Warriors win first championship in 10 Years

By Chris Villani

Kyah Montano scored more than 100 goals in her Nipmuc career, but none more significant than her tally against Medfield in the Division III state championship game that gave the Nipmuc Regional Warriors a 1-0 victory and the title.

“Every game was tough, every team played us tough, but we were resilient,” Head Coach Steve Khoury said. “The girls worked their butts off.”

Nipmuc did not suffer a loss after the second game of the season and finished with a 21-1-1 mark overall. 

Khoury said Anya Montano was a huge piece of the puzzle after being moved to a defensive midfielder role to help solidify the defense. Montano’s conversion on a corner kick helped Nipmuc beat Norwell in the semifinals. Abby Mullins stepped up considerably as well and picked up an assist on the state title-winning goal. 

Lyla Hill and Madelyn Weibe formed what Khoury described as a “great partnership” on the field.

“They read each other so well,” he said. “And they read the game so well.”

On defense, Riley Restic, a captain along with the Montano sisters and goalkeeper Mia Herron, was a defensive stalwart. She marked Dover-Sherborn’s top player, a talented attacker with the ability to beat multiple defenders, and shut her down to help Nipmuc get to the Final Four. Herron, one of the top keepers in the state, “had to show it during the last two games” against Norwell and Medfield, her coach said.

Young players contributed for Nipmuc as well, including Lily Pereira and Cate Tengler, the latter of whom was the second-leading scorer during the regular season. Outside backs Julia Lenfest and Emma Watts turned in stellar seasons for the Warriors.

But at the head of the pack was Kyah Montano, who will be playing for High Point next year and whose 111 goals set a new program scoring record.

“She will go down as one of the best ever at Nipmuc, especially after bringing home a state championship,” Khoury said. “I think she stepped it up even more this year than in years past. She really put us on her shoulders, she wanted to win this thing.”

Nipmuc won back-to-back state titles in girls soccer in 2005 and 2006 and last won it all back in 2014. To get the program back to the promised land was meaningful for the players.

“They worked hard all season long and you could see the elation at the end of the game,” Khoury said. “It’s a huge accomplishment for them, for the school, for the community, for everybody.”