Good morning, Hopkinton! Welcome to the daily update we call Hopkinton Today — a quick recap of yesterday’s news, highlights of what’s on tap, and a photo of the day.

Girls soccer team first in HYS history to enter state tournament

Members of the Hopkinton Fire Grade 7/8 soccer team include (back row, from left) Emily Rankin, Emily Fine, Maddy Jones, Lena Mainini, Amelia Morrissey, Srinika Katta, Mia Shmays, Alexandra Tighe and Emma Lauro, and (front row, from left) Charlie Walcott, Jenna Valis, Reina Murphy, Kayla Salerno and Piper Perrelli. Not pictured are Brooke Elliott, Lucy Gilbreath, Aubrey Haire, Nysha Paluri and Sloane Repetto. PHOTO/COURTESY DAVE FINE

The Hopkinton Fire, a Hopkinton Youth Soccer team of girls in Grades 7 and 8, made it to the semifinals of the Massachusetts Tournament of Champions last weekend, becoming the first HYS team to make it into the statewide soccer event.

Getting all the way to MTOC was not a foregone conclusion for the team. Coach Dave Fine noted that it was “certainly an uphill battle during the season” as the girls took on competitive, club-level players from around the Boston area.

“We were also below .500 after five games,” assistant coach Denis Murphy added. He explained that the team overcame its early 1-2-2 standing to tack on a 4-0-1 run that allowed it to qualify for the Boston Area Youth Soccer (BAYS) playoffs.

“Qualifying for even the BAYS playoff was in doubt for most of the season,” Fine said. However, the girls “turned on the jets” and went undefeated in the second half of the season.

The team then won the BAYS playoffs, which allowed it to enter the state tournament. Out of over 150 BAYS teams, Hopkinton Fire was just one of three to make it to MTOC. The girls also are members of the only two HYS teams ever to qualify for the BAYS playoffs.

At the state tournament, the girls spent three days in a World-Cup style competition at the Massachusetts Youth Soccer Association headquarters in Lancaster knocking off teams from Shrewsbury, Sandwich and Agawam. Their semifinal game against Norwell remained tight until the last 10 minutes, when the opposing team scored and won the match 1-0.

Despite the loss, Fine said the girls “really played their hearts out” and enjoyed the ride. He also spoke to the team’s talent. “[We’re] clearly neck-and-neck with the best in MTOC,” Fine said.

Fine also praised the team for how it came together and how members supported each other through the season. “It’s just a fantastic group of girls,” he said. “They really sort of bought into the team-first mentality.”

— NICK SCHOFIELD

Latest News

This week’s Senior Snippets features information on the next book club, an information session with tax assessors and a presentation on cybersecurity scams.

In the latest Professional Insights, Kim Foemmel of Foemmel Fine Homes explores the drawbacks of underpricing a property in today’s market.

Town meetings tonight include the Water/Sewer Advisory Board (5).

Photo of the Day

A construction worker looks on as an excavator dumps asphalt into a dump truck on Main Street on Tuesday.

PHOTO/NICK SCHOFIELD