Monthly Archives: October 2021

October 30, 2021 · 10:02 pm

Richmond rallies past UNH 35-21

Aaron Dykes outruns Pop Bush for Richmond’s go-ahead score

Kobie Turner (98) sends UNH quarterback Bret Edwards flying

(Durham NH) Richmond hadn’t won at UNH in twenty-one years.

Richmond was winless in the Colonial Athletic Association and had lost five straight.

Richmond had six turnovers in a loss to Stony Brook last week.

Right on cue, the Spiders fumbled the opening kickoff this afternoon setting up the Wildcats in wonderful field position.

But Richmond (3-5) was able to forget all the bad history and the rocky start and defeat UNH, 35-21, on a nonstop, rainy afternoon at Wildcat Stadium.

The Wildcats (3-5) have now lost five straight.

UNH had the lead, 21-17, after three periods but watched the visitors put up eighteen unanswered points in the final period.

Isaac Seide (42) had his first UNH touchdown

Richmond quarterback Joe Mancuso was the key to the Spiders victory. The redshirt senior had three passing TDs as well as a rushing touchdown and a two-point conversion.

Junior Aaron Dykes was on the payoff end of two of Joe’s passes in the last quarter. His first TD catch gave the Spiders the lead for good, 28-21, with 9:54 left.

Joe Mancuso now has ten passing touchdowns and two rushing touchdowns in 2021.

Aaron Dykes now has four receiving scores.

The UNH pass defense struggled all afternoon surrendering 291 yards and three touchdowns.

Joe Mancuso (9) adds a two-point conversion

But the Wildcats still weren’t out of this one until Aaron Dykes second touchdown gave Richmond a, 35-21, lead with only 3:44 left.

Before that game-sealing score, UNH found ways to put points on the board and you waited for Richmond’s previous futility at UNH to resurface.

The Spiders fumbled the first time they had the ball in the first half and escaped unscathed. They did the same thing in the second half, losing the ball at their own 27, and weren’t so lucky.

UNH quarterback Brody McAndew capped a five-play drive with a seven-yard score and UNH had their first lead of the game, 21-17, at 10:17 of the third quarter.

Seemed like a perfect time for the Spiders to revert to previous form, after all they had lost five straight to UNH. But they didn’t.

The Richmond offense cashed points on three of their first four possessions in the last quarter. The Wildcats, meanwhile, had trouble moving the ball during that same stretch.

Three of the Spiders most notable defenders stepped up to limit the Wildcats. Tyler Dressler (7 solo tackles/8 assists), Tristan Wheeler (5 solo tackles/6 assists), and Kobie Turner (3 solo tackles/5 assists) often ruined UNH’s attempts to consistently move the ball.

Tristan Wheeler is tied for first in the CAA with 9.7 tackles per game.

Freshman Isaac Seide led the UNH rushers with seventy-five yards on nine carries. He also scored his first UNH touchdown on a three-yard sweep to the right corner.

The Wildcats turned a high snap on a punt attempt into points with seconds left in the first half. Aidan Murray recovered the high snap on the Richmond 24. UNH quarterback Bred Edwards then connected with Brian Espanet with three seconds left and the Spiders halftime lead was reduced to, 17-14.

Brian Espanet (80) scored late in the first half

I have to credit the UNH band. They were on the field before the game, and it was raining. They were on the field at halftime, and it was raining. When they weren’t on the field, they were in their section until the very end, and it never stopped raining. Dedication?

The tents on the far end of the field were a life saver for me and my equipment. Hardly anyone in that normally busy area today so I was able to stay dry.

There was an announced crowd of 6,000+. My eyes, however, told me that probably 90% of those folks watched from the more pleasurable confines of home! Good choice.

Thanks to UNH Media Relations director Mike Murphy for arranging my visit.

(All of the pictures above and below will enlarge considerably if you click on them.)

Tristan Wheeler (30) and Tyler Dressler (41)

Randall Harris (4) deflects a pass and gets called for pass interference

Brody McAndrew (12) scores from seven yards in the third quarter

Brody McAndrew (12) finds a hole to the end zone

Brian Esplanet (80) takes in a sidelines pass

Carlos Washington tackled by Aidan Murray (99)

Joe Eichman (0) has a fumble recovery for UNH

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Filed under Richmond, UNH

Tagged as Aaron Dykes, Brian Espanet, Isaac Seide, Joe Mancuso, Kobie Turer, LeRoy Henley, Tristan Wheeler

October 28, 2021 · 10:07 pm

Triton shuts out Newburyport 1-0

(Byfield MA) The Triton field hockey defense has been very good and that held true this afternoon against Newburyport.

The Vikings (12-3-2) recorded their eighth shutout of the season, 1-0, against Newburyport (5-7-3).

“We know that our defense is pretty strong (eleven goals against in seventeen games),” said Triton coach Donna Andersen. “It’s the frontline we’re working on.”

The Vikings frontline didn’t score in this one, but they did set up junior Sammy Kelly (center midfielder) with the game winner in the third quarter.

On the Triton goal, junior Riley Bell broke loose down the left wing and moved in for a close shot. Newburyport GK Jane Mettling kicked the shot away to the top of the circle.

“The ball came out to me,” recalled Sammy, “and I hit it right back toward the goal.”

Sammy’s quick shot surprised the Clippers defense and went into the left corner.

“We just weren’t ready for the ball going to the top spot,” said Newburyport coach Jessica Philbrick afterwards.

Sammy’s goal at 13:37 of the third quarter was her first of the season.

“Sammy saw the shot coming out and came into the top of the circle and took it over,” said Coach Andersen. “It was a good follow-up to pressure.”

