BEVERLY — The Waring School girls soccer team captured the Independent Girls Conference (IGC) championship this fall, finishing 15-4 by winning both the regular season and postseason tournaments.
Several local players had a big hand in the team's success.
Sophomore Celia Balf of Beverly was named Most Valuable Player of the IGC, the second straight year she has done so. A center midfielder, she had 17 goals (including 5 in the playoffs) and 10 assists to lead Waring to its second straight league title.
Another sophomore, Allie Hinrichs of Swampscott, joined Balf as a two-time IGC All-Conference First Team player. The standout forward scored 16 goals and added four assists in the regular season, then added an assist on the championship-winning goal in Waring's 1-0 win over Montrose in the IGC final.
Senior Charlotte Greenbaum of Hamilton was a true team leader at center back. An IGC All-Conference Second Team, she anchored a defense that allowed only 19 goals in 19 total contests.
A pair of senior captains from Gloucester, Colleen O'Brien and Skye McAvor, were also instrumental in Waring's success. O'Brien was an IGC All-Conference First Team selection who had nine goals and six assists up front this fall. McAvor, an outside midfielder who garnered IGC All-Conference Second Team accolades, had two goals in her team's 4-1 playoff semifinal win over Brimmer & May. She finished the season with three scores and two assists.
