Eastern Mass. Soccer Power Rankings: Week 5

Want to know who the best soccer teams are in Eastern Massachusetts? We’ve got you covered.

Each Friday, our Eastern Mass. Soccer Power Rankings () will clue you in on the top teams, players and games, as well as highlight performances from the week.

Think your team has been left off unfairly or deserves a higher spot? Let us know in the comments section below.

(Results through Wednesday, Oct. 5)

BOYS’ RANKINGS

DIVISION 1

1. (1) Lincoln-Sudbury (8-0-1) (North, Dual County League): Last week, the Warriors were elevated to the No. 1 spot. This week, they proved they belong, with a 3-1 win against the two-time defending Division 2 state champ Concord-Carlisle and a 3-1 victory over a talented Westford team. The Warriors won their first match against Concord-Carlisle 1-0. This time around, they trailed 1-0 at the half, before second-half goals by Forest Sisk, Logan Hicks and Christopher Kafina clinched the season sweep. They faced Wayland yesterday and won’t play again until they’re on the road at Bedford at 4 p.m. next Friday.

2. (2) Lexington (4-1-2) (North, Middlesex League): The Minutemen were at Watertown yesterday. They’ll travel to Stoneham Monday for a 10 a.m. game and host Woburn at 3:45 p.m. Thursday.

3. (3) Weymouth (7-1-2) (South, Bay State Conference): The Wildcats tied St. John’s Prep 1-1 in the Bay State Conference/Catholic Conference Challenge and then beat Norwood 2-0. They played Framingham yesterday and will be at Oliver Ames at 10 a.m. Monday and at Walpole at 3:45 p.m. Wednesday.

4. (4) St. John’s Prep (6-1-3) (North, Catholic Conference): The Eagles were upset 2-1 at Lynnfield last Thursday for their first loss of the season but bounced back with a 1-1 tie against Weymouth and two wins – 3-0 at Central Catholic and 1-0 against Xaverian. They’ll look to keep their momentum going at Phillips Academy at 3:45 p.m. today, at in-town rival Danvers at 6:30 p.m. Monday and at Catholic Memorial at 7 p.m. Thursday.

5. (5) Walpole (7-1-2) (South, Bay State Conference): The Rebels trounced Malden Catholic 5-0, as five different players registered goals, but then blew an early 3-1 lead to Needham, falling 4-3 for their first loss of the season. Kyle Bradbury scored the first two goals against Needham. They played Natick yesterday and will host Weymouth at 3:45 p.m. Wednesday in a key game.

6. (7) Silver Lake (7-0-2) (South, Patriot League): The Lakers stayed unbeaten, with a 3-0 win at Pembroke and a 2-1 win at Quincy. They faced Hingham in a key game yesterday and will host Marshfield at 6 p.m. Tuesday and be at Duxbury at 7 p.m. Thursday.

7. (Unranked) Westford (6-2-1) (North, Dual County League): The Grey Ghosts signature win came against Concord-Carlisle back on Wednesday, Sept. 28. Down 2-0 early, they came back to win 4-2, with goals by Kyle Russo, Scott McCord, Kurt Naugler and Doug Searl. Since then, they’ve won two and lost one, shutting out both Waltham, 4-0, and Newton South, 1-0, before falling at Lincoln-Sudbury 3-1. They faced Waltham yesterday and will look to avenge their only other loss of the season at Acton-Boxborough at 7:15 p.m. Saturday. They’ll host Newton South at 4 p.m. Tuesday.

8. (9) Needham (7-2-1) (South, Bay State Conference): The Rockets scored twice in the final 17 minutes to come back against Walpole in a big 4-3 win. Previously, they routed Xaverian 6-0. They faced Brookline yesterday and will host Newton South at 1:30 p.m. Monday, before taking on Milton at 3:45 p.m. Wednesday on the road.

9. (8) Masconomet (4-1-2) (North, Cape Ann League): Just like St. John’s Prep and Walpole, the Chieftains also lost their first game – 2-1 against Georgetown – proving it’s hard to stay perfect come October. They rebounded nicely with a 4-0 win against Triton. They’ll be at Amesbury at 4:15 p.m. today, at home against North Reading at 3:45 p.m. Tuesday and at Manchester Essex at 7:15 p.m. Thursday.

