By Matt Stout
Staff Writer

Hopkinton’s Kate Scheffey prepares to boot a pass downfield in the Hawks’ 4-1 win over Belmont on Thursday, Sept. 14. Despite losing nearly a dozen seniors, Hopkinton posted one of the best starts among Class M teams this year. (Bow Times/Matt Stout)

Jessie Jewell and her Hopkinton girls soccer teammates know two things about their upcoming opponent Gilford.

One, the Golden Eagles ended the Hawks’ run of nine straight Class M tournament semifinal appearances last season when they upset the previously unbeaten locals in the quarterfinals.

And two ... Well, there isn’t a No. 2.

And the Hawks want it that way.

Entering a showdown scheduled for Sept. 20 with Hillsboro-Deering, another Class M power, Hopkinton boasted a 5-1 record, 17 goals to their opponents’ four and wins over front-runner Raymond and defending champion Belmont.

That’s impressive, considering the team graduated nearly a dozen players, almost all of whom started at some point last season.

Yet, last year, when the Hawks weren’t on the pitch, they were at a computer checking the Class M standings, seeing who beat whom and, from their point of view, monitoring how good their upcoming opponent is.

Hopkinton coach Curt Martin said they may have also relied on the fact that they were Hopkinton, Class M’s perennial contender, the team other squads are just going to lie down on the field for. Gilford, it seems, didn’t get the memo.

“I said to them that you can’t look at the standings and say, ‘Well, because this team beat that one then we should beat them, and we ought to beat that one pretty easily,” Martin said. “’You don’t know why they beat them. You just gotta forget it and play every game like it’s the most important game out there.’”

The Hawks are. Jewell said she and most of her mates don’t check the NHIAA Web site anymore, meaning they could tell you very little about Gilford or any other team. One player, freshman goalkeeper Emma Brown, keeps track of all those things, including stats.

“But we’ve kind of told her to shut up about it,” Jewell said with a laugh. “She’s not allowed to say anything about it in practice.”

Instead, Hopkinton has focused on integrating a host of new players into its system, including four freshman starters. They’ve also adjusted to a new formation with two forwards instead of three and, as a result, boosted team chemistry well beyond what it was last year.

Martin has done his part to shift his team’s focus, as he’s shied from more shooting drills and has emphasized ball handling and conditioning.

Through six games, it’s paid off, as the Hawks have proved to be a strong second-half team, never more evident than in its 4-1 win over Belmont on Sept. 14. The Hawks broke open a 2-1 game with two second-half goals while allowing few if any scoring chances on the defensive end.

“I think most of the seniors that were on the team last year are at a point where they have something to prove after last year’s disappointing loss in the quarterfinals, and they really wanna pick it up and do well,” said Martin, who’s led the Hawks to four state titles in his 11 years as coach, the last in 2004. “And they’re becoming leaders, too.”

Among those are Jewell and fellow senior co-captain Cassie Clough. Senior Kate Scheffey and junior Dayna Jewell have the task of leading a defense that includes freshman Katie Babson, sophomore Sarah Dobe and Brown.

Freshmen Melissa Baron and Heather Scammon join the senior co-captains in the midfield, while senior Miranda MacMillian and sophomore Elise Ewing lead up front.

Together, they’ve gelled better than Martin ever expected, ensuring that the Hawks also have depth ­ seniors Brittany Fleury and Ashley Brewster, among others, also play prominent roles ­ and the same physical presence that Martin said has become the team’s “trademark.”

“We don’t play to hurt people,” Jewell said, “but we don’t hesitate to use our bodies to keep people off the ball.”

Though the season thus far has been anything but a cake walk, Hopkinton may be entering its real test this year when it plays Hillsboro-Deering twice in 10 days, Raymond for a second time and, of course, Gilford on Friday, Sept. 22.

The Golden Eagles lost little from last year’s underdog team and have done everything to shake the moniker this season. As of Tuesday, Sept. 19, they stood as the only unbeaten team in Class M with a 7-0 record and have scored a division-best 31 goals.

Just don’t mention any of that to Hopkinton.