has been one of the league’s most dynamic attackers for the past three seasons and is one part of the Hock’s top attacking unit. The University of Hartford-commit and 2017 HockomockSports.com Underclassman of the Year has unmatched skills on the ball, dancing through defenders whether she is lined up as a forward or dropped back into the midfield. Defenses are forced to back off when she has the ball because if they get too close then she can pull off a move to leave them in her wake. Layne scored 20 goals last season and assisted on 13 others, despite being moved from the front line back into the center of the pitch to act as a playmaker. She was third in the league in scoring, just one point behind teammate Avery Snead. This year, KP comes into the season with sky-high expectations and trying to stop Layne in the final third, whether creating chances for herself or her teammates, will be a difficult task even for the experienced defenses in the Hockomock.
Kailee McCabe, Sophomore – Foxboro
Lily Sykes was the first player (in any sport) to be on the first team of this site’s end of season awards for all four years. When she graduated, Foxboro was left with a big hole in the midfield, but sophomore Kailee McCabe stepped in last fall and the Warriors didn’t miss a beat. The reigning HockomockSports.com Underclassman of the Year was a box-to-box threat, breaking up an opposing attack on one end and then driving forward to create an attack on the other. McCabe scored 12 goals and had five assists for the Davenport champions, showing off the physicality and the skill to control games in the Hockomock. Even though she was just a freshman, McCabe became the engine that spurred the Warriors to a first league title in 25 years. Her dominance in the center of the pitch opens up the field for her teammates and helped the Warriors have one of the top attacks in the league and enter the season as the favorites to make it two straight league titles.
Katie Miller, Sophomore – Mansfield
Mansfield comes into the season with 18 of the 24 players on its roster new to varsity and only one player with more than a single season of experience. The Hornets are going to rely on youth if they are going to win a fourth straight league title, but some of those younger players have already proven capable of playing at this level. Katie Miller had an impressive freshman campaign, trusted with marking some of the league’s top midfielders and proving to be a standout in an already loaded lineup. While she has the defensive skills to help cover the defense, Miller also has the skill on the ball to push the Hornets forward quickly and the ability to pick out the right pass to free a teammate. After a solid freshman season, Miller’s all-around development will be crucial to the Hornets continuing their run as one of the top programs in the league.
Olivia Rodman, Junior – Canton
Canton prides itself on a quick passing game and the ability to breakdown the opposition. Junior forward Olivia Rodman has been one of the keys to the Bulldogs’ success in the attack for the past two seasons. A forward who likes to drift out to the left wing, Rodman has impressive skill on the ball and close control when running at speed, which makes her a terror for fullbacks to have to try and mark. Able to cut inside on her right foot for a shot or take the ball down the wing to get off a cross to a teammate, particularly classmate Elisa Diletizia, Rodman has a number of ways of causing the defense problems. As a freshman, Rodman scored 14 goals assisted on seven others. While those numbers dipped a little last year, it shows the potential that she has to create scoring chances and she is poised for a bounce-back season to help the Bulldogs make a run at the Davenport title. Canton remains a relatively young roster, but Rodman now has the experience of two years facing the league’s top defenses and that could translate to a big season for the Providence College-commit.
Isabella Salviati, Junior – Attleboro
The Bombardiers have taken a big jump forward offensively in the past two years, going from single digits in goals scored to more than 20 in each of the last two seasons. The arrival of forward Isabella Salviati has certainly been part of that big leap in the attack. The junior scored 12 goals, half of the team’s overall total, and assisted on seven others, proving to be a vital component of everything that Attleboro did in the final third. Quick and unafraid of the physical play of league defenders, Salviati is capable of creating space for a shot or to pick out the cutting pass that will open up scoring chances for her teammates. Despite drawing most of the attention from opposing defenses, Salviati consistently put herself in position to score. As Attleboro continues to search for its first playoff appearance since making the move to the Hock, Salviati has developed into the top attacking option and the kind of offensive threat that will make the Bombardiers competitive with the league’s top teams and clear that state tournament hurdle.
Avery Snead, Senior – King Philip
A three-year standout, King Philip senior Avery Snead has been one of the league’s top players since the first moment she walked onto the pitch in Wrentham. The 2016 HockomockSports.com Underclassman of the Year and 2017 Player of the Year and reigning two-time MVP was dominant last season, scoring 20 goals and recording 14 assists (putting her one point in front of teammate Chloe Layne). She received All-New England honors for her season and the Providence College-commit looks ready for even more this fall. A towering figure on the pitch, Snead has one of the league’s most powerful and accurate shots and is just as much of a weapon in the air as with the ball at her feet. Snead has the quick feet to dribble around or through defenses and only needs a sliver of space to create a chance. She is also versatile, playing through the midfield or back in defense depending on the circumstances of the game and the opponent. The Warriors won the South title two seasons ago and this year’s group has the potential to match that accomplishment, thanks in part to having one of the league’s most dynamic talents leading the line.
Ashleigh Starks, Senior – Milford
Milford senior Ashleigh Starks is a player with all of the tools to succeed in the Hockomock and the versatility to succeed in multiple positions, which will be critical for the Hawks to push past being a team with potential and to challenge the top teams in the Davenport. Starks can play up top or drop back into the midfield and her combination with classmate Juliana France in the center of the pitch gives Milford back line protection and sparks counterattacks. She cuts an imposing figure in the midfield and is not afraid of mixing it up physically, making tackles and winning the ball back. Starks also showed a keen eye for a pass and the ability to find the little spaces to get the ball forward into the final third. Milford has been a team with promise and Starks is one of the players that second-year coach Lou Colabello will be hoping can take the Hawks to the next step and get them back in the playoff hunt.