Eastern Mass. Soccer Power Rankings: Week 8

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. 26)

BOYS’ RANKINGS

DIVISION 1

1. (1) Lincoln-Sudbury (12-0-2) (North, Dual County League): The now Dual County League champs tied Acton-Boxborough 0-0 in only their second non-win of the season. They also trounced Bedford 8-0 and beat Westford 3-1. The Warriors have two home tests standing in their way of an undefeated season – Newton South at 4 p.m. Friday and Weston at 4 p.m. Tuesday.

2. (6) Needham (13-2-3) (South, Bay State Conference): The now Bay State Conference Carey Division champs are on a five-game winning streak and haven’t lost in 12 games. They beat Weymouth 1-0 and Braintree 3-2 to secure the title. They wrapped up their season yesterday against Newton North (spoiler alert: they won 2-0).

3. (5) St. John’s Prep (12-2-4) (North, Catholic Conference): The Eagles took the Catholic Conference title with a 4-0 win over Malden Catholic. Then, they beat Andover 5-1 and tied Acton-Boxborough 0-0. They’ll host St. John’s Shrewsbury at 10 a.m. Saturday and be at Everett at 7 p.m. Tuesday to finish the season.

4. (3) Weymouth (12-4-2) (South, Bay State Conference): The Wildcats lost to Needham 1-0 and then handed Silver Lake its first loss of the season, 1-0, on a Jake Lynch goal. They then fell at Brookline 1-0, putting them out of contention for the Bay State Conference Carey Division title. They faced Braintree yesterday and will finish the season with BC High at 6 p.m. Monday at home.

5. (2) Silver Lake (11-2-4) (South, Patriot League): After a spotless resume through the first seven weeks, the Lakers finally stumbled. After beating Pembroke 4-0, they lost to Weymouth 1-0 and then fell to Hingham 6-1 in a game that decided the Patriot League Keenan Division crown. They rebounded nicely through with an impressive 3-1 win over previously undefeated Canton. They’ll finish the season with Bridgewater-Raynham at 7 p.m. Tuesday at home and North Quincy at 3:45 p.m. Wednesday on the road.

6. (7) Somerville (11-1-4) (North, Greater Boston League): The Highlanders clinched their second Greater Boston League title of the last three years by beating Everett 1-0. They also tied Madison Park 3-3 and Dracut 2-2 in non-league action. They’ll host Salem at 4 p.m. Friday and Billerica at 3:45 p.m. Tuesday.

7. (On the Bubble) Nauset (13-3-0) (South, Atlantic Coast League): The Warriors may be the hottest team in the state. Not only are they riding a 10-game winning streak but they’ve defeated their last five opponents by a combined score of 22-0. They faced Plymouth North yesterday (spoiler alert: they won 4-0), and will look to avenge two early-season losses at home with Barnstable at noon Saturday and New Bedford at 6 p.m. Tuesday.

8. (8) Masconomet (10-2-3) (North, Cape Ann League): The Chieftains lost at Pentucket 2-1 but then had two big wins – 4-1 at Ipswich and 5-0 against Newburyport. They’ll host North Andover at 3:45 p.m. Friday in a huge Cape Ann League contest and then be at Rockport at 6 p.m. Saturday and at Peabody at 4 p.m. Monday.

9. (4) Lexington (8-3-5) (North, Middlesex League): The Minutemen are 2-2-3 in their last seven games. This past week, they beat Arlington 2-0, lost to Winchester 2-1 and tied Belmont 1-1. They’ll look to gain some momentum heading into the playoffs against Newton North at 2 p.m. Saturday.

10. (On the Bubble) Dartmouth (12-2-1) (South, Old Colony League): The Indians wrapped up the Old Colony League title with a 2-1 win over Barnstable. They’ll be at Bishop Stang at 10 a.m. Saturday and at Attleboro at 3:30 p.m. Monday.

On the Bubble: Walpole (11-3-2), Lowell (10-2-4), Oliver Ames (10-2-3), Peabody (9-3-0)

DIVISION 2

1. (1) Sandwich (11-1-0) (South, Atlantic Coast League): The Blue Knights weren’t kind to Plymouth this past week – with a 3-0 win over Plymouth South and a 4-0 win over Plymouth North.

