The Worcester Telegram & Gazette, with the Central Mass High School Sports Awards program, is proud to announce the nominees for the Girls’ Soccer Athlete of the Year. The winner will be announced during the live show on Wednesday, June 28 at 7 p.m. at the Hanover Theatre.
During the live show, these nominees will be honored, along with the athletes of the year in 30 other sports. Nominated athletes who RSVP will receive a free ticket to the event thanks to sponsors. Additional tickets may be purchased on the show’s website.
The Central Mass High School Awards show is part of the USA TODAY High School Sports Awards, the largest high school sports recognition program in the country. Last year’s show can still be viewed online at this link. This year, one school from the area will win a $1,000 donation to its school’s athletic department. More details on that are coming soon.
Here are the nominees for the Girls’ Soccer Athlete of the Year:
Yael Bugaev
Westborough High
Junior, Goalkeeper
Bugaev started all 17 games for the Rangers and posted 10 shutouts. She allowed just 10 goals while helping to lead Westborough to a Division 2 state tournament berth. The Rangers finished 9-2-6. Bugaev was a team captain. Her most memorable moments of the season include playing striker against Assabet Valley and scoring in the 7-0 win. Another highlight was rallying from two goals down to tie eventual Division 1 state finalist Algonquin Regional, 2-2. Bugaev had a string of six straight shutouts early in the season. She hopes to play soccer in college. She is the daughter of Valeria and Nikolay Bugaev of Westborough.
Sadie Candela
Algonquin Regional
Senior, Forward
Candela netted a hat trick in the Titans’ first-round Division 1 state tournament game, and from there, Algonquin rolled into the state final. Beating Newton South, 3-0, to advance to the state semis and sharing the joy and emotion of the achievement on the bus ride home was Candela’s most memorable moment of the season. The Titans defeated Wellesley, 2-1, in the semis before falling to Hingham in the championship game. Candela was a team captain and a Mid-Wach A all-star. In the fall, she will attend Villanova University to study biology on a pre-med track. She hopes to become a doctor or surgeon. She is the daughter of Vanessa and David Candela of Southborough.
Jessica Forbes
Tahanto Regional
Senior, Attacking Mid
Forbes scored 11 goals and added 11 assists to lead Tahanto to the Division 5 state semifinals, the program’s first state semifinal appearance. Helping her team make school history was her most memorable moment of the season. Forbes scored the winning goal in Tahanto’s 2-1 victory over Georgetown in the quarterfinals. She finished her career with 34 goals and 61 assists. Forbes was a two-year captain, two-time Mid-Wach D MVP and three-time league all-star. She was a T&G Super Team selection in basketball last winter. She is undecided on her college plans, but she would like to study biomedical engineering and play soccer. She is the daughter of Amy and John Forbes of Clinton.
Nicolette Kiorpes
Doherty High
Senior, Forward
Kiorpes scored 27 goals and added 11 assists to lead the Highlanders to a berth in the Division 1 state tournament. Kiorpes led the Inter-High in scoring and ranked among the leaders in Central Mass. Doherty claimed the Inter-High title and finished 14-2-1. During the Highlanders’ 9-0 start to the season, Kiorpes had two five-goal games. Kiorpes also made her mark internationally last fall as a member of the United States team that played at the FIFA U17 Women’s World Cup in India. Kiorpes was the only player from New England selected to the prestigious squad. In the fall, she will attend Penn State and she aspires to play soccer professionally. She is the daughter of Demetra Ourdas of Worcester.
Lydia LeBlanc
Gardner High
Senior, Forward
LeBlanc scored 29 goals and added 10 assists to lead Central Mass. in scoring and help the Wildcats reach the quarterfinals of the Division 5 state tournament. LeBlanc’s 29 goals were a single-season Gardner record. She set Wildcat career marks for goals (60) and assists (21). A team captain, LeBlanc led Gardner to a 14-4-1 record. She scored two hat tricks in the state tournament. Walking off the field after Gardner’s 2-1 loss at Sutton in the state quarterfinals, her final high school game, and being surrounded by her teammates was LeBlanc’s most memorable moment of the season. In the fall, LeBlanc will attend the University of Connecticut, where she will play soccer. She plans to become a physician’s assistant. She is the daughter of Cheryl and Chad LeBlanc of Winchendon.
