Needham girls soccer opened the 2026 season with a 5-0 rout of Brookline on Wednesday, Sept. 9, at Cricket Field.

Senior captain Izzy Marino led the attack with two goals. Junior Vivienne Laporte, a transfer from Worcester Academy, scored the Rockets' first goal of the season within the opening 10 minutes. Laporte buried a left-footed shot under the crossbar off a pass from sophomore Sasha Capobianco, MassLive reported.

It was never close.

Laporte also set up the third goal, delivering a corner kick that sophomore Alli Manning headed home for a 3-0 lead in the 37th minute. Sophomore Belen Schreier rounded out the scoring with a goal in the final 10 minutes of the 4:15 p.m. contest.

Marino praised the newest Rocket after the game. "We're so excited to have Viv on our team this year and we think she'll have a great season ahead of her," Marino told MassLive.

The lopsided win is an encouraging sign for a young roster. Needham returned just three seniors this season. Marino and fellow captain Emery Carr are charged with leading a group that includes six juniors and a wave of sophomores who contributed immediately.

"In having such a small roster, I have faith in everyone on it to step up and do their jobs, and I think that's exactly what they did today," Carr told MassLive.

Carr said the shutout was important for building the team's confidence in front of the net and keeping clean sheets heading into the rest of the schedule.

The Rockets entered the year with high expectations. Needham was the top seed in the Division 1 state tournament last season before falling in the quarterfinals to Belmont, according to a Boston Herald preseason preview. The team trained at Cricket Field for two weeks before Wednesday's opener.

Needham travels to Dover-Sherborn for its first road game of the season on Friday, Sept. 11.