NHIAA Twitter photo The Campbell boys soccer team has won two straight Division III titles, but a threepeat will be a challenge for the Cougars' junior laden team this abbreviated fall season.

The games are few, so the expectations may be many. That’s the look of local high school boys soccer this fall. With a shorter preseason, fewer games and an open tournament, teams can use the time to work out the kinks with no pressure moving toward late October-early November.

It’s a whole new world thanks to the pandemic. As Bishop Guertin coach Valdemir “Rocky” Roque said, “I have no idea how it is going to be this year.”

But, does it really matter? As Nashua South coach Tom Bellen said, “We’re happy to be playing.”

Here’s a look at what you should see:

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DIVISION I

Nashua North and South kicked off their season this past Thursday, and both teams should be competitive.

South is coming off the school’s best season (12-5-1, lost to Windham in quarters on penalty kicks) and while suffering some graduation losses, there are some familiar talented names.

They would include seniors Manny Orozco (forward), Sebastian Coelho (midfield) and Jesse Hantuala (defender). Also keep an eye on juniors Ethan Emata (midfield) and Max Lopez (forward).

“We lost some key players but have a talented group of kids,” Bellen said. “If we can organize our defense properly we should be able to make a good run.”

The Titans lost a senior nucleus near and dear to head coach Josh Downing, as he coached them all the way back in middle school. But they forge ahead with three seniors – back Stephen Norris plus, midfielders Matt Urrea and Quinn Hilger. Goalie Simon Costa, a junior, played well last year.

Bishop Guertin does have 14 seniors back. A few keys among them include Colin McCarthy (midfield), Zachary Warren (midfield-defense), John Sullivan (defense-midfield), and Zachary Morris (senior defender). Add in a talented freshman forward, Rayaan.

“The BG program is growing strong,” Roque said. “We have 14 seniors and a great number of new faces.”

Merrimack looked good in an opening win over the Cardinals, despite returning just six from an 8-8-2 team that made the 2019 tourney for the first time in five years. Part of that low return is the fact some players, according to Tomahawks coach Mark Papp, opted out due to the risks of the pandemic.

“This is the year we expected everything to come together,” Papp said. “Obviously things look a little different now. … But we hope to be able to build on the foundation the previous three varsity groups have set in place.”

Keep an eye on senior standouts Connor Lanigan, Sawyer Hardy, Eric Gonzalez, Rosendo Lopez and Zach Chiasson.

Alvirne should be much improved over a team that started out in fantastic fashion last year but suffered a long losing streak that knocked it out of tourney contention.

Key seniors include midfielder Charlie Thomas, midfielder Matt Fitzpatrick, backs Ryan Johnson and John Rudy, plus goalie Mason Brooks.

“I have high expectations,” Broncos coach Marcos Vieira Filho said. “We have a lot of maturity this year and it shows.”

It certainly showed in their season opening 3-1 win over Campbell, Fitzpatrick with a goal and an assist. Keep an eye on this team.

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DIVISION II

Hollis Brookline lost 13 players but certainly began the season well with a 1-0 win over local rival Souhegan.

Ethan Smith, Bryan Wright, Liam Troddyn are going to be solid offensive contributors (Troddyn, a captain, had the lone goal in the win). Nate McEvoy and Danny Kennedy are going to be two defensive anchors in the back .

“The group of players we have returning have great chemistry,” Cavs coach Steve Martus said.

Over at Milford, Olf Mouyaka is splitting coaching time with Russ Matthews due to work commitments, and a team that had a great 9-3-4 season last year and made the tournament after some tough seasons should be good again.

Watch returnees Reilly Hansen (goalie), playmaker Noah Matthews and forward Ryon Constable. The back line looks solid with defenders junior Nicholas Giordano, senior Jack Smith and sophomore Nate Pettingell. Newbies Zack Naun and Tyler O’Brien will help.

“Our game against Pelham was a great way to start,” Mouyaka said. “A great showcase of talent from a group who have worked tremendously hard to come back this year.”

Souhegan has been rebuilding the last couple of years and despite a 1-0 season opening loss to Hollis Brookline could reap the benefits of a whopping 14 seniors. Some of those are keepers Jake Morrisette and Tyler Moran, back Ethan Littlefield, forward Ethan Ramm, forward Miles Drum, midfielder Ethan Lim, midfield-back Alex Lin, midfielder Simon Trombley, forward Nick Bjorgen, midfielder Sebastian Parker-Christou, and backs Connor Ross, Peter Lennox, and Michael Dodge. That’s a lot of experience.

“The maturation continues,” Sabers coach Dave Saxe said. “We’re still growing.”

When they peak, watch out.

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DIVISION III

The Cougars had a championship season to remember last year, capturing their second straight title with an 18-0-2 mark.

Their youth has served them well, and it will have to again this season as it’s a junior dominated team paced by goalie Jack Noury, defenders Eric Coates and Ryan Latsha and forward Connor Donaghey. They’ve split their first two games – their first loss in nearly two years came at the hands of Division I Alvirne earlier this week – and will use time to improve.

“Happily, we’re loaded with young, talented, eager players,” Cougars coach Bill Miller said, adding there are 40 in the program.

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DIVISION IV

The Wilton-Lyndeborough Warriors have a new coach in Dan Nelson and lost just three seniors from an 11-5 team. Some athletes were eligible to return, such as Telegraph All-Area players Sam Townsend (senior defender) and Troy Brennan (junior defender). The Warriors always field a competitive team and this fall, even in an abbreviated season, should be no exception.