November has been a good month for Lola Griffin. The 18-year-old from Dorchester led the Notre Dame Academy (NDA girls soccer team to the Division 2 state championship and ten days before signed a letter of intent to play for Division 1 Bryant University in Smithfield, RI.

Griffin and her teammates beat Mansfield, 1-0, last Saturday (Nov. 18) in the state final held in Lynn. It was the Hingham team’s first trip back to the championship match since 2013.

A second-year captain and five-year varsity player, Griffin played a huge role in the NDA program’s turnaround last year when they made it to the Elite 8 in the state tournament. This year, behind the leadership of Griffin, they won easily in their first two games, then gave a solid performance in beating Grafton – whom they had lost to on penalty kicks last year. Advancing to the Final Four, they faced Masconomet Regional High School on Nov. 14, and won in emotional fashion, 3-2, on penalty kicks.

“Last year we were one of the best teams in the state and we got upset in the Elite 8, so we were fired up coming into the season to redeem ourselves,” said Griffin. “As a captain and one of our leaders it feels so great to lead NDA to our first soccer state championship since 2013.

 “We played a high-powered offense (Mansfield) in the final and our defensive unit completely shut them down, allowing only one shot the entire game,” she continued. “In five state tournament games we allowed only two goals in total, so I feel like we totally dominated.”

The daughter of Daniel Griffin and Sarah Grealish, Griffin, who has four siblings, began her soccer journey with Dorchester Youth Soccer (DYS), while attending St. Ann’s kindergarten and the Richard Murphy School through grades six.

“From an early age, my dad had me in every single sport possible, including flag football, basketball, T-ball and soccer,” she said. “I started in Dorchester Youth Soccer (DYS) when I was 4 years old, and my first coach was my uncle Billy.

“I just think I fell in love with soccer,” she said, “and I loved the aggressiveness and the competitiveness of it and I think my dad saw that and decided to get me more involved into club soccer to learn more of the mechanics.”

Playing club soccer with South Shore Select and town travel team with DYS under coach Lisa Jackson prepared Griffin for varsity play at NDA, where she made the team while in the eighth grade.

“I was nervous as an 8th grader because I was the youngest girl on the team, but the girls welcomed me in and so did Coach Kelly [Desmond-Turner]. It was open arms,” she recalled.

After a foot injury shortened her season as a freshman, she returned to play forward as a sophomore. She was chosen as a captain as a junior and moved back to defender. This year, Griffin has been a steady team leader on a top team in the state.

“I’m probably a silent leader,” she said. “I lead by the intensity of my game. I’m not a ‘rah-rah’ leader. I lead by example and make everyone want to play better and that’s my role as a captain.”

Griffin had been on the radar of several colleges since junior year, and went fully into the recruitment process with highlight videos, coach emails, and summer recruitment camps. That is what led her to Bryant University, where her recruitment camp came a day after she’d injured her ankle.

“I held my own, though, and played well but my dad thought it was the worst I’d ever played. Probably some tough love from him there,” she said, laughing. “After the camp, though, the coach reached out. I kept in touch with her and built a strong connection with the Bryant coaches and felt like they wanted me to be a part of the program.”

She signed her Letter of Intent to play college soccer at Bryant on Nov. 8 in a ceremony with 11 other girls at NDA who are headed on to play college sports.

Lola Griffin (second from left) is shown with fellow student-athletes from Notre Dame Academy who have—like her— signed commitments to attend colleges and universities. Shown from left: Reagan Waldner (Trinity College); Griffin (Bryant University); Ciara Willimas (Hood College); Aubrey McMahon (Colgate University); Emilia DaPonte (Salve Regina University); Kara Leahy (Sacred Heart University); Shannon MacLeod (Boston College); Jillian Johnson (Merrimack College); Sydney Comeau (College of the Holy Cross); Lauren Talbott (Emmanuel College); Jane Hilsabeck (Clemson University); Siobhan Colin (Middlebury College). Photo courtesy NDA

These girls “have consistently exhibited the qualities of true champions – teamwork, determination, and a relentless pursuit of success,” said Kristen McGill Kelly, NDA’s athletic director. “I congratulate them for their accomplishments and thank them on their commitment and leadership – values that they have modeled for their fellow students during their years at Notre Dame Academy.”

Griffin offered kudos as well to NDA, athletically and academically.

“I wouldn’t be who I am without NDA,” she said. “I’ve been here since I was in 7th grade and you don’t see a lot of girls from Dorchester that go to NDA. Coming from BPS, I wasn’t that into academics and my whole life was soccer. NDA is so strong academically and everyone is smart, and it made me want to work harder, too.”

Griffin won’t have much time to bask in championship glory. She going to play basketball for NDA starting in just a few weeks.

HIGH SCHOOL SPORTS NOTEBOOK
• Dexter Southfield Academy’s Quinn Carver emerged this year as one of the top running backs in the state. The Dorchester dynamo capped off his regular season senior finale on Nov. 11 with 259 yards rushing and 4 touchdowns on the road against Pingree. He has committed to play football at Bates College next year.

• Boston International High School on Maxwell Street has been the talk of the Division 5 boys soccer tournament as it advanced to the Final Four with wins over Charlestown High and Mt. Greylock. They faced a tough Westport team last Tuesday (Nov. 14) at Scituate High and kept it very close throughout but fell 2-0 in the end.

Meanwhile, the Burke High School boys soccer made waves in Division 5 with wins over Upper Cape and Rockport before losing in the quarterfinals to powerhouse Douglas, 3-2. TechBoston also made the Division 5 tourney, won its first game but bowed out in the second round.

• Charter Schools in Dorchester were again well-represented in Division 5 play. Neighborhood House Charter School (NHCS) boys soccer team logged a win over Millis, 4-2, but lost a close one to Maynard, 2-1, in the second round. Also making the tournament were Roxbury Prep Charter and Boston Collegiate Charter (boys and girls).

• In football, Boston College High School secured a birth in the Division 1 tournament this fall after a noteworthy season. They beat Taunton, 46-8, in the opening round, but then lost to top-ranked St. John’s Prep, 56-34. The Morrissey Blvd. boys also had a good showing in the Division 1 boys soccer tournament with a victory over Braintree High, but a tough loss to Needham High.