2. (2) Winchester (13-1-2) (North, Middlesex League): The Sachems sealed the Middlesex League Large Division title with three impressive wins – 2-0 against Woburn, 2-1 at Lexington and 1-0 against Arlington. They’ll host Cambridge at 3:45 p.m. Tuesday to finish the season.

3. (3) Hingham (12-2-3) (South, Patriot League): The Harbormen had a rollercoaster of a week. First, they lost to Duxbury 2-0, then they walloped Silver Lake 6-1 in a game that determined the Patriot League Keenan Division crown and then they tied BC High 2-2. They’ll be at Sharon at 4 p.m. Friday and then look to avenge their only other loss of the season at Sandwich at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday.

4. (4) Canton (9-1-6) (South, Hockomock League): The Bulldogs haven’t really been lighting it up as of late, as they’re 2-1-3 in their last six games. Most recently, they tied Oliver Ames 0-0, beat Stoughton 4-0 and lost to Silver Lake 3-1.

5. (7) Hopkinton (13-2-1) (South, Tri-Valley League): The Hillers had quite a week, scoring 11 goals in three home wins – 3-1 against Nipmuc, 4-2 against Medway and 4-0 against Norton. Only two losses to Dover-Sherborn have stood in their way of an undefeated season thus far. They’ll be at Westwood at 3:30 p.m. today and at home against Ashland at 6:45 p.m. Monday.

6. (6) North Andover (11-2-3) (North, Cape Ann League): The Scarlet Knights proved to be human after all, as they’re 10-game winning streak was halted with a 1-0 loss at Georgetown. They then tied Danvers 0-0 and beat Rockport 4-1. They’ll be at Masconomet at 3:45 p.m. today.

7. (5) Concord-Carlisle (10-4-1) (North, Dual County League): The Patriots had two big road wins this past week – 3-1 at Acton-Boxborough and 4-3 at Wayland – however, they also lost to Newton South 4-0 at home. They’ll be at Weston at 4 p.m. Friday and at home against Westford at 4 p.m. Tuesday.

8. (10) Duxbury (9-4-3) (South, Patriot League): The Green Dragons avenged an early-season loss at Hingham with a 2-0 win at home. They also took care of Whitman-Hanson 2-0. They faced Franklin yesterday and will host Plymouth North at 6 p.m. Tuesday.

9. (8) Woburn (7-4-5) (North, Middlesex League): It wasn’t a great week for the Tanners as they lost 2-0 at Winchester and 4-0 at Belmont. They’ll look to gain some momentum heading into the playoffs when they host Burlington at 2 p.m. Saturday.

10. (9) Holliston (8-4-3) (South, Tri-Valley League): The Panthers beat Medfield 3-1 but then lost to Norton 1-0 and Dover-Sherborn 2-0. They’ll host Medway at 3:30 p.m. today and be at Bellingham at 5 p.m. Tuesday.

On the Bubble: Norwell (10-2-3), Melrose (7-3-3), Belmont (5-4-8), Pentucket (10-4-2)

GIRLS’ RANKINGS

DIVISION 1

1. (2) Andover (13-0-3), (North, Merrimack Valley) – We should never have dropped the Golden Warriors out of the top spot. All Andover does is win. It did it again this week with victories of Danvers (3-0), Masconoment (2-0) and Lowell (4-2). After failing to qualify for the tournament a year ago, Andover has a good chance of being the top seed. http://andover.patch.com/articles/warrior-girls-still-undefeated

2. (3) Bishop Feehan (14-0-1), (Eastern Athletic Conference) – Has there been a more impressive stretch than the one Bishop Feehan is on? The squad has lost one regular season game in the last two years. And it has not suffered a defeat since last year’s South Divison 1 Championship game against Franklin (2-1).

3. (4) Lexington (13-1-3), (North, Middlesex) – Since its surprising 0-0 tie against Reading, Lexington has been on a tear. The Lady Minutemen have won three straight over some pretty stiff competition – Arlington (5-0), Winchester (1-0) and Belmont (4-1). With the Middlesex League Title in hand, Lexington has one final game on Monday against Central Catholic.

4. (5) Peabody (14-0-2), (North, Northeastern) – The Tanners have none won 12 straight games. The top seed in last year’s tournament look like it’s going to have the talent to make another run in the state tournament.

5. (1) Lincoln-Sudbury (13-1), (North, Dual County) – I guess we jinxed the Warriors. Lincoln-Sudbury won every game and so we put them in the top spot in last week’s rankings and what happens? The Warriors lose 3-0 to Acton-Boxborough (9-4-3). They did rebound by defeating Westford (2-0) later in the week.

