Scarlet Hawks on track for strong 2026 season

At the start of the season, Milford High head girls’ soccer coach Lou Colabello told his team to go out and have fun and let the chips fall where they may.

“In the back of my mind I thought, ‘If we win four games, I’d be totally thrilled,’’ Colabello said. “Here we are at five wins halfway through the season.”

With a 5-3-1 mark at the end of September, the Scarlet Hawks are in a good position to qualify for the postseason. Milford’s October slate does include some powerhouses in the Hockomock League like Foxboro and Oliver Ames, along with teams like Attleboro which the Hawks match up well against. Colabello noted that Milford could have a champagne problem of sorts at the end of the year in that a strong finish means tougher opponents for the pre-tournament “play-in” games.

“Hopefully we can get in with a .500 record, and we won’t have to worry about it,” he said.

Colabello said that one reason for the team’s success is the contributions of some of the players who were on the junior varsity squad a year ago. That said, two of MHS’ most experienced players have been the biggest keys to victory.

“As Kyla Nashawaty and Anela Lefter go, we go,” Colabello said.

Nashawaty is number one in the league in scoring, and Lefter leads the Hock in assists by a wide margin.

“Anela makes Kyla a tremendous player,” the coach said. “[Anela] is a dynamic talent, and only a sophomore. Kyla has fed off of it, and we score.”

Milford finished September third in the league in scoring out of 12 teams. Defense has, at times, been a struggle, and teams like Franklin and King Philip were able to run up high goal totals against the Scarlet Hawks. But the defense is not without standout players. Juliana Senna, a captain along with Nashawaty and Reagan Cunningham, is a hard-worker at center back.

“She is a rock back there,” Colabello said. 

Keira Murphy, a standout track athlete, brings speed to the midfield.

The start of the season also saw a milestone for Colabello, who earned his 200th career victory as a soccer coach. Colabello, who won 156 games at Douglas before coming to MHS, called it “rewarding” to get to 200 wins.

“It means you did something right,” he said. “Of course, I always say that good players make good coaches. That story will never change, in any sport.”

Reagan Cunnigham (18) is among the Scarlet Hawks' leaders as a team captain. Photo taken by Olga Lyubkin