![](https://www.soccerjournal.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/4/2019/10/NESJ_Nobles_BBN_09252019_Granofsky_0849.jpg)
Nobles forward and Princeton commit Ella Midura continues to lead the ISL program. (Burt Granofsky/New England Soccer Journal)
There's always a bit of pressure on the defending champion in any sport, regardless of age or level. They enter with heavy expectations and lingering questions of how they'll replace top-end talent.
That's especially present for Nobles in 2019 after last year produced an Independent School League title, NEPSAC Class A championship and 15-1 season. And the big-name losses to Ivy League programs were notable: forwards Ava Lung and Allie Winstanley are now at Harvard and Dartmouth, respectively, while midfielder/defender Emily St. John is at Cornell.
Three Division 1 talents, three big losses.