Snapshots: Lions kick off soccer season

NSHS Soccer vs BC High, Sept 8 2026

A BC High defender goes up and over Benji Dias (23) to clear the ball in the second half. (c) Burt Granofsky/Newton Beacon

Last fall, the Newton South boys soccer team played meaningful games well into November, eventually falling to Natick in the semifinals of the state tournament. Despite graduating a number of talented players from that squad, Lions’ head coach Floyd Butler believes that this year’s team should have similar aspirations of challenging for the state title.

“I don’t see why we can’t compete in the same way,” he said. “There might be more stumbling blocks along the way because we need some guys to get some experience and make some bad choices and learn from them, but I think we’ve got a similar ceiling.”

On Tuesday, South opened its 2026 season with a 2-0 home loss to BC High, in a battle of two teams ranked in the Boston Globe’s Top 20.

Lions’ forward Benji Diaz looked threatening all day and nearly scored from 40 yards out, his long drive beating Eagles’ goalie Neil Doherty but just sailing over the crossbar.

A few minutes later, it was BC High’s Owen Smith who claimed the winner, putting home a rebound off an acrobatic save by Lions’ goalie Neo Kouri.

South’s Ethan LaVelle was strong in defeat, helping to pace the Lions’ offense from his midfield position. Defender Eugene D’Souza was also a key part of a defensive line that held the Eagles scoreless until deep in the second half.

Floyd was not fazed by the loss, saying that the early season contest against a strong opponent offered a number of valuable lessons for a team that has a postseason run in its sights.

“We’ve got a bunch of guys who are very talented, who have excellent upsides, lots of potential, but they’ve got to learn some hard lessons,” he said. “I’m still very optimistic about what we can do and where we can go.”