6. (8) Central Catholic (13-2-2), (North, Merrimack Valley) – That was a tough stretch of games for Central Catholic. First, the defending state champs lost to Winchester (2-1). And then the team had to settle for two ties – Billerica (0-0) and Andover (1-1). But the defending state champs came through and now have one more challenge on its schedule – a Tuesday match against Lexington.

7. (9) Oliver Ames (10-2-3), (South, Hockomock) – It’s been an up and down year for Oliver Ames. A couple of wins are followed by a loss or tie – and it happened again last week. But this is a team that was one of the favorites to win the South Division 1 title, and its 1-1 tie against Canton might help propel the team into the tournament.

8. (6) Winchester (10-3-3), (North, Middlesex) – The Lady Sachems finished the toughest part of the schedule. Their loss to Lexington (1-0) gave the Minutemen the league title, but Winchester should still have enough to make a run at a Division 1 Title, as its victory over Central Catholic (2-1) earlier this year shows.

9. (unranked) Weymouth (12-4), (Bay State Conference) – Weymouth has won five of its last six games, outscoring opponents, 23-5. Over that stretch, Weymouth had an impressive 4-1 win over Newton North.

10. (unranked) Peabody (14-0-2), (Northeastern North) – Last year’s top seed in the North Division 1 tournament has yet to lose a game this year. After two early-season ties, Peabody has now won 12 games in a row, including two 4-1 victories over Danvers.

On the Bubble: Newton North, Dartmouth, Wellesley, Concord-Carlisle.

DIVISION 2

1. (1) Canton (12-0-2), (South, Hockomock) – Canton tied Oliver Ames, 1-1, last week, only the second time the team failed to win a game this season. It looks like the season could come down to Canton and Medfield again this year.

2. (2) Medfield (13-0-4), (South, Tri-Valley) – After a couple of ties earlier in the month, last year’s state champs seem to have picked up momentum with wins over Westwood (4-0), Bellingham (1-0) and Ashland (3-0).

3. (4) East Bridgewater (15-1-1), (South, South Shore) – East Bridgewater has now won three in a row – Harwich (5-0), Norwell (4-3) and Rockland (6-0) – after its first loss of the season, a 2-0 defeat to Cardinal Spellman.

4. (6) Cardinal Spellman (12-2-1), (South, Catholic Central) – Cardinal Spellman continues to win. After losing to Duxbury in the quarterfinals of the South Division 2 tournament, Spellman’s only two losses this year have been to East Bridgewater (2-1) and Brockton (3-1).

5. (3) Duxbury, (11-2-3), (South, Patriot) – After making the South Division 2 finals a year ago, Duxbury looks ready to make it back there. The team suffered only its second loss of the season to Whitman-Hanson (3-1).

6. (10) Dedham (14-3-2), (South, Bay Patriot) – Two of Dedham’s losses this season are against Wellesley (1-0) and Newton North (1-0). Last year’s South Division 2 semi-finalist has now won five of its last six games.

7. (Unranked) Newburyport (9-1-2), (North, Cape Ann) – Newburyport suffered a crushing 1-0 defeat last year in the quarterfinals of the North Division 2 tournament to Belmont. This season, the team has looked strong, as it has not lost a game in eight straight matches.

8. (on the bubble) Tewksbury, (8-2), (North, Merrimack Valley) – A season ago Tewksbury made it all the way to the quarterfinals, before losing to Danvers (3-0). The team followed up its 1-0 loss to Central Catholic with victories over Bedford (2-1) and Methuen (4-0).

9. (9) Belmont (9-4-3), (North, Middlesex) – The defending North Division 2 champions have stumbled of late. The Marauders suffered two ties – to Winchester (1-1) and then to Reading (0-0) – and they followed that up with a loss to Lexington (4-1).

10. (5) Stoneham (5) (9-1-5), (North, Middlesex) – The Spartans are still struggling to find ways to win. Stoneham picked up its fifth ties of the season against Melrose (1-1). And they followed that up with a 1-0 loss to Wakefield.

On the Bubble: Old Rochester, Hingham, Wilmington, Danvers

Statistics and results compiled from a variety of media sources, primarily our local Patch.com sites and the Boston.com standings (boys) (girls).