Wayland climbs to third in boys soccer poll as regular season winds down

Wayland has moved into the number three spot in the boys' soccer rankings. The team reached this new season high after defeating Concord-Carlisle, who was ranked sixth. Oliver Ames holds the top position in the poll. BC High has returned to number two following its victory in the Catholic Conference championship.

The list shows movement across the board as the regular season nears its end. The Massachusetts Interscholastic Athletic Association sets the cutoff for the season on November 3. Marshfield is now fourth, while Lincoln-Sudbury sits at number five. Cambridge has moved up to eighth place. St. John's of Shrewsbury has risen to eleventh.

Five new schools appear in this week's poll. Pembroke has climbed to thirteen. Norwell has jumped up to fifteen. St. Mary's is listed at sixteen and remains unbeaten as it aims for the Catholic Central title. Newton North is at seventeen and continues to play a tough schedule.

Hopkinton is ranked eighteenth after winning a Tri-Valley match against Holliston. Milford is at nineteen and has gone 7-1-1 in its last nine games. Cohasset rounds out the list at number twenty. It is the highest-ranked team in Division 4. The rankings were compiled by the Boston Globe sports staff based on reported scores.

Mike Puzzanghera wrote the column. He can be reached by email or on social media. The poll reflects the state of the sport as teams prepare for the final stretch of the season.