January 15, 2021 · 10:36 pm

Ipswich holds off Triton 53-52 in OT

Ipswich celebrates after edging Triton

(Byfield MA) “I was afraid that they might call a foul, but I got all ball.”

That was how freshman Will Wertz explained it after his last-second block preserved Ipswich’s, 53-52, win over the Triton on Friday night.

The Vikings (1-3) had just three seconds to work with but perfectly executed an inbounds play to give Dylan Wilkinson (17 points) a look from the right corner.

Dylan Wilkinson (17 points) to the hoop

Despite the loss, Triton coach Ted Schruender wasn’t totally surprised by the way things went.  “You had two evenly matched teams so it could have gone either way.  We were hot and then they were hot.”

There were nine lead changes early into the second half.

Then the Vikings, led by Dylan Wilkinson and Kyle Odoy (16 points) turned up the heat defensively (four Ipswich turnovers) and strung twelve straight points together in a 3 ½ minute segment of the third quarter.

The showcase performance sent the home team up, 36-26, with three minutes left in the third quarter.

Ipswich wasn’t done, however.

Kyle Odoy (16 points) splits two Tigers

“We really showed resilience tonight,” explained Ipswich coach Alan Laroche.  “We were down ten and didn’t stop believing that we could come back.”

And back the visitors came.

Triton’s, 42-32, lead vanished as Ipswich heated up.  The Tigers (2-2) had three’s from Charlie Henderson and Aidan O’Flynn putting twelve straight points together and regained the lead, 44-42, with four minutes left.

Ipswich took a two-point lead with twenty seconds remaining in regulation (Ray Cuevas layup) but senior Kyle Odoy (16 points) had a tying layup with eight seconds left to force OT.

Nikhil Walker (11 points) looks to convert a rebound

The Vikings built up a four-point lead in the first minute of overtime and still had that margin (52-48) in the last minute and had the ball.

Ipswich, however, did everything right in that last minute and pulled out the exciting win.

Charlie Henderson (14 points) started things for the Tigers in that pivotal last minute getting a steal and a layup.  Then it was solid Ipswich team defense that forced a 5-second violation as Triton tried to inbounds the ball.  Still trailing by two (52-50) Ipswich was able to get Ray Cuevas (13 points) a 3-point shot which he cashed to get the Tigers in front.

Ray Cuevas stops Kyle Odoy on the baseline

“Ray is a great player,” said Coach Laroche.  “We try to get him as many looks as we can.  Screens were set for him and he used them.”

“All game long I was struggling for downtown,” said Ray Cuevas afterwards.  “You keep shooting and sooner or later they fall.  I knew that last shot was going in.”

In it went and then Will Wertz’s block sealed it for the Tigers.

“Will didn’t shoot very well tonight but he came up big for us at the end,” said Coach Laroche.

Nikhil Walker excelled on defense and added eleven points for Ipswich.

Charlie Henderson double-teamed

Despite the loss Coach Schruender was optimistic: “These guys work hard and we’re going to get better.  I’m just happy that we’re out here playing.  We’re hoping for no interruptions in the future.”

This was the second overtime loss for the Vikings this week.

Triton box

Ipswich box

The link to this coverage will be on Twitter (@mcclellandpeter).  I also expect to post pictures on Instagram (mcclellandmiscellanea).  The story/pictures should appear on Mascores too.

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

Coach Alan Laroche pregame with Ray Cuevas and Nikhil Walker

Jayden Halecki (40) in a crowd of Vikings

Nick Dupuis

Aidan O’Flynn

Kyle Odoy and Will Wertz

Dylan