Girls Soccer Advances to Quarterfinals, Boys Soccer Upset in Round of 16
November 13, 2026
• Girls soccer improved to 16-1-3, while the boys end their season 10-3-7.
Needham girls soccer advanced to its third straight quarterfinal appearance with a 5-1 win over No. 13 Beverly, scoring five unanswered goals in the second half, during the first part of a playoff doubleheader on Nov. 12. Following that game, No. 9 Needham boys soccer was upset by No. 25 Arlington, marking the second straight year they failed to reach the quarterfinals as the higher seed.
Viv Laporte tallied three goals for the Rockets in the girls’ win, tying Izzy Marino for a team-leading 11 goals on the season.
Beverly (16-1-2) got on the board first with a goal from Jaydin Simpson, who beat multiple Needham (15-1-3) defenders before shooting around goalkeeper Maggie Peterson around the 22-minute mark of the first half. The Rockets were unable to find an answering score until four minutes into the second half, when Emery Carr evened the game at one with a header off a corner kick from Marino.
From there, the flood gates were open, as Needham scored four more times in the span of 16 minutes.
Laporte gave the Rockets a 2-1 lead just three minutes after Carr’s goal, with a shot to the top left corner. She scored two more goals, including one on a penalty kick, to complete her hat trick. Belen Schreier scored her seventh goal of the season at the 18-minute mark to put the finishing touches on the game for Needham.
The No. 4 Rockets will host No. 5 Franklin (16-4) on Sunday, Nov. 15, at 5 p.m. for the quarterfinal round. Needham has not made a state semifinal since 2015, when the team won the state championship. Franklin made the state championship game last year as the four seed, but lost 4-2 to Natick.
Shortly after the girls’ victory, No. 9 boys soccer was held scoreless for just the third time this season, falling 1-0 to No. 25 Arlington.
The difference came with about 11 minutes remaining in the first half, as the Rockets were called for a handball in the penalty area. Quincy Cotter buried the penalty kick for the Spy Ponders, giving them the 1-0 lead. Despite having multiple chances, Needham could not find an equalizer, eliminating them in the Round of 16 for the second straight year.
Arlington (13-3-4) upset No. 8 Natick, 4-3, in their first round matchup and will need another to continue their season, as they move on to face No. 1 Cambridge Rindge and Latin (13-1-3) in the quarterfinals. That game will be played on Saturday, Nov. 14, at 7 p.m.
With the loss, Needham finishes their season 10-3-7.
For full tournament brackets and matchup information, check out the MIAA’s website.
Check out each of the goals from the girls’ game vs. Beverly below:
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