Wildcat girls soccer built on togetherness

Despite having a talented team, Weston High School girls soccer didn’t exactly go according to plan last season, as the Wildcats finished with a record of four wins, six losses and eight draws.

“Last season was disappointing,” said John Power, head coach for 14 years. “We had a lot of ties against very good teams.”

Power said the team had been very close to putting up impressive numbers, but it just didn’t quite come together. The Wildcats still qualified for the MIAA state tournament, where they fell in the first round.

With the 2025 season in the rearview, the Wildcats took the practice field together for the first time in the 2026 season last Monday morning.

It didn’t take long for Power to notice the speed the team will put on display this season. Five returning players qualified for national competitions in track and field in the 2025-26 school year.

“We’re going to be pretty quick, and we’ll use that to our advantage,” said Power.

He said the team’s speed should allow Weston to play vertically and get behind opposing defenders. Defensively, speed will help put pressure on opponents who have the ball.

“We want to play with the mindset of, as soon as we lose the ball, get it back,” said Power.

Overall, Power said he is loving the way the team looks early on. Thirteen seniors are expected to return to the varsity level this fall.

“It’s a good mix of returning experience and youth,” said Power.

Power said the team will be challenged by the demanding schedule, as Weston is the smallest school by size in its league.

“Over time, we’ve punched above our weight because we show up for one another,” said Power. “We want to be willing to lay across the tracks for each other.”

“Be big, play big” is a phrase Power wants to drill into the team in early season practices.

In his words, it means he hopes players step into themselves and play the game confidently, which he believes can have a direct impact on success.

“You have to believe you can go pressure and get the better of some very good teams,” said Power.

Along with playing confidently, Power said the Wildcats will play cohesively as a team in order to be successful.

“We really thrive on the idea of taking good care of each other–everybody matters,” said Power. “What comes from that is love, mutual support, dynamism and confidence. It makes a huge difference.”

The Wildcats will practice and scrimmage for a couple of weeks before kicking off the regular season on Thursday, Sept. 10 at Cardinal Spellman High School at 3:30 p.m.

The team will make its home debut on Monday, Sept. 14 at 4:15 p.m. against Newton South High School.