15. BERNARDS MOUNTAINEERS

Bernards had a successful season last year with a very young team and has started to surge as a powerful unit in Somerset County. They got to the County Semifinals and the South Jersey Quarterfinals before losing to Rumson Fair-Haven. Kayla Davi comes back as a Junior, after scoring 67 points including 49 goals. She is also the ground ball leader on the Mountaineers. Kendall Schmerler also adds more offense with 51 goals and even more impressively has controlled 72 draws. Much like the Madison Dodgers, they also returned both of their prolific goaltenders.

14. WEST MILFORD HIGHLANDERS

The Highlanders are coming off a 14-win season, and have a lot of expectations despite a disappointing first-round loss to West Morris. They went to the semi-finals of the Passaic County tournament and showed that they could score in bunches during those games. Paige Fava scored 55 goals last year, dominating the crease, and was great on faceoffs as well. Kailey Maskerines won 40 draws and scored 54 points as an attacking mid for West Milford. This team will be very senior-heavy this year, and it feels like this is their window to really make some noise.

13. RUTHERFORD BULLDOGS

Rutherford was 7-0 in their division last year becoming one of the rising New Jersey teams in the Northeast. They also had a 14–2 overall record, and their offense ran through great defense to set up the play. Jea Herninko had 52 points, 52 ground balls, and an astonishing 48 draws controlled as a defender, who also plays mid, making her mother Sherraine, the coach of the Bulldogs very proud in the process. Maeve Murphy scored 33 goals as a freshman, as part of a team that likes to amp up the offense. Sophomore goaltender, Ava Hernandez, who made 70 saves as a freshman, could also be a bright star and the defensive anchor they need to make a run.

12. WAYNE VALLEY INDIANS

Wayne Valley won 15 games last year on their way to divisional and Passaic County titles. Like West Milford they had a disappointing first-round loss, coming at the hands of Northern Highlands. They were senior-heavy last year, but do return many key players. Ainsley Phillips had 39 goals last year and is now going into her junior year and should have a massive jump. Defenders like Sophia Paul come back and have a good capability to gather ground balls and get the ball to the forwards. They have a young goaltender in Sloane Wolford, but she will be reinforced by a firestorm of offense.

11. SHAWNEE RENEGADES

Shawnee finished the 2023 season with 19 wins and only two losses. One of those losses was in the Group 3 Championship against Chatham. The Renegades are ranked here because of all of the great offensive skill players coming back. Abby Davidson and Avery Dunbar return to the lineup after combining for 82 goals last year. Davis Anderson will help on the backend and Bella Calvanese also comes back having scored 41 goals last year. Keep an eye on this team who scored 327 goals last year to keep the high-octane offense flowing.

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