Brookline High field hockey earned the No. 4 spot in MassLive's preseason Bay State Conference rankings, published Tuesday, Sept. 8. The Warriors open the season Wednesday, Sept. 9, hosting Milton at 4 p.m.

Head coach Emily Hunt's team finished 6-8-4 last year and lost in the MIAA Division I Round of 32. Brookline started the 2025 campaign 5-3 before fading down the stretch.

The defense was a bright spot. The Warriors posted four shutouts and competed closely with some of the conference's top programs, according to MassLive.

The biggest question heading into 2026: who fills the gaps left by Caroline Hughes and Clara Thibault? Both earned Bay State Conference All-Star honors last season and have graduated. No Brookline players appeared on MassLive's 20-player BSC watch list for 2026, published Monday, Sept. 7. Hunt will lean on rising upperclassmen to shoulder the load, MassLive reported.

Wednesday's opener is a matchup of two teams in transition. Milton, ranked 5th in the poll, went 10-6-1 in 2025 and reached the MIAA Division 2 Round of 16 for the second time in three seasons. The Wildcats also lost two conference All-Stars, Lilly Babb and Sabrina Stone, to graduation. Head coach Lindsey Scully faces a similar challenge replacing experienced talent with juniors and seniors stepping into bigger roles.

Above Brookline in the rankings sit three powerhouses. Walpole, the three-time defending MIAA Division I state champion, holds the top spot after going 20-1-1 last season. Wellesley (17-2) is second and Natick (12-5-1) third.

Even Walpole is navigating turnover. Head coach Jen Quinn told MassLive her program isn't dwelling on departures. "We are not rebuilding, we are reloading," Quinn said. Brookline, which lost fewer starters than the Rebels, will try to channel that same mindset.

MassLive will update the BSC rankings weekly through the end of the regular season. Wednesday's 4 p.m. home matchup against Milton is the first test.