September 1, 2026 – Story and photos by Joshua Ross
The Hingham High School girls soccer team enters the 2026 season with a familiar group, plenty of tournament experience and a clear goal: get back to the top.
The Harborwomen are coming off a 13-4-2 season that ended in the Division II State Tournament quarterfinals, where they fell 1-0 to Masconomet Regional. With 17 players returning from last year’s roster and just five newcomers—including four freshmen—the Harborwomen have the experience and continuity that could make them one of the teams to watch this fall.
Head coach April Tremante is entering her third season at the helm, and many of her players have been with her since their freshman years.
“I’m just super excited,” Tremante said. “I feel like going into my third year, most of these girls have been playing with me since they were freshmen, so that’s exciting. And it’s a good group.”
The Harborwomen also have three highly accomplished senior captains leading the way – Taylor Bello, Hannah Lasch, and Maggie Flynn. Bello and Lasch have both committed to continue their soccer careers at the Division I level next year, with Bello headed to UConn and Lasch committed to Holy Cross.
With 11 years of varsity experience between them, the trio brings toughness, leadership and, perhaps most importantly, a strong connection with the rest of the team.
Senior captain Maggie Flynn believes team chemistry will be a driving factor in the team’s success this season.
Building on Team Chemistry
If there is one theme that continually came up when speaking with the players and Tremante, it is team chemistry.
The Harborwomen believe their ability to play for one another could be one of their biggest strengths this season.
“We definitely did a lot of fitness,” Flynn said. “We focused on fitness because we have hard running tests.”
Bello said the captains also organized practices throughout the summer, giving the team an opportunity to build chemistry while preparing physically for the season.
“It went well,” Bello said of the offseason. “I think we tried to focus on really getting the team together and focus on the next season. We went through captain’s practices every Monday and Wednesday of the week, and those really helped. We ran at them, so we’re fit. I’m excited for the season.”
That chemistry is something the players believe separates this group.
“Definitely to have good team chemistry and we want everybody to work well,” Lasch said. “Our team is very close. We try to keep the drama off the team, off the field, because we play better when we’re all super close. We do a lot of team bonding during the season.”
Flynn put it even more simply.
“No cliques,” she said. “We’re like all just kind of like one big friend group.”
That connection extends across all four grades.
“It doesn’t matter what grade you’re in—seniors are friends with freshmen and everyone just kind of mixes well together,” Flynn said. “When we’re at practice, everyone just has a really good work ethic. No one’s really goofing around. We just all kind of get locked in, and then off the field is when we can have fun.”
For Tremante, that culture starts with the experienced players and works its way throughout the program.
“Everything from the culture, to their attitude, to their work rate, to their focus during sessions,” Tremante said. “When we see the older kids doing this, it transcends down to the younger ones.”
Experience at the Top
The Harborwomen’s returning roster gives Tremante something every coach wants: players who have already been through the pressure of postseason soccer.
That experience becomes particularly valuable when games get tight and the stakes rise.
“Just their experiences playing in those tight, tight games, playing in the tournament,” Tremante said of the advantage her veteran players bring. “And they’re understanding my expectations. Practices should be harder than games, and then if we put in more time to prepare in practices, then we should have a lot of success in the games.”
Lasch knows firsthand what it takes to finish a championship run. She was part of the 2024/25 girls hockey State Championship team and said she has tried to share that experience with her teammates.
“It’s like one of the best feelings of my life,” Lasch said. “It’s so fun.”
Her message to the team is less about any single game and more about maintaining perspective throughout a long season.
“So like not giving up,” Lasch said. “There’s gonna be rough days or a game where we don’t play well. Like the season obviously matters, but once it’s playoff time, it’s a completely different season and you just take it one step at a time. And you focus on the next game.”
That mentality will be important for a team that has already experienced the disappointment of coming up one game short of the state semifinals.
Four years have passed since Hingham last won a state championship, and the players aren’t shy about their ambitions.
“We’re looking to go all the way,” Bello said.
She believes this year’s team has a legitimate opportunity to do just that.
“I think we’re also really focused on going for that state championship this year,” Bello said. “We have a very good chance. We didn’t lose very many seniors, and we’re gaining a lot of good players, so I think everyone’s motivated and everyone wants it.”
A Smaller Varsity, More Opportunity
Despite returning so many players, Tremante said making the varsity roster was anything but easy for the newcomers.
“We had such a strong group coming back that it did make it challenging for anyone to break onto the varsity team,” Tremante said. “But the girls who did make that next step are all solid players, who I feel really fit into this group, and I think it’ll be an easy transition for those players.”
The five newcomers include four freshmen, giving Hingham an infusion of young talent without sacrificing the experience already on the roster.
Bello believes some of those younger players could make an immediate impact.
“Definitely some good freshmen,” Bello said. “Good people from every grade, honestly, that definitely have been working hard and showing up. So I think our freshman class coming in will be a good group. We’re excited.”
Tremante also made a deliberate decision to keep the varsity roster relatively small. With roughly 20 to 22 players on each of the freshman, JV and varsity teams, she believes the structure will provide more opportunities for players to develop and contribute.
“Carrying a heavier varsity squad means less playing time,” Tremante said. “We want these girls to be playing.”
The depth of the program should also provide some insurance if injuries or other circumstances arise during the season.
“There’s a handful of JV players who, depending on how the season goes, like with injuries, there are girls that I know could jump up here and if we need them and they would be positive contributors to the team,” Tremante said.
Fine-Tuning the Details
With the foundation already in place, Tremante said the focus heading into the season is on sharpening the details that can turn a talented team into a championship contender.
“Just to continue with nice combination play, nice teamwork, girls talking, communicating on and off the ball,” she said. “So verbally, and then nonverbally. I really want them all working together and communicating.”
That communication will be critical as Hingham looks to turn its experience and chemistry into success on the field.
The players understand that talent alone won’t be enough.
“Everybody’s showing up and working as hard as they can the whole time, not just when they’re told to, or when the coaches are watching,” Lasch said.
For Tremante, that commitment is the standard.
“We’re gonna go as far as we can, but we’re also gonna know that we take it one day, one game at a time,” she said. “Knowing that our goal is to continue to get better. And the overall goal remains the same—be competitive on the field, and to have people supporting each other and everyone getting better.”
After a quarterfinal appearance last season, a veteran roster, talented players on both sides of the ball and a team culture built around chemistry and hard work, expectations are understandably high in Hingham.
The Harborwomen know where they want to be when the season ends.
Now they have to take it one game at a time to get there.