Ex-high school stars return to stock summer teams

Ashland's Chatham Yanauskas-Flynn (right) of Azzurri battles Brianna Whitehouse of the Hawks for control. (Wiqan Ang for the Boston Globe)

Three of the perennial powers in the Eastern Massachusetts Women's Soccer League's top division - Azzurri of Medfield, Boston Renegades U-20 of Waltham, and Suburban Thunder of Newton - include numerous local former and current players from Northeast colleges.

Azzurri's ranks, in addition to BU's Casey Brown of Natick, include Bentley College women's soccer coach and Holliston native Lauren Lukis, one of Azzurri's veterans and a great role model for the team's younger players such as Harvard-bound Melanie Baskind from Framingham High School.

"I've been with Azzurri for 12 seasons and we range from mothers with children to college kids, to corporate executives, and even an airline pilot," said Lukis, a former Holliston High star who played at Clark University and Bentley and often finds herself playing against women who suit up in the fall for Bentley's opponents - and even for Bentley. "I've learned a lot from being a part of this team and the younger players keep the older players on their toes. I've never lost my passion for playing and this league is a great outlet for continuing to play at a high level."

Azzurri's ex-collegians also include Sudbury's Jessica Berry (University of Chicago), Needham's Ali Considine (Franklin Pierce) and Tracy Prihoda (Wheaton), Westborough's Heather Mackay (Bowdoin), Newton's Michele Savage (Fairfield), Framingham's Meghan Welch (Connecticut College), Ashland's Chatham Yanauskas-Flynn (New Hampshire), Chestnut Hill's Lisa Pflaumbaum (North Carolina State), and the recently graduated Jackie Wade of Medfield (Connecticut College).

Azzurri players Sarah Martyn of Natick (Northeastern), Anne Bolling of Needham (Assumption), Shauna Kaplan of Framingham (New Hampshire), and Kate Scott of Medway (Brown) are returning to college this fall.

The Renegades U-20 roster includes college players Leah Leavitt of Holliston (Bentley), Kylie Ricker of Nashoba Regional (Providence), Katey Scionti of Wellesley (Haverford), and sisters Alessia and Angelamaria Viscomi of Newton (Wheaton).

The Thunder's contingent from the western suburbs consists of Newton residents Ali Amira (BU), Hannah Lodi (Kenyon), Anna Crystal and Emma Burrows (Wesleyan), Jenny Krasker (Wellesley), Kerry Moy (Clark), Kristina Jennings (Rhode Island), Jessica Howard (Carnegie-Mellon), Katie McLean (Union), and Mikaela Hansen (BU). Bowdoin College is represented on its roster by Molly Duffy of Millis and Emily Swaim of Wellesley.

Azzurri's co-coaches are Dick Fischman and Fred Sears of Dover. The Renegades U-20 head coach is Waltham resident Peter Bradley, Mass Premier Soccer's director of coaching. He is assisted by Steve Morrison, a Bellingham resident who is also assistant boys' coach at The Rivers School. The Thunder is coached by Newton residents Ted Ritchie, Barry Cohen, and David Amidon. .

The league's All-Star Game, featuring players from its top two divisions, is set for Sunday at 6 p.m. at Lincoln Street Field in Lexington.