Well, that didn't take long.
Once Nora Shea (Braintree, Mass.) put Nobles ahead against Loomis Chaffee on Saturday, and insurance goals from her and Rachel Zhao (Westwood, Mass.) extended the lead, a new top team was all but guaranteed for our first in-season girls prep rankings.
And here we are with a new No. 1 with the season officially underway.
As such, there was some shuffling among the top four teams, as well as the final two spots. Otherwise, things remained status quo for Nos. 5-8 through the first week. It's safe to assume that'll change as schedules ramp up across the NEPSAC.
Several teams from our preseason Next 15 still have good cases to make for the top 10. There's sure to be more turnover as we get into the holiday tournaments next week.
Let's dive into our first top 10 of the new season.
1. Phillips Andover (1-0-0)
Previous ranking: 2
Head coach: Martha Fenton
Next game: at Dexter Southfield, Dec. 12, 5 p.m.
Andover came roaring out of the gates with a 6-0 win at Groton, our No. 11 in our preseason Next 15. The Big Blue's big guns were at the forefront of the win as Maggie Averill (Wayland, Mass.) showed out with a hat trick, while Sarah Powers (Lynnfield, Mass.) and Keira Bruen (West Roxbury, Mass.) each had a goal and an assist. Caroline Averill (Wayland, Mass.) also scored. Marie Lee (Southboro, Mass.) turned aside 15 shots for the shutout. Andover is idle until Friday when it heads to Dexter Southfield for a key top-10 matchup.
DOWN GOES NO. 1: 11 standouts, takeaways from No. 4 Nobles' win over No. 1 Loomis Chaffee
2. Williston Northampton (1-0-0)
Previous ranking: 3
Head coach: Christa Talbot Syfu
Next game: at Cushing, Dec. 10, 3 p.m.
After taking care of business in a scrimmage win over Lovell Academy, 3-0, Williston got its season going with a 4-2 victory over St. Paul's. Postgrad Caroline Doherty (Hingham, Mass.) wasted no time announcing her presence in the NEPSAC with a hat trick against SPS. Mia Daley (Lynnfield, Mass.) also scored. River Grady (Bedford, N.H.) got it done in net. The Wildcats are back at it when they visit Cushing on Wednesday afternoon before scrimmaging Northwood School at home on Saturday.
3. Nobles (2-0-0)
Previous ranking: 4
Head coach: Tom Resor
Next game: vs. St. Mark's, Dec. 10, 3:15 p.m.
The Bulldogs came out firing with a pair of strong wins, knocking off defending Small School champ New Hampton on the road, 3-0, before rallying against defending Elite 8 champ Loomis Chaffee for a 4-2 win. Zhao scored twice at New Hampton before adding another against Loomis. Gretta Hulbig (Foxboro, Mass.) followed up a goal at New Hampton with a pair of assists versus Loomis, while Francie Ames (Brookline, Mass.) has four assists in two games. Annika Jonas (Weston, Mass.) was strong between the pipes in both wins. The Bulldogs will host St. Mark's on Wednesday and Mount St. Charles on Friday before heading to Choate on Saturday.
4. Loomis Chaffee (0-1-0)
Previous ranking: 1
Head coach: Liz Leyden
Next game: vs. Deerfield, Dec. 10, 3 p.m.
Loomis tumbled to No. 4 after dropping its season-opener to Nobles. The Pelicans opened the scoring with Sophie DiGioia's (Milford, Conn.) first prep goal, but they couldn't build on the lead, despite heavily outplaying Nobles at times. The Pelicans face another tough matchup on Wednesday when they host Deerfield before heading to Canterbury on Saturday.
BACK AND FORTH: 5 takeaways from No. 9 Phillips Exeter and Governor’s high-scoring tie
5. Cushing (3-0-0)
Previous ranking: 5
Head coach: Brandy Fisher-Bailey
Next game: vs. Williston Northampton, Dec. 10, 3 p.m.
