It was 10 minutes into the 2024 opener when Amber Wood went down with a season-ending torn ACL. The forward led Lawrence High’s girls’ soccer team with 12 goals last year as a sophomore, and in an instant it looked like it might be a bleak campaign.
But Becca Boggs begged to differ.
“I knew from the start of our season that we were going to have a successful year,” the junior forward/midfielder said. “Losing Amber was heartbreaking for all of us but everyone has stepped up. I am really proud of this group because we know what we need to do to get the results we want. Our team chemistry is unmatched.”
Boggs has been one of the highest steppers. Through the Cardinals 9-6 start, she was second on the team with 10 goals and led in assists with 15, prompting coach Emily Palombo to say “I think she has stepped up particularly well.”
Moving from wing to center-midfield has aided Boggs’ production. She was center-mid in travel and welcomed the chance to do it in high school.
“I need her to touch the ball,” Palombo said. “I talked to her about playing in the center and she wanted that role and that opportunity at this level. That opened up a lot for her to assist people.”
Even without Wood, Boggs has teammates to look for who can find the back of the net. As of Oct. 14 senior Michaela Little had 11 goals, sophomore Ava Donnelly tallied eight and junior Caelyn LaFlamme had seven.
“Moving to center-midfield has given me the opportunity to find the ball more and hit my teammates’ feet who are moving off the ball,” Boggs said. “I’ve been able to check to the ball, support my teammates more, and then switch the field.
“I love playing central midfield, especially when Michaela is playing forward. I think our chemistry has grown a lot since my freshman year. She always knows where I’m going to play her the through ball.”
The two also have a strong connection on corner kicks, with Boggs usually delivering them somewhere in the vicinity of Little’s head.
“She hits her corners fantastic,” Palombo said.
“I always look for Michaela,” Boggs said. “She is able to track the ball very well, which has helped us score. I think we have like, five goals off corner kicks.”
And although she has scored her share of goals, Boggs considers herself a playmaker who scores rather than a scorer who distributes.
“I have made it a goal for myself to contribute to every game by having a goal or an assist,” she said. “I feel like I am a playmaker and distributor who scores goals because my teammates are always making runs giving me the opportunity to set them up.”
Boggs’ attachment to Cardinals soccer runs deep. Her father, Dave, was the program’s first coach (and only one of three, along with Dana Williams and Palombo). He serves as a historian for Palombo, informing her of significant “firsts” for the team and any records it might be setting.
Becca was only 1-year-old the last season Dave coached Lawrence, but he has still made an impact on her.
“My dad plays a huge part in my soccer career,” she said. “He was my first soccer coach and has been coaching me since I was three. He is one of the reasons I’m out there on the field succeeding.
“My mom and dad put their lives aside to take me to late practices and games, and are always supporting me. After games my dad and I will always chat and he asks me what I think I can work on. He gives me tactics about the game to help me grow and get better as a player.”
She also credits brother Owen, who is three years older, for “helping me grow so much as a player. I grew up always going to his soccer practices and the boys always challenged me, which helped me continue to get better.”
Boggs began playing travel with Matchfit Academy and is currently on Penn Fusion. She started as an outside midfielder but would occasionally drift to the center of the field. “My coach finally decided to give me the opportunity to play center midfield and that’s where my love for the position began.”
Thanks to the family lessons she learned coming up through the ranks, Boggs was a fairly polished player upon arriving at Lawrence. She made varsity as a freshman and collected four goals and two assists, followed by a sophomore season of seven goals and nine assists.”
“I’d been hearing about Becca for a long time because of travel and her dad has kept me in the loop about things,” Palombo said. “She’s just so skilled, you could see the potential in her. Sometimes freshman year is hard but she’s just blossomed and gained confidence with each season.”
Center-midfielders are often referred to as a team’s maestro, and Boggs is certainly that as she has an uncanny ability to direct on the field.
“Beck’s soccer IQ is one of the best I’ve seen,” Palombo said. “She has incredible vision, it just allows her to create opportunities for her teammates and for herself as well. She’s very skilled at one on one situations.
“Her vision is incredible. She’s so much fun to watch. She always knows where someone else is gonna be or sees a play developing and she’s able to have a sweet through ball and thread the needle during the game.”
When it comes to scoring, Boggs feels she is most dangerous in 1-v-1 situations, and welcomes it when her teammates can find her feet.
“‘She isn’t scared to take somebody on,” Palombo said. “She can create chances, beat somebody and rip a shot. A lot of her goals have been from 25 yards out. She’s a lefty with a strong left foot.
“She also defends pretty well. She knows we have some high expectations of her making sure she re-defends.”
With offensive success, of course, comes attention from the other team.
“People know who she is so she’s getting marked,” Palombo said. “We’ve been trying to get her to work, checking north to south and varying her runs so she can get open.”
Although just a junior, Boggs is one of the team’s older players as Lawrence has just two seniors on the roster, including Wood. When Wood went down, Becca knew she had to do more.
“She puts a lot of pressure on herself, but we’re trying to tell her she just needs to play the game because she’s so good,” Palombo said. “When she’s moving and creating for herself she also creates chances for everybody else because she’s so skilled on the ball.”
Aside from her playing ability, Boggs is also trying to serve as a leader.
“I realized I am now an upperclassman,” she said. “ I have been trying to make the younger girls feel comfortable since I have some experience. I am focused on setting a positive example by encouraging my teammates, working hard at practice as well as on the field during games. My coaches have encouraged me to be more vocal and I have been trying to fulfill that role.”
Palombo feels that Boggs has come a long way since her freshman year in terms of being a good teammate and taking responsibility. She has gained some leadership experience working at her dad’s Boggs Barrett Soccer Camp and the Bob Smith Soccer Academy, saying “I’m trying to make an impact on the future of youth soccer.”
A former member of Lawrence’s DECA club, Boggs now focuses on academics and soccer in hopes of playing in college.
“I have been in contact with some coaches, but I am still exploring my options,” she said. “My dad played soccer at Trenton State College (now The College of New Jersey) and my aunt played at North Carolina State. Having these two as role models encourages me to work hard each time I step on the field. Playing college soccer is something I strive for, following in their footsteps.”
Junior Becca Boggs has been a top performer for LHS girls’ soccer. (Photo by Suzette J. Lucas.,
