Dedham girls soccer scored four unanswered goals and held Millis scoreless in a 4-0 Tri-Valley League win Monday, Oct. 26, at the Multipurpose Turf Field.
The Marauders improved to 9-5-2 on the season, according to MaxPreps. Millis dropped to 3-8-7.
It was the second time Dedham beat Millis this fall. The Marauders won 2-1 at Welch Field in Millis on Sept. 16, according to the team's schedule on Arbiter.
The Oct. 26 shutout caps a strong stretch for Dedham. The team beat North Andover 1-0 on Oct. 22 and tied Division 3 third-ranked Dover-Sherborn 1-1 on Oct. 19. A 0-1 loss to Holliston on Oct. 14 is the only blemish in the last five games.
Dedham sat at No. 10 in the MIAA Division 3 girls soccer power rankings released Oct. 23. The top 32 teams in each division qualify for the state tournament regardless of record. The Marauders' Oct. 26 win is not yet reflected in those rankings, and an updated release is expected later this week.
The Marauders had climbed from No. 12 to No. 10 after a win over Westwood and the Dover-Sherborn draw, as The Mass Pitch reported in its Oct. 20 rankings analysis. At the time, Dedham's opponent rating of 2.0533 was the highest among the top 10, reflecting a demanding Tri-Valley League schedule.
The MIAA rankings cutoff is Tuesday, Nov. 3. Brackets come out Thursday, Nov. 5, and the tournament opens Friday, Nov. 6.
Three regular-season games remain. Dedham travels to Medway on Wednesday, Oct. 28, at 6 p.m. The Mustangs sit at No. 16 in Division 3 with a 7-6 record. The Marauders then host Hopedale on Friday, Oct. 30, at 4:15 p.m. and close the regular season at Norton on Monday, Nov. 2, at 6:30 p.m.