Cushing was one of the busiest teams in the region in Week 1, picking up three home wins. Julia Lambert (Wilmington, Mass.) had a hat trick in a 5-1 victory over Brooks in the opener. Caroline Harrington was among the goal-scorers in an 8-0 win over Pomfret, while Ines Khamis pitched a shutout. In a 4-2 win over Thayer, Sadie Bellissimo came through late in net to help preserve the win. The Penguins will face their toughest test yet when they host Williston on Wednesday before heading to Governor's on Saturday.
6. Dexter Southfield (2-0-0)
Previous ranking: 6
Head coach: Maggie Taverna
Next game: vs. Pomfret, Dec. 10, 5:45 p.m.
Dexter got it done with a 4-1 win at BB&N on Friday before outlasting Middlesex in a 1-0 win on Saturday. After putting up a goal and an assist against BB&N, Devon Moore (Milton, Mass.) was the hero against Middlesex with the lone goal. Sawyer Merrill (Hingham, Mass.) had a goal and two assists versus BB&N, while Chloe Rabazzi (Burlington, Mass.) scored her first prep goal. Dexter will host Pomfret on Wednesday before a big tilt with Andover on Friday.
7. Deerfield (2-0-0)
Previous ranking: 7
Head coach: Brooke Fernandez
Next game: at Loomis Chaffee, Dec. 10, 3 p.m.
Deerfield remained at No. 7 after a pair of wins, taking down North Yarmouth Academy, 5-1, in the opener on Friday before a 3-2 overtime win over St. Mark's on Saturday. Alessandra Picard scored her first goal against NYA before potting a pair against St. Mark's, including the OT winner. Chloe Cleaves (Riverside, Conn.) has been strong out of the gates with four points (two goals) in two games, while Olivia Austen (Darien, Conn.) has three points (one goal). Izzy Kirby stopped 11 shots against NYA, and Ana Makrogiannis made 21 saves against St. Mark's. The Big Green will go right back into the fire when they visit Loomis on Wednesday and then head to Millbrook on Friday. They'll also host BB&N on Saturday.
SEASON-OPENER: 11 standouts from Thayer and Milton Academy’s tie
8. Tabor (1-0-0)
Previous ranking: 8
Head coach: Eric Long
Next game: vs. Rivers, Dec. 10, 5 p.m.
The Seawolves took care of Portsmouth Abbey in their opener, picking up a 2-0 win. Uncommitted senior Jen Birolini (Pembroke, Mass.) scored, as did sophomore Sofia Nardelli (Cranston, R.I.). Evelyn Lacey (Braintree, Mass.) picked up the shutout. Home contests with Rivers on Wednesday and Groton on Saturday bookend a trip to Lawrence Academy on Friday.
9. Rivers (1-0-0)
Previous ranking: 10
Head coach: Keith McLean
Next game: at Tabor, Dec. 10, 12:15 p.m.
The Red Wings' offense wasted no time getting going in a 6-0 win over Kimball Union, led by Simone Burns' (Winchester, Mass.) hat trick. Mia MacDonald (Walpole, Mass.), Izzy Cusack (Canton, Mass.) and Chloe Chitkara (Wayland, Mass.) also scored, while Nora Swaim (Concord, Mass.) had two assists. Ellie Beigel (Natick, Mass.) earned the shutout. Rivers' lone game this week is a tough matchup at Tabor on Wednesday.
10. Phillips Exeter (0-0-1)
Previous ranking: 9
Head coach: Sally Komarek
Next game: at Milton Academy, Dec. 10, 4 p.m.
Exeter slipped one spot after settling for a 4-4 draw at Governor's on Friday, a game in which the Big Red led 4-2 in the third period. Erin Sears (Cornwall, Vt.) had a goal and three assists, while Mia Griffith and Paisley Meyer (Greenland, N.H.) each had a goal and an assist. Maria Gray also scored. They'll look to get into the win column this week at Milton on Wednesday and at home against Brewster on Friday.
In the hunt:Â Groton (1-1-0), New Hampton (1-1-0), St. Paul's (1-1-0), Thayer (0-1-1), Berkshire (1-0-0), Governor's (2-0-1), Choate (1-0-0), Taft (2-1-0)
