Title Defense ends with loss to Medfield 

By Chris Villani,

Sports Writer 

The Nipmuc girls’ soccer team put together a string of 41 games without a loss before falling in the state championship game last month, a 1-0 loss to Medfield in a rematch of the 2024 final.

“It was another fantastic season,” said head coach Steve Khoury. “We had 11 seniors this year, and they bought the program a long way.”

Nipmuc knocked off Medfield last year to capture the state championship and its last loss in its second game of the 2024 campaign. Khoury said his group was focused all season on getting back to the title game, even as they battled through a challenging schedule.

“They knew they had a chance to do it again,” he said. “The focus every day, they worked their butts off and approached every game like it was one they didn’t want to lose. They just wanted to keep it going.”

Defense was a huge part of the team’s success this fall. Nipmuc allowed just five goals in free play during the team’s 23 games. The group of Lyla Hill, Maddie Weibe, Riley Restic, Emma Watts, and Jess Casey were stout in front of goaltender Caylee Smith.

On offense, Cate Tengler, Abby Mullins, and Kenzie Ellis shared the scoring. Anya Montano led the way and earned all-New England honors.

The championship game was a clash of powerhouses. Nipmuc came into the game ranked 23rd in the nation, going head-to-head against the number four team.

“Their front three was very good, they played very well together and they did not give us a lot of opportunities,” Khoury said. “We did have our chances in the second half, but we didn’t capitalize.”

Khoury said his team was disappointed after the final whistle, but he told them that this one result was not going to define their season of their last few years of success.

The message seemed to resonate as the group was singing songs and celebrating during the bus ride home after the championship, Khoury said.

The members of the senior class finished their careers 76-8-5. Their impact stretched well beyond the field of play.

“They were definitely good role models for the other girls and they were always welcoming, they took them in like family,” Khoury said. “They did a great job.”