A state tournament final itself caps off a single season. But for the two teams that make it there, the journey is years in the making.
Such is the case for the No. 1 St. John’s Prep and No. 2 Natick boys soccer teams, who will clash for the Division I crown on Saturday afternoon.
But after years of games and practices, countless goals and saves, and enduring a gauntlet of the very best competition the Bay State has to offer, only one will get to call itself champion.
“It feels amazing, we’ve set goals before the season, and our one goal is to get here, and it just feels so great to accomplish that,” Natick’s Cole Boggis said. “It’s a dream come true. As a kid, you always dream of winning the championship and just one more game; it’s crazy to think about.”
Natick arrives at the final following a 17-5 campaign during the regular season, and victories over Leominster, Attleboro, BC High, and Newton South in the state tournament.
Led by All-New England and All-American selection Luke Dougherty, the Red Hawks are averaging per contest. Dougherty himself has 19 points this year, and scored a pair of game-winning goals in overtime to help keep Natick alive in the tournament.
“He’s been knocked around all year long, but he’s an MVP,” said Natick coach Danny Joseph. “I’m gassing him up a little, but this is how much of a leader he is.”
Coincidentally, the Eagles sport an All-American of their own in Garrison Murphy.
After a breakout campaign in his sophomore season, Murphy struggled as a junior due to injury. Now a senior and fully, he’s proven to be one of the best soccer players, not only in Massachusetts, but the entire country–pulling Prep along with him in the process.
“He’s not a Division I prospect, he’s a Division I player,” said SJP coach Dave Crowell of the UMass commit. “He was our leading scorer as a sophomore, and he started the state championship game as a freshman in 2022. So he’s a kid with all kinds of big game experience.”
The Eagles last reached the final back in 2022. They’re now back after running through Concord-Carlisle, Cambridge Rindge & Latin, Lowell, and Algonquin during the tournament, and posting an 18-1-2 record in the regular season.
Prep plays an unrelenting and aggressive style that comes in waves. Even if an opponent does somehow manage to minimize Murphy’s impact, there is a whole colony of Eagles it has to worry about.
“Our philosophy is teams have to adjust to us,” said Crowell. “We’ll hopefully do that on Saturday.”
Kick off between SJP and Natick is set for 12:15 p.m. on Saturday at Doyle Field in Leominster.
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