Riley Bell picked up the assist.

“Riley is a good hard worker on the left wing,” said Coach Andersen. “She’s done some really nice things for us. She’s also scored a few goals.”

Delaney Woekel (3) get close to the Triton net

The Clippers lost to Triton, 2-0, in the season opener in September.

“Compared to our first game with Triton, we were like two different teams,” said Coach Phillbrick. “Today we played with confidence and made some good passing connections throughout the whole game.”

Newburyport has won four of their last six games, scoring sixteen goals and only giving up two goals.

“We’ve improved as the season has gone along,” added Coach Phillbrick. “It is better to peak at the end of the season.”

Newburyport applied pressure early in the first quarter as junior Lilly Ragusa centered a pass across in front of Triton goalie Sophia Chapman. No one was there to collect for the Clippers.

There were six corners in the game and neither team did much with them. Newburyport had their first and only one at 8:24 of the first quarter.

Triton had the next five corners including two in the second quarter and two in the third quarter.

“We clearly struggled to put the ball in the net,” said Coach Anderson. “Scoring is a little tricky right now.”

Newburyport’s best chance may have been early in the second half. Sophomore Delaney Woekel was able to get very close to the Triton goal but couldn’t get a shot off.

Less than a minute later (13:37) Sammy Kelly tallied the game’s only score.

The Vikings had several other good scoring chances in the third quarter, but Newburyport GK Jane Mettling turned them away each time.

The Clippers had the better of the scoring opportunities in the closing quarter but the Vikings defense, led by Neila Jones and Devyn Karpenko, kept the shutout for Triton.

Triton is currently ranked fourth in Division 3 while Newburyport is ranked ninth.

“We’re 4^th in the standings,” said Coach Anderson. “Things could be worse.”

“I’m looking forward to seeing how we’ll do in the playoffs,” said Coach Phillbrick.

There are no sectionals in this year’s playoff setup. Previously, Cape Ann League teams would face each other in the North sectional. Now it is possible that the most successful of the CAL teams might not see each other until the state finals.

Triton recently played, and lost, to CAL division leaders Ipswich and Pentucket by a 1-0 score each time. “I thought that we were fairly even with Ipswich,” recalled Coach Anderson. “Pentucket outplayed us. They completely dominated us in the second half.”

Coach Phillbrick: “I keep reminding myself this year that a lot of my players may not be young to varsity but because of last year’s seven-versus-seven format didn’t get as much playing time as they would in a normal season.”

Triton senior Maddie Hillick had both goals in the Vikings, 2-0, win over Newburyport in their first meeting.

Triton won nine of their first ten games while Newburyport was 1-5-3 in their first nine games.

It was cold (high 40’s) at Triton but thankfully the normal wind there never showed up.

The brilliant foliage in the Triton area appears in several of this entry’s pictures.

(All of the pictures above and below will enlarge considerably if you click on them.)

Lilly Ragusa (15) and Devyn Karpenko (3)

Newburyport GK Jane Mettling kicks away the shot of Riley Bell (6)

Sammy Kelly with the ball after her goal

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Filed under Newburyport, Triton

Tagged as Coach Donna Andersen, Jane Mettling, Riley Bell, Sammy Kelly, Sophia Chapman

October 26, 2021 · 8:37 pm

Ipswich edges Lynnfield in VB thriller

Ella Gizmunt (6) was a dominating presence for the Pioneers

(Lynnfield MA) “Exciting,” won’t do this match justice.

It was more than that…..and there was no letup in the exhilaration on both sides.

Ipswich (15-1) had two crunch-time rallies and defeated Lynnfield, 3-2, on Tuesday night.

The scores were; 25-21, 17-25, 25-23, 18-25, and 15-17.

Even the fifth game was tight and tense!

The Pioneers (15-3) had been swept 3-0 by the Tigers at Ipswich on September 29^th.

But that was then. Lynnfield came into this game having won eight of nine and they were playing at home where they were 7-0.

The teams were tied at the top of the CAL Kinney Division with identical 11-1 records.

Grace Sorensen (14 kills, 16 digs) for Tigers

The Pioneers had won last year’s abbreviated Cape Ann League season and have a volleyball banner on the gymnasium wall indicating other CAL championships.

Both schools had fans in the house, and it was loud. It was so loud that at times you couldn’t even hear the loud music.

Both teams had big hitters and there were tons of hard-hit finishes.

Lynnfield’s junior Ella Gizmunt had a night of well setup power hits. The six-footer knows how to finish.

“We tried to avoid her,” said Ipswich coach Staci Sonke afterwards. “She’s their best player. She’s going to go somewhere and play D1. Our goal was to get the ball away from her as much as possible and make the rest of her team work for it.”

In Game One, Ipswich broke away from a 10-10 tie and led the rest of the way winning, 25-21.

I thought then of the early-season Ipswich sweep and thought maybe things were heading in that direction.

Wrong on that one. Lynnfield broke away from an 8-8 tie in Game Two and didn’t look back winning, 25-17.

Game Three held the first of the two crucial late-game Ipswich rallies. The Tigers were tied 1-1 and advanced to a seemingly comfortable, 22-17, advantage. But Lynnfield wouldn’t go away. They ran seven straight points with the Lynnfield side getting more and more involved as the Ipswich lead disappeared. Now down 23-22, the Tigers’ Ella Stein had a hard hit and a strong serve to restore the Ipswich lead, 24-23. A Claire O’Flynn spike finished the game in the Tigers favor.

Tired and demoralized? Ready to give up? Didn’t notice any of that from Lynnfield in Game Four. Led by Ella Gizmunt, the Pioneers left a 5-5 tie and went on to win, 25-18. Ella was everywhere on this one with serves, digs, and spikes. She also showed spike several times and then tapped to an open space.

Ella Stein (10 kills, 6 aces) for Ipswich

The deciding 15-point Game Five had several early ties before Lynnfield moved ahead 13-9, riding the play of Ella Gizmunt.

The Tigers looked to be in serious trouble but somehow were able to turn the momentum their way and even things at, 13-13.

Lynnfield had match point at 14-13 and couldn’t get it done.

Ipswich had match point at 15-14 and also couldn’t get it done.

(Hopefully, you’re getting a sense of how remarkable this match was!)

With the score tied at, 15-15, Ipswich put two straight points together for the victory. Meghan Wallace had an important hit in the first Tigers’ point and Grace Sorensen served the match winner.

“It came down to who had the ball at the right time,” said Lynnfield coach Brent Ashley afterwards, “and who had experience in the big moment before.”

“It was such a competitive match,” said Ipswich senior Claire O’Flynn. “Either team could have won. Lynnfield played so hard.”

The victory gives Ipswich at least a share of the Kinney Division title in the Cape Ann League. A win on Wednesday night (Triton) gives Ipswich the title outright.

Lynnfield setter Sarah Foley had plenty to do with many of Ella Gizmunt’s best hits.

“I don’t think we could have done any better, honestly,” said Sarah afterwards. “We played our hearts out. We put everything out there tonight. Ella (Gizmunt) had a great game.”

Sarah Foley (10) prepares to set up a teammate

“It was an intense match,” said Ipswich sophomore Tess O’Flynn. “Serving at the end was a bit scary.”

“What a battle this was,” added Coach Sonke. “It was between two really great teams. Ella (Gizmunt) was unreal.”

“It came down to who made fewer mistakes in the end,” Coach Sonke said. “and who could make the last serve and who could get the ball on the court.”

“Good for Ipswich,” said Coach Ashley. “They’re only 5-6 years old and they get to put a number on their banner if they win on Wednesday.”

The big change in the post-season is that there no longer are divisions. There are now power rankings which will determine the seedings.

What does that mean for Ipswich and Lynnfield? Both teams are in Division 4. Ipswich is ranked #1 and Lynnfield #2.

The chance of the two teams meeting in the North Division title match, as under the previous post-season setup, has been replaced by the enticing possibility of the two teams meeting in the state finals. Now wouldn’t that be something!

“I’m ready to see them in the state finals,” said Sarah Foley.

Who wouldn’t want to see that rematch?

(All of the pictures above and below will enlarge considerably if you click on them.)

Grace Davie (4) in position to block Grace Sorensen’s spike attempt

Meghan Wallace (27) at the net for Ipswich

Natalie Connell (8) and Meghan Wallace (27)

Grace Sorensen (2) spikes through two blockers

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Filed under Ipswich, Lynnfield

Tagged as Claire O'Flynn, Ella Gizmunt, Grace Sorensen, Meghan Wallace, Tess O'Flynn

October 23, 2021 · 7:33 pm

Alyssa Pettet and Allie Waters are playing soccer at Holy Cross

(Worcester MA) The first adjective that came out of their mouths was, “awesome.”

I met with Alyssa Pettet (Amesbury) and Allie Waters (Newburyport) this afternoon after the Holy Cross/Navy women’s soccer match.

Both girls are freshmen on the team.

I had seen Alyssa and Allie play plenty of soccer in the Cape Ann League and wondered how they were doing at the college level.

That “awesome” in the first paragraph was in response to my, “How are things going?” question.

Instead of trying to summarize what they told me, I will let them speak for themselves.

“How are things going?”

Alyssa: “It’s awesome. I love it here. I’m having lots of fun.”

Allie: “The team and the community here are awesome. It’s definitely a huge transition from club to college. The level of play is a lot higher.”

“How did you get to come to Holy Cross?”

Alyssa: “I started talking to their coach in January of my freshman year. Then I committed in July. I have been in contact for a long time. I am excited to be here. I loved the community here and the beautiful campus. It’s a great academic school and they play high-level soccer.”

Allie: “I got here through communications between my club coaches and the coaches here. The prior coach saw me at a couple of showcase games. I committed here February of my junior year.”

“How are things going academically?”

Alyssa: “Academically, it is definitely a transition. It is a prestigious school. I haven’t gotten any grades yet. I’ve been balancing the academics with soccer. I think I’m figuring it out. We have academic chats with the assistant coaches every week. It’s a good thing.”

Allie: “It’s a lot fewer actual hours of school. In high school you sit eight hours in the classroom. For me, I have two classes a day at a top of 1 ½ hours each. In soccer season, they set you up with a strict schedule so that you know to get things done. Out-of-season will not be the time to procrastinate.”

“Have you been home at all?”

Allie: “We drove back together to watch our high school teams. We had fall break so there were no classes here, so we had the time. I watched Newburyport versus Rockport. It made me want to be out there. I have so many memories on the field.”

Alyssa: “I saw Amesbury against Triton. It was great to see the team at our game against Boston University. It is cool how supportive everyone has been.”

“How about the soccer facility here?”

Alyssa: “The facility is beautiful. They really maintain this place. It’s a little bit nicer than Cashman!”

Allie: “It’s weird playing on grass. I was used to playing on turf in club and high school. It has been an adjustment.”

Alyssa started for the Crusaders and played the first twenty minutes. Allie didn’t get into the game.

Holy Cross (1-14-1) has struggled in the very tough Patriot League.

“Every game is a battle,” said Alyssa, “and it’s awesome to be part of it.”

The Crusaders had a tough, 1-0, loss to Navy today. The Midshipmen are 10-5-3 and have been an impressive 5-0-1 in their last six matches.

Navy freshman Alexa Riddle scored her seventh goal of the season today in the 16^th minute of the first half. She took a long pass and broke in behind the Holy Cross defense. Alexa nearly had another goal in the final seven minutes of the game.

Navy celebrates the only goal of the game

The Crusaders had chances. In fact, Cerys Balmer had a penalty kick with thirteen minutes remaining in the game. The PK attempt went wide left.

Cerys Balmer’s penalty kick goes wide left

“Not winning as much as high school is a mental battle,” said Allie. “In the end it will make us stronger. There will be a huge time of development in the off-season.”

Holy Cross is blessed to have Alyssa Pettet and Allie Waters within their student body. Now if they can just start winning some games!

Thanks to Charles Bare and Delaney O’Brien for arranging my visit today.

(All of the pictures above and below will enlarge considerably if you click on them.)

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Tagged as Alexa Riddle, Allie Waters, Alyssa Pettet

October 22, 2021 · 11:12 pm

Pentucket shuts out Amesbury 2-0

Pentucket seniors with Coach Ruth Beaton

(Merrimac MA) The Pentucket seniors were honored before the game and the team was honored afterwards.

The Sachems (15-1) defeated Amesbury, 2-0, on Friday afternoon.

“We’re CAL field hockey champs for the first time in school history,” said Pentucket coach Ruth Beaton afterwards. Her team has won twelve straight games.

Junior Haley Dwight had a goal and an assist for Pentucket.

“Pentucket is an awesome team,” said Amesbury coach Kerri Doherty post-game. “They consistently come out fast and move the ball extremely well. They can play on both turf and grass.”

The Sachems put pressure on the Indians (2-8-4) most of the game.

“We had a ton of chances,” said senior Lana Mickelson. “I know because I missed a few.”

Lana had two goals against Amesbury in Pentucket’s 4-1 win at Amesbury.

Busy afternoon for Amesbury goalie Nuala Arsenault

The Sachems scored early in the second quarter (Reese Gallant) and early in the final quarter (Haley Dwight).

Pentucket had nine corners (by my unofficial count) and numerous opportunities.

Credit Amesbury goal-keeper Nuala Arsenault along with defenders Lizzy Deacon, Hannah Gale, and Ella DeLisle for finding ways to prevent more Pentucket goals.

“It was hard in there,” said GK Nuala Arsenault, “and I was really tired…..but it was fun.”

Pentucket goalie Charlene Basque didn’t see much action. However, after Haley Dwight’s goal four minutes into the final quarter, Amesbury did apply some pressure and rang a shot off the sidebar.

A goal there would have cut the Pentucket lead to 2-1 with six minutes left.

“All credit to Amesbury for the way they hung in there,” said senior Meg Freiermuth afterwards. “We stayed gritty.”

“Defensively, we held our own,” said Coach Doherty.

Reese Gallant gets her stick on Haley’s pass

But Pentucket had so many in-close chances in the first quarter that you assumed that a goal would come that way. But that wasn’t the way the first goal was scored.

Haley Dwight intercepted a pass at midfield and headed for the left endline.

“When I see the open net, I always shoot for it,” said Haley, “but I’m also looking for my teammates.”

When Haley got close to the endline, she sent a pass across the front of the net between the goalie and a defender.

“Reese was right there,” said Haley.

“Haley put it right in front,” said Reese Gallant. “It was nice to be there on the end of Haley’s pass.”

“That first goal was picture perfect,” recalled Coach Beaton. “Reese was where she had to be when Haley made the crossing pass.”

Ball in the air in front of Izzy Deacon (11)

There was not much that Amesbury GK Nuala Arsenault could do about the goal. “Their first one was rough to get to because the player shooting was on the opposite side,” said Nuala.

The Sachems were finally able to pad their lead with a goal in the final quarter.

Pentucket had crowded in near the Amesbury goal many times, but this time Haley Dwight produced a goal out of the congestion.

“I did a spin move on the goalie and shot it,” recalled Haley. “It didn’t bounce off anyone. It went right in. The sound of a goal is something my teammates and I love to hear.”

Coach Doherty: “Ruth (Beaton) is well respected in the league. There was no doubt in my mind that Pentucket was the Number One team this year.”

Coach Beaton: “Kerri’s kids play hard and don’t give up on the ball.”

Six seniors (Bailey Stock, Madi Kuchar, Sydney Matthews, Meg Freiermuth, Lana Mickelson, Gabrielle Cloutier, and Charlene Basque) were honored pre-game.

Meg Freiermuth was pleased to have her brother Pat (Pittsburgh Steelers) on hand for the celebration.

“It is awesome to have Pat around,” said Meg. “He has a bye week, so he was able to come.”

Amesbury is one of the best 2-8-4 teams you’ll ever see. They tied highly regarded Triton recently. The Vikings are the only team with a win over Pentucket.

The Sachems have games left with Lynnfield and North Reading. Pentucket defeated both 4-0 the first time around.

The seedings for the Division 3 state tournament come out on November 1^st. How far can Pentucket go post-season?

(All of the pictures above and below will enlarge considerably if you click on them.)

GK Nuala Arsenault out to block Bailey Stock (20)

Ana Tomkiewicz (4) and Meg Freiermuth (24)

Alana DeLisle, Sydney Matthews, and Gabrielle Cloutier

Isabelle Levasseur (17) and Haley Dwight (34)

Julia Mitchell (15) and Reese Gallant (19)

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Tagged as Bailey Stock, Gabrielle Cloutier, Haley Dwight, Lana Mickelson, Madi Kuchar, Meg Freiermuth, Nuala Arsenault, Reese Gallant, Sydney Matthews

October 21, 2021 · 11:10 pm

Lynnfield VB sweeps Newburyport

Junior Ella Gizmunt had a big night for the Pioneers

Sarah Foley returns a serve for Lynnfield

(Newburyport MA) Lynnfield seldom loses to Cape Ann League opponents.

And Newburyport had too many unforced errors tonight to change that.

The Pioneers (14-2) took the match, 3-0, winning 25-23, 25-18, and 25-15.

Sydney Yim (now at Purdue) was a dominating player for Newburyport for several years.

Lynnfield now has a similar player in junior Ella Gizmunt.

“I must have done something right to get Ella on my roster,” said Lynnfield coach Brent Ashley with a smile afterwards.

The six-foot Ella finished with nineteen kills, ten digs, and three aces.

“We had trouble defending her in our back row and when she was hitting from their back row,” said Newburyport coach Lori Solazzo.

“You have to have blockers against a player like her,” added Coach Solazzo.

But the Clippers (6-10) didn’t do much blocking and the result was an evening with frequent hard-to-handle volleys coming their way.

Newburyport squandered a lead late in the first game and didn’t recover in the last two games.

“We came in strong and then we lost our stamina,” said Coach Solazzo. “I don’t have an explanation for it. Lynnfield came back around, and we couldn’t fight them off.”

The Clippers had a 19-14 lead in the first game and forced Coach Ashley to call a timeout. The Pioneers rallied to tie things at 20-20. It was still anyone’s game at 23-23. On the crucial next point, the visitors recovered after hitting the ball into the Newburyport ceiling. The final point was on a serve that the Clippers couldn’t keep in play.

“We knew that Newburyport would make adjustments after their loss to us earlier in the season,” said Coach Ashley. “Lori (Solazzo) has done so many new things with their offense and defense. It took us a while to adjust and figure out what they were doing.”

The slow start tonight didn’t surprise Ella Gizmunt. “Sometimes we start out slow,” she said. “That’s been our weakness this season. The second and third game we were ready to play. We were excited and got some momentum going.”

The home team went down 10-3 in the second game and 13-4 in the third game. Credit the Clippers for fighting back in each game but the unforced errors prevented any kind of threatening run.

“We’ve been battling the unforced errors all season,” said Coach Solazzo. “We talk about it all the time. It’s hard to pull ahead when you have so many of them.”

There were some bright spots for Newburyport. Sophia Messina had seven kills and Ava Hartley had six kills. Lauren Kolman recorded four aces.

I thought that Sarah Foley (Lynnfield) and Emma Foley (Newburyport) each did a nice job of setting up teammates.

Coach Ashley mentioned that big numbers were turned in by junior Giuliana Guarracino: sixteen digs, seven aces, and four kills.

I asked Ella Gizmunt about her volleyball plans after Lynnfield: “I don’t have any definite college plans yet but I’m certainly looking to keep playing. I’m talking to a few schools but no names to mention yet.” Based on what I saw in tonight’s limited sample, I could see her holding her own at the D1 level.

Coach Ashley: “Ella is a fantastic player. She knows the game so well. We knew that she was coming into our program when she was in seventh grade.”

Big game ahead for the Pioneers. On Monday night (October 25^th), they will be hosting Ipswich. The Tigers have only one loss. They, in fact, shut out Lynnfield in their first meeting.

Of note is the fact that in the current MIAA power rankings for Volleyball Division 4, Ipswich is first and Lynnfield is second. Hamilton-Wenham is fourth.

“It will be a great match,” said Coach Solazzo.

“The game with Ipswich is really important,” said Ella. “We want to get our redemption.”

Coach Solazzo: “We improved from the last time we played Lynnfield. That was our first and foremost goal today.”

I did some checking on Lynnfield volleyball. Mascores has their VB stats starting in 2012. Between 2012 and now, they have been 178-37. They have been to the state finals or semi-finals six times.

The Pioneers have now won seven of their last eight games.

Newburyport has gone 2-8 since they had a four-game winning streak earlier in the season.

(All pictures above and below will enlarge considerably if you click on them.)

Sarah Foley (10) and Giuliana Guarracino (11)

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Filed under Lynnfield, Newburyport

Tagged as Ava Hartley, Coach Brent Ashley, Coach Lori Solazzo, Ella Gizmunt, Giuliana Guarracino, Lauren Kolman, Sarah Foley, Sophia Messina

October 17, 2021 · 12:22 am

Newburyport keeps ALS Cup with 1-0 win

Newburyport captains (Maddie Felts, Katie Gallagher, Izzy Kirby, Caity Rooney) with the ALS Cup

(Newburyport MA) Deirdre McElhinney had been practicing penalty kicks.

“We knew that if our ALS Cup game ended in a tie there would be penalty kicks,” said Deirdre afterwards.

Tonight’s game with Pentucket didn’t end in a tie but the need for a penalty kicker arrived late in the first half.

“I tried to act like I was at practice,” added Deirdre. “I was trying to read the goalie.”

The shot was taken and found the left corner of the net.

“Fantastic PK by Deirdre,” said Newburyport coach Kevin Sheridan. “She just crushed the ball to the back corner.”

And that was the only goal scored. It turned out to be enough to get Newburyport past Pentucket, 1-0, on a balmy Saturday night at James Stehlin Stadium.

Both teams came in 9-2-2. This was, indeed, a heavyweight match.

Newburyport was 5-0 at home while Pentucket was 5-0-1 on the road. Something had to give.

“A fair result would have been a tie,” said Pentucket coach Dan Millard.

Both teams had excellent scoring chances.

“I knew that I would have plenty of action today,” said Clippers’ goalie Gabby Loughran. “They had lots of open shots today. We got lucky.”

Coach Kevin Sheridan saw Gabby’s play in net as very important. “She was outstanding,” said Coach Sheridan. “Perhaps she was the player-of-the-game. She came off the line and didn’t give rebounds. She handled the crosses and the corners.”

This game featured plenty of physical action. Every 50/50 ball was heavily contested. Some serious collisions resulted, and medical attention and free kicks followed.

“It was so intense out there,” said Anna Affolter post-game. “Both teams wanted to win this one badly.”

The physicality cost Pentucket (9-3-2) late in the first half. Newburyport sophomore Brela Pavao had possession in Pentucket’s box and was knocked down by a Sachem defender.

“Credit to Brela for drawing the penalty kick,” said Deirdre. “That was huge.”

The Clippers (10-2-2) had several scoring chances early in the game.

The first one was set up by Anna Affolter who came in along the left endline. Anna crossed the ball in front to where Bella Rosa was located. There was plenty of net to shoot at (as the picture shows) but Bella lifted the shot over the net.

A few minutes later freshman Alexis Greenblott broke into the middle from the left and got off a pretty good shot. Junior goalkeeper Emma Breen was well positioned to make the save.

Bella Rosa has great setup from Anna Affolter

The constant threat for Pentucket was junior Sabrina Campbell. Likely the fastest runner on the field. Several times she found space down the wings.

“Sabrina’s a really tough competitor,” explained Izzy Kirby who spent some time trying to stay with her. “She’s really fast. Our game plan was to make sure we had marks on her and layers. If she got by one of us, we had others back to mark her.”

“Sabrina and Mollie (Cahalane) are really good,” added GK Gabby Loughran.

The visitors trailed, 1-0, at the half and seemed (to me) to elevate their intensity in the second half.

The Sachems had their best scoring chance with fourteen minutes left.

Katie Gallagher clears a ball away from the front of the Newburyport net

Sabrina broke down the right side and found sophomore Victoria Wilson cutting down the middle. GK Gabby Loughran dove out to get in front of Victoria’s shot attempt. Gabby’s dive not only blocked the shot but also took out teammate Caity Rooney. And so there the ball sat near the three of them and none of them could get it.

Fortunately for Newburyport, senior Katie Gallagher hustled over and cleared the ball out of danger.

“Their goalie came out strong and hard,” said Coach Millard of the play. “She cut down the angle and made it difficult to score. That would have been a nice one for us to tie the game on.”

“We played hard in the back,” explained Katie Gallagher. “Pentucket is tough.”

The Clippers took a 3-0 loss to Pentucket on September 13^th at Pentucket. Newburyport has only allowed five goals all season and three of them came in that decisive loss.

“We didn’t have a good game that day,” recalled Gabby. “We took a red card halfway through the second half and they scored two more goals after that.”

Anna Affolter: “Deirdre finished like she always does in practice. It was revenge for the 3-0 loss.”

Katie Gallagher: “We stuck together through all eighty minutes of it. We went forward with speed.”

Coach Millard: “My girls gave 110%. We could have played better. Maybe we’ll see Newburyport again in the tournament.”

Coach Sheridan: “What a great game. Both teams had a bunch of chances. Pentucket played hard. They have good players.”

Molly Webster: “We have been building up to this game all year. This is such a great game whether you are on a team or not.”

Katie Gallagher: “The cup stays in Newburyport. I hope to play soccer next year. I’ve applied to all the schools I want to go to. I love the game. I want to keep playing.”

The crowd was impressive and so was the weather. Low 70’s at night on October 16^th. Who saw that coming……….but I’ll take it!

(All of the pictures above and below will enlarge considerably if you click on them.)

Izzy Kirby, Katie Gallagher, and Gabby Loughran celebrate

Annabelle Sylvanowicz (17), Sabrina Campbell (10), Izzy Kirby (13)

Clippers celebrate Deirdre McElhinney’s goal

Pentucket goalie Emma Breen reaches for Deirdre McElhinney’s penalty kick

Sabrina Campbell breaks down the right wing with Katie Gallagher chasing her

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Filed under Newburyport, Pentucket

Tagged as Anna Affolter, Deidre McElhinney, Emma Breen, Gabby Loughran, Izzy Kirby, Katie Gallagher, Molly Webster, Sabrina Campbell, Victoria Wilson

October 15, 2021 · 10:53 pm

Amesbury defeats Manchester-Essex 2-0

Avery Hallinan had a goal and an assist for Amesbury

(Amesbury MA) “MK (McElaney) gives great corners and they always somehow come to my head,” said Avery Hallinan.

Twice this afternoon in the first half, the Indians turned set plays into goals and defeated Manchester-Essex, 2-0, at Cashman Elementary School.

Avery ended up with an assist and a goal.

“This was the best we’ve looked for a while,” said Amesbury coach Adam Thibodeau afterwards. “We worked together as a team. We defended as a team. It was old-school Amesbury.”

Another tough outing for the Hornets (2-10-1).

Their inability to score goals this season has offset their hustle and strong goaltending (Madi Cook).

Emalia Collins (11) shoots at GK Zena Fitzgerald

The Hornets have been limited to four total goals in this season’s thirteen games. In the last nine games they have scored only once.

ME had several glittering chances today (as my pictures will show) but came up empty.

Senior Emalia Collins had a break-in from the right late in the second half that Amesbury GK Zena Fitzgerald turned away.

A goal there and that 2-0 Amesbury lead would have been cut in half and the momentum would have shifted to the Hornets.

“A 2-0 lead is the scariest lead to have,” said Coach Baker. “We just needed a goal.”

“Zena has kept us in every game this year,” said Coach Thibodeau. “We have had a string of very talented goalies at Amesbury.”

Amesbury (6-6) had defeated Manchester-Essex, 2-0, over a month ago with two second half goals.

“It took us a while to score last time,” recalled sophomore Cali Catarius. “This time we scored early.”

Seven minutes into the first half, MK McElaney sent a deep free kick toward the ME goal. As the kick came past the far post, Avery Hallinan slid in between two defenders to head the ball.

I thought Avery had headed the ball into the net because of the instant celebrating. Wrong. Avery had indeed headed the ball but back toward the front of the net.

There stood junior Lidya Belanger. Off Lidya’s shinguard went Avery’s header and into the net.

“That first goal was almost mine,” said Avery, “but it’s okay. I’ll take the assist.”

“Lidya was in the right spot,” said Coach Thibodeau. “The best goals are when you don’t have to shoot.”

It was Lidya’s first career goal.

Near the end of the first half, MK McElaney lined up a corner kick.

“We noticed last game with Manchester-Essex that the back post was a little open,” said Coach Thibodeau. “We want to create chaos in front of the net.”

The Cashman field is narrow and reaching the far post for a strong kicker like MK is a regular occurrence.

This time Avery was in the midst of several Hornets defender but elevated to redirect MK’s corner kick into the ME net.

“We’ve gotten killed on set plays this season,” said Coach Baker.

In the second half, the Amesbury senior trio of Avery & McKenna Hallinan and MK McElaney put pressure on the Manchester-Essex defense several times.

“We’ve been playing together for probably ten years,” recalled Avery. “We work well together.”

Manchester-Essex GK Madi Cook was left to face Amesbury attackers alone several times but earned a second-half shutout.

Riley Doherty: “Defensively, we held our own.”

Cali Catarius: “I am okay with playing anywhere. (Cali had been a striker.) We played well through the middle. Our passes were better than in previous games. Riley and I are a very good team back there. We’re working on turning and playing the ball up the field.”

Coach Baker: “We have a great bunch of girls. It’ll get better. We just didn’t do as well in the final third of the field as we would like. Our passing was an issue and they capitalized on our mistakes.”

Avery Hallinan: “We were a lot more focused today. All of us hustled.”

Cali was part of the Amesbury softball team that lost the one-run heartbreaker to Turners Falls in the state finals in June. “That still is a sensitive subject,” said Cali when I asked her if she had gotten over that loss. “We’ll get them next year.”

Avery Hallinan: “I want to play basketball in college. I like UMass Boston (her sister McKenna is going there for soccer), Endicott, and St. Joe’s.”

(All of the pictures above and below will enlarge considerably if you click on them.)

Avery Hallinan gets a head on the first Amesbury goal

Amesbury GK Zena Fitzgerald sees a shot by Libby Lawler

Kendall Newton (16) in on the right for a shot

Header by Avery Hallinan (11) headed for the net for the second Amesbury goal

Avery Hallinan (left) and Lidya Belanger (12) celebrate goal

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Tagged as Avery Hallinan, Coach Adam Thibodeau, Coach Bill Baker, Lidya Belanger, Madi Cook, McKenna Hallinan, MK McElaney

October 14, 2021 · 10:42 pm

Triton sweeps Pentucket on Senior Night

(Byfield MA) Triton shut out Whittier last night and did the same thing to Pentucket tonight.

Senior Night is as good as any to put on a good showing.

Mia Berardino, Molly Kimball, and Raegan Falooon were honored pre-game.

“Tonight was really special,” said senior Mia Berardino. “I’m so thankful that our friends and family came and supported us.”

“We had a lot of people come out for the first time,” said senior Molly Kimball afterwards.

The Vikings (6-7) swept the Sachems, 25-6, 25-17, and 25-15.

Pentucket (1-11) had times of competitive play, led by senior Jillian Sheehy, but consistent play continues to be missing.

The Molly (Kimball) and Mia (Berardino) Show has been fun to watch. Just when you think that it may go on forever, Senior Night arrives and the two of them are part of it.

Molly is the setter you dream about if you’re a finisher. She consistently puts the ball into the hitter’s sweet spots. “I love playing with her,” said Mia afterwards.

Molly ended up with twenty-three assists versus Pentucket in just three games.

“Molly has been averaging over twenty assists in the last seven or eight matches,” said Triton coach Bob Van Etten.

Mia is the finisher that every setter dreams of setting up. Mia is tall, can jump, and hits the ball with authority. Pentucket struggled to block Mia’s hard hits at the net.

“Mia had twelve kills on just seventeen attacks, which is crazy,” admitted Coach Van Etten.

Mia will be playing for Division 2 Stonehill next year.

Mia gave praise to her teammates: “It all starts with the passers. They were very, very good tonight. It helped us get good sets and hits.”

The Vikings will need to get to .500 to make the playoffs.

“We’re going to keep pushing,” said Mia. “We really want to make the playoffs.”

Triton has five matches left and several of them are with teams they have already won against.

“We’re going to get to .500,” Coach Van Etten promised. “We’ll be 9-9 or 10-8.”

I was impressed with the serving skills of Pentucket’s senior Nicole Zahornasky and the net play of sophomore Ava Snyder.

Grace Romine, Emma Campbell, and Kendall Liebert should be key pieces in the 2022 version of Triton volleyball.

Emma had five kills. Kendall had big blocks at critical times.

Coach Van Etten: “I thought we played well on an emotional night. They enjoyed themselves but got right down to business when the game started.”

Molly Kimball: “I am undecided on college. Recently I have been in contact with the basketball coach at Salem State. We have a fall league and she’s planning to come to some of the games. If that doesn’t work out, I could take a gap year.”

The most difficult sport for me to photograph is definitely volleyball. The action is so unpredictable so getting in position to get a shot is elusive. But I love the challenge!

(All of the pictures above and below will enlarge considerably if you click on them.)

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Filed under Pentucket, Triton

Tagged as Ava Snyder, Emma Campbell, Grace Romine, Jillian Sheehy, Kendall Liebert, Mia Berardino, Molly Kimball, Nicole Zahornasky

October 9, 2021 · 11:35 pm

Chase Dwight leads Pentucket by Newburyport 21-7

Chase Dwight scored three touchdowns including this one

(Haverhill MA) His running style isn’t complicated.

“I see space and I hit it,” explained Pentucket quarterback Chase Dwight.

Chase scored three short-yardage touchdowns and that was enough for the Sachems (4-1) to defeat Newburyport, 21-7, on Saturday afternoon.

Chase ended up with a career day that included 148 yards rushing and 152 yards passing (10-for-17).

Both teams produced TDs on their opening possessions and the score was tied at, 7-7, at halftime.

Grant Mosesian (8) scored for Newburyport in the first quarter

Anyone’s game going into the second half.

After matching turnovers to start the second half, Pentucket dominated on both sides of the ball.

The next two possessions Newburyport punted while the Sachems scored each time.

The defensive key for Pentucket was limiting Clippers QB Finn Sullivan. The talented senior came into today’s game with seven touchdown passes, and five rushing touchdowns.

Finn finished with fifty-five yards passing (seven-for-seventeen) and seventy-six yards rushing on sixteen carries. Little of the yardage came in the second half.

“Defensively, we were able to keep their quarterback under wraps,” said Pentucket coach Steve Hayden afterwards.

“He ran all over us last year,” added Coach Hayden recalling last year’s 40-6 loss to the Clippers.

“After their first score today, we kept our gaps controlled a little bit better,” said Coach Hayden.

On offense, Pentucket overcame bad starting field position in the second half twice (their eight and their ten) and turned in two time-consuming scoring drives.

Ryan Miles reaches for a pass as Paul Parachojuk defends

“The key to our offense is 4 (Chase Dwight) and his composure,” said Coach Hayden.

In the go-ahead score, Chase rushed for three first downs and passed to Adam Payne for another to set it up.

In the backbreaker (for Newburyport) third score, Chase converted three 3^rd downs while still on the Pentucket side of midfield. Passes to Will Sutton and CJ Condon kept the sixteen-play drive going.

The beauty of the third score for Pentucket was that it cleared 10 ½ minutes off the 4^th quarter clock while giving them a two-touchdown advantage.

Adam Payne celebrates Chase’s third touchdown

The Clippers were left with a little over a minute of game-time and a fourteen-point deficit.

“They took the wind out of our sails in the second half,” said NHS coach Ben Smolski afterwards.

“They established a good ground game by winning in the trenches,” Coach Smolski added.

“Their defense gets after it,” said Coach Smolski. “They get eleven guys to the football. They always have that relentless effort.”

Pentucket started with the ball in the first half and put points on the scoreboard. Chase passed for first downs to Che Condon and Adam Payne before plowing in from a yard away.

Henry Hartford added the extra point as Pentucket led, 7-0, at 6:57 of the first quarter.

The Clippers responded with their own touchdown. Finn Sullivan was key in the seventy-yard drive.

Finn opened space for himself with well-executed fake handoffs. His speed and elusiveness created big gains for the Clippers.

Finn passed to Grant Mosesian for the final nine yards.

“Finn went for the initial read and didn’t see it there and popped it into Grant,” said Coach Smolski of the scoring play.

Finn added the extra point with Chris Salvatore holding.

It was Finn’s eighth touchdown pass of the season and Grant’s second touchdown catch.

Chris Salvatore and Iyobosa Osazuwa tackle Chase Dwight

The Clippers started three other first-half possessions in very good field position: Newburyport 49, Pentucket 46, Newburyport 42. The upgraded Sachems defense, however, did a better job of containing Finn Sullivan and so punts ended each opportunity.

In both of Chase Dwight’s second-half touchdown, the Sachems were close to the goal-line. There was no mystery as to who would carry the ball. The mystery was, in which direction will he run.

Chase carried a defender into the end zone on the second touchdown (six yards). On the third score (two yards), he went left and into the end zone still standing.

“Chase (Dwight) is just a hard-nosed kid,” said Coach Smolski. “He is mentally and physically tough. He’s hard to bring down.”

Chase is a baseball pitcher so I knew that he could throw a ball. On most of his throws, he was on the move.

What caught my attention about Chase was his speed. I also noticed that he wasn’t shy about lowering his head on potential tacklers.

Chase Dwight: “There was a lot of excitement going into this week. Newburyport is a good team, so we had some nerves, but we played to our potential. We kept pounding today. We kept confidence in ourselves.”

Peter Osazuwa tackles Chase Dwight from behind

The Sachems were winless last year. I asked Coach Hayden what the difference has been this season: “Our seniors have stepped forward.”

Pentucket’s blocking was very good today. “The guys up front did a good job,” said Coach Hayden, “that includes; John Smith, Remo Pezzi, Bryce Winter, Ethan Drummond, and Chris Tineo.”

Chase is also a very talented baseball pitcher. “He has several options for next year,” added Coach Hayden.

Chase’s three TDs today give him six for the season.