Olivia Magierowski
Tantasqua Regional
Senior, Outside Mid
Magierowski scored 17 goals and added six assists to lead Tantasqua to a berth in the Division 3 state tournament. The Warriors finished 13-3-3. Magierowski was a team captain and SWCL all-star. Her most memorable moments of the season included putting on concerts on bus rides to road games, as well as scoring two goals in the first five minutes on Senior Night and leading Tantasqua to a 5-1 win over Quaboag Regional. In the fall, she will attend Worcester State University, where she will study nursing and play soccer. She is the daughter of Sherry and Paul Magierowski of Brimfield.
Ava Magnuson
Sutton High
Freshman, Forward
Magnuson scored 27 goals and added seven assists to lead the Suzies to their second straight Division 5 state championship, which was Magnuson’s most memorable moment of the season. She scored two goals in Sutton’s 3-2 win over Monson in the final. As Magnuson proved in 2021 by scoring 19 goals as an eighth-grader while playing a partial season, she will be a force for years to come. She was a Dual Valley Conference all-star and MVP of the Central Mass. Athletic Directors Association (CMADA) Class C Tournament. Magnuson scored twice in Sutton’s 4-0 win over Littleton in the final. She is a high honor roll student. She is the daughter of Tanya and Chuck Magnuson of Sutton.
Gabriela Miranda
Algonquin Regional
Senior, Midfielder
Miranda helped lead the Titans to the Division 1 state final. She scored in the 75th minute to lift Algonquin past Framingham, 1-0, in a second-round state tournament game. The Titans went on to defeat Newton South and Wellesley before falling to Hingham in the final. Miranda was a Mid-Wach A all-star and league MVP while leading the Titans to a 16-2-6 record. Her most memorable moments of the season were the bus rides to and from games, singing and dancing with her teammates. In the fall, she will attend Liberty University, where she will study nursing and play soccer. She is the daughter of Joe and Kelly Miranda of Northborough.
Kaylin O’Meara
Littleton High
Senior, Center Midfielder
O’Meara scored 10 goals and added three assists, and helped the Tigers make history as the first team in program history to advance to the Division 4 state semifinals. O’Meara scored in the first half of Littleton’s 3-0 victory over Millbury in the quarterfinals. Littleton won the Mid-Wach C crown with a record of 12-0-0 and finished 20-2-1. O’Meara, a team captain, was the league MVP. Her most memorable moment of the season was scoring the tying goal against Tahanto Regional in the semifinals of the Central Mass. Athletic Directors Association (CMADA) Class C Tournament and going on to win the game on penalty kicks. O’Meara also plays basketball and participates in musical theater. In the fall, she will attend Emerson College, where she will study marketing communication and play soccer. She is the daughter of Melissa and Marc O’Meara of Littleton.
Kali Tewksbury
Nipmuc Regional
Senior, Center Back
Tewksbury helped lead the Warriors to the second round of the Division 3 state tournament. Tewksbury anchored Nipmuc’s formidable defense, which allowed 19 goals in 21 games and posted 12 shutouts. The Warriors won the Dual Valley Conference title and finished 17-3-1. Tewksbury, a team captain, was the DVC Player of the Year. Beating Auburn, 1-0, to capture the Central Mass. Athletic Directors Association (CMADA) Class B Tournament championship was her most memorable moment of the season. She is undecided on her plans for next year. She is the daughter of Michelle and Brent Tewksbury of Mendon.
Ava VanBuskirk
Marlborough High
Junior, Striker/Wing
VanBuskirk scored 33 goals to lead Mid-Wach B and earn league MVP honors. She opened the season with a four-goal performance against Hudson, and scored five times in the Panthers’ win over Tyngsborough. The Panthers earned a berth in the Division 2 state tournament, and qualifying for the postseason was VanBuskirk’s most memorable moment of the year. The Panthers finished 9-9-1. Last winter, she was a T&G Super Team selection in indoor track after starring in the 55- and 300-meter dashes. She volunteers with Best Buddies. She is the daughter of Pam and Joe VanBuskirk of Marlborough.
Calista Vlahos
Shrewsbury High
Senior, Forward
Vlahos scored 11 goals and added five assists to lead the Colonials to the second round of the Division 1 state tournament. It was a memorable final high school season for Vlahos, who helped Shrewsbury improve from a 3-11-4 record in 2019, her freshman year, to 10-6-4, in 2022. Assisting on the winning goal in the Colonials’ 1-0 win over Arlington in the first round of the state tourney was a top highlight, and scoring her “favorite high school goal” two minutes into Shrewsbury’s game against Mid-Wach A rival Westborough on the Rangers’ Senior Night was another. Vlahos was a team captain and league all-star. She is the daughter of Greg and Angelica Vlahos of Shrewsbury.
Honorable Mention
Division 1
Meg Dowd, Shrewsbury
Mia Lochhead, Algonquin
Paige McLaughlin, Shrewsbury
Brigid Murphy, Doherty
Renee Rettig, Wachusett
Kylie Tomasetti, Algonquin
Division 2
Katherine Alicea, Shepherd Hill
Riley Allen, Westborough
Amelia Choi, Nashoba
Meghan Deneen, Marlborough
Lola Follansbee, Grafton
Kyra Forsberg, Leominster
Jill Hodgson, North Middlesex
Nicole Kelly, Leominster
Bridget Kennedy, Grafton
Sophia Kling, Grafton
Julia Klinkhamer, Nashoba
Chloe LaVigeur, Fitchburg
Mallory Morrill, North Middlesex
Lauren Torpey, North Middlesex
Solimar Rivera, South
Arianna Watson, Shepherd Hill
Division 3
Oceana Broome, AMSA
Lily Carlson, Quabbin
Nina Francois-Saint Cyr, AMSA
Abby Kaye, Auburn
Keelan Mader, Tantasqua
Mia Monje, St. Paul
Anya Montano, Nipmuc
Kyah Montano, Nipmuc
Zhunay Moulton, Auburn
Thuy-Tien Nguyen, Hudson
Cassie Prechtl, Groton-Dunstable
Haley Rutherford, Oakmont
Cadence Ryan, St. Paul
Lilina Shiers, Tantasqua
Jada Sibley, Oakmont
Mia Trawick, Groton-Dunstable
Megan Tucker, Bartlett
Division 4
Julia Acampora, Lunenburg
Ella Askren, Clintom
Sophia Balestracci, Bay Path
Karlee Battista, Northbridge
Lahey Beahn, Valley Tech
Abigail Billel, Narragansett
Cali Brouillard, Millbury
Kathryn Cahill, Uxbridge
Avery Carbonneau, Notre Dame Academy
Jenna DeFosse, Bay Path
Jackie Gilbert, Millbury
Ella Gumienney, Valley Tech
Hadley Heaphy, Notre Dame Academy
Neila Jerome, Valley Tech
Emily Kilbury, Narraganset
Chloe Koziol, Lunenburg
Ava Lemanski, Clinton
Neve Martin, Littleton
Kayla Nguyen, Bay Path
Lily Peterson, Leicester
Ella Price, Notre Dame Academy
Amy Proulx, Littleton
Erin Proulx, Littleton
Kasey Reeves, Valley Tech
Melissa Sabourin, Northbridge
Rachel Sawyer, Northbridge
Madison Thibeault, Northbridge
Rose Winston, Millbury
Division 5
Oliva Bagg, Quaboag
Elianna Barnett, David Prouty
Autumn Bella, Tahanto
Jamily Chaves, Tahanto
Ally Choquette, Tahanto
Allison Corrieri, Bromfield
Olivia DeFalco, Douglas
Marina Fernandez de Paz, Gardner
Tilly Fitzgibbons, Bromfield
Zahra Foladi, Worcester Tech/North
Addy Jerome, Sutton
Margaret Johnson, Whitinsville Christian
Anna Joseph, Sutton
Jenna Katsoulis, Oxford
Julia Kimball, Bromfield
Gillian McGee, Whitinsville Christian
Victoria Morgan, Quaboag
Meadow O’Connell, Whitinsville Christian
Sadie O’Toole, Douglas
Madison Pitro, West Boylston
Paige Samara, Worcester Tech/North
Meghan Sikes, Maynard
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