10. (Unranked) Lowell (6-0-3) (North, Merrimack Valley Conference): The Red Raiders have allowed one goal or less in all but one game thus far on way to an undefeated start. They faced Haverhill yesterday and will be on the road at Andover Monday at 7 p.m. and host Chelmsford Thursday at 5 p.m.

On the Bubble: Somerville (6-1-1), Oliver Ames (6-1-2), Framingham (6-3-1), Chelsea (9-1-0), Brighton (7-0-0)

DIVISION 2

1. (3) Canton (7-0-3) (South, Hockomock League): Another week and two more shutout wins for the Bulldogs – 4-0 over Westport and 1-0 at Attleboro – propel them to the No. 1 spot. The Bulldogs have now shutout their last four opponents. They faced Franklin yesterday and will travel to Sharon Tuesday for a 3:45 p.m. game.

2. (4) Sandwich (8-1-0) (South, Atlantic Coast League): The Blue Knights suffered their first loss of the season – 2-1 at Nauset – but they’re still a team to be reckoned with for sure, as they’re averaging more than four goals per game (4.3) and giving up less than one (0.7).

3. (1) Winchester (6-1-1) (North, Middlesex League): The Sachems had their first loss of the season – 2-0 at Arlington – but bounced back with a home win – 2-1 against Melrose. They played Burlington yesterday and will be on the road twice next week – in Wilmington at 10 a.m. Monday and in Reading at 3:45 p.m. Thursday.

4. (6) Hingham (7-1-0) (South, Patriot League): The Harbormen won at Middleborough 2-1 in their only game of the week. They had a huge game against undefeated Silver Lake yesterday (they tied 1-1), and they’ll travel to Whitman-Hanson Tuesday for a 6:30 p.m. game and host North Quincy at 4 p.m. Thursday.

5. (2) Concord-Carlisle (5-3-1) (North, Dual County League): It hasn’t been smooth sailing for the two-time defending Division 2 state champs. The Patriots tied their last game – 3-3 against Wayland – and dropped two before that – 3-1 in a rematch against Lincoln-Sudbury and 4-2 at Westford. They faced Bedford yesterday and won’t play again until they travel to Waltham next Friday, Oct. 14, for a 3:45 p.m. game.

6 .(5) Hopkinton (7-2-0) (South, Tri-Valley League): After defeating Ashland 3-1, the Hillers fell to undefeated Dover-Sherborn, the defending Division 3 state champs, once again by the same 3-0 margin. They’ll be at Medfield at 6:45 p.m. Tuesday.

7. (9) Woburn (5-1-5) (North, Middlesex League): The Tanners were down 1-0 less than a minute into their match against Reading but came back to on goals by Jake Tedesco, Valerio Silva and David Cooper. Next, they beat Watertown 2-0, as Silva scored twice. They faced Stoneham yesterday and will be at Wakefield at 10 a.m. Monday and at Lexington at 3:45 p.m. Thursday.

8. (7) Duxbury (5-3-2) (South, Patriot League): The Green Dragons fell at Hanover 5-1 and then rebounded with a 2-0 win over Whitman-Hanson. They’ll be at Middleborough at 4 p.m. Tuesday and host undefeated Silver Lake at 7 p.m. Thursday. They tied Silver Lake 1-1 earlier this season.

9. (8) Belmont (2-1-5) (North, Middlesex League): The Marauders will host Burlington at noon Monday and Arlington at 6p.m. Thursday in two key league games.

10. (10) Norwell (6-1-2) (South, South Shore League): Since we last checked in, the Clippers haven’t played. (They played Rockland yesterday and won 3-1.) They’ll host Cohasset at 3:30 p.m. Tuesday and be at Carver at 3:30 p.m. Thursday.

On the Bubble: Scituate (6-2-1), North Andover (5-2-2), Pentucket (4-2-1), Holliston (4-1-1)

GIRLS' RANKINGS

DIVISION 1

1. (1) Andover (8-0-2), (North, Merrimack Valley) – A week ago, the Golden Warriors proved they are one of the top teams in the state as they knocked off the defending state Champions, defeating Central Catholic 1-0. They followed that up with a tie against Westford and a This week? Pretty quiet for the Golden Warriors as they defeated Dracut, 3-0.  

2. (3) Lincoln-Sudbury (9-0), (North, Dual County) – Another week saw the Warriors rack up two more victories - Westford (1-0) and Wayland (4-0).

3. (4) Central Catholic (7-1), (North, Merrimack Valley) – The defending state champions seem to be back on the right track after its earl-season loss to Andover. Central Catholic beat both Dracut (4-0) and Tewksbury (1-0) last week.

4. (5) Lexington (7-1-1), (North, Middlesex) – After the Lady Minuteman recorded wins against Winchester (3-1) and Arlington (3-1) last week, it looks as those Lexington continues to assert its control in the Middlesex League. This week the team defeated Belmont 2-0.

5. (7) Peabody (8-0-2), (North, Northeastern) – The Tanners just continue to win. Peabody defeated Marblehead (7-0), Danvers (4-1) and Beverly (3-2) last week. This week Peabody dominated Salem (6-0) and Winthrop (8-0) as they remain undefeated.

5. (10) Concord-Carlisle (8-2) (North, Dual County) - The Patriots last week losing to Weston (2-0), but they capped it by defeating last year's North Division 1 Champs, Westford (3-1). But now, Concord seems to be on roll as they have now won four in a row. The team beat Framingham (6-1), Wayland (5-2) and Bedford (2-0)

7. (9) Winchester (6-2-2), (North, Middlesex) – The Lady Sachems rebounded from their loss against Lexington (3-1) with a tie against Arlington (1-1) and a win versus Burlington (1-0).

8. (8) Oliver Ames (7-2), (South, Hockomock) – After losing to one of the top teams in the state last week in Canton, Oliver Ames came back to defeat King Phillip (4-0) and tie North Attleborough (2-20)

9. (2) Newton North (7-1-1), (South, Bay State Conference) – Its undefeated season ended as

10. (On the bubble) Dartmouth (9-0), (South, Old Colony) – Dartmouth just keeps on winning.

On the Bubble: Franklin, Weymouth.

DIVISION 2

1. (1) Medfield (8-0-2), (South, Tri-Valley) –A tie against Norton (1-1) is the first time all season that Medfield has allowed a goal.

2. (2) Canton (9-0-2), (South, Hockomock) – After defeating , Oliver Ames (3-0) and Stoughton (6-0) last week, Canton came away with two ties against Franklin (0-0, 2-2) and a victory over Attleboro (7-2)

3. (3) East Bridgewater (10-0-1), (South, South Shore) – After securing the No. 1 seed in last year’s tournament, East Bridgewater suffered an early exit. East Bridgewater continued its undefeated season this week by tying Cohasset (0-0) and beating Carver (4-0) and Abington (4-0).

4. (4) Stoneham (5) (6-0-3), (North, Middlesex) – The Spartans had on a goal by Ali Kruse last week. This week was a slow one for Stoneham, as they played and tied its only game against Reading (1-1).

5. (On the bubble) Cardinal Spellman (7-1), (South, Catholic Central) – Its one game was an impressive 6-2 victory over Matignon.

6. (Unranked) Hingham (7-0-2), (South, Patriot) – Hingham has the early league lead over last year’s South Division 2 runner-up, Duxbury. A tie against Dusbury (3-3) and wins against Middleborough (7-0) and Silver Lake (3-0) have Hingham looking like the favorite to win the league.

7. (7) Duxbury, (6-1-2), (South, Patriot) – A tie against Hingham proves that Duxbury will have a difficult time winning the league this season.

8. (On the bubble) Danvers (7-2), (Northeastern, Large) – Its only two losses so far this season are against some of the top teams in the state – Peabody (4-1) and Central Catholic (4-1).

9. (Unranked) Wellesley (8-2), (South, Bay State) – After a slow start, Wellesley has now won five in a row, including a big 1-0 home win against Dedham that has Wellesley alone atop the Bay State League.

10. (5) Belmont (6-3-1), (North, Middlesex) – The defending North Division 2 champions played well against a tough Lexington squad as it fell to the Minutemen (2-0). But the Marauders rebounded with wins against Melrose (1-0) and Wilmington (1-0).

On the Bubble: Wilmington, Tewksbury, Dedham, Old Rochester

Statistics and results compiled from a variety of media sources, primarily our local Patch.com sites. Click on the links throughout to see the full game recaps.