The Wachusett girls’ soccer team had an impressive 2024 season going 11-3-4, which earned them a bid in the Division 1 State Tournament. In a hard-fought game against Franklin, they lost 3-2 in overtime. This season the Mountaineers are looking to take it to the next level.

“We had a fantastic run last year and broke through the glass ceiling,” Wachusett Coach Emma Mailman said. “This year we have high expectations and are looking to build off last year’s success. We are looking to put Wachusett girls’ soccer back on the map while continuing to play competitively and get back into the post-season.”

This year the Mountaineer seniors will be the first group that Mailman has coached at the school, so it will be hard for her to coach them for their last year. Leading the Mountaineers onto the field are tri-captains Gabby Geloso, Keagan Gregorczyk and Katlyn Perna.

Geloso was the league MVP last fall and at the time of this writing she had already notched seven goals and four assists. She is a competitor that hates to lose, and her pace drives the rest of the team.

“It’s a ripple effect: when she is locked in, the team feeds off her energy,” the coach said. “I don’t want to put pressure on her, but if she’s down the team seems to follow suit.”

While Geloso is an MVP, it is Gregorczyk who is the mastermind of the midfield. According to Mailman, she has a high soccer IQ, and the team looks to her in the middle of the field where she dominates defensively.

Perna rounds out the Wachusett captains, playing the striker position up top beside Geloso. Not only are the three best friends, but they are also committed to continuing their soccer careers on the collegiate level next fall.

In addition to the captains, junior Rylee Gamache has been a natural leader on the field since her freshman campaign at the center back position. 

“We look to her direction, and she needs to be disciplined and teach those around her,” the coach continued. “You really can’t ask for more from her as she already does everything and delivers every single time.”

Although Mailman was expecting the upper-class players to perform on the field, she has been pleasantly surprised with the performance of sophomore Emma Petterson. As a freshman, Petterson made the varsity squad and has transformed her game this season.

“She took private training and worked out putting on more muscle,” Mailman said. “She has made a big impact this year, becoming a technical player with one of the best shots in high school soccer. She broke through a lot quicker than I anticipated.”

Wachusett was putting together another successful season as of this writing, having only lost one game. Although chasing Shrewsbury in the Mid Wach A, they are still on target to capture the league championship. 

Over the past five seasons, the Mountaineers have continued to improve. They had posted back-to-back state championships prior to Covid and would like to get back to that status again.

“We want to bring back that competitiveness while building a culture that continues to improve,” the coach said. “We want to get back to winning titles. Our goal is definitely taking the Mid Wach and getting back into the States, where we want to go deeper and deeper until we eventually win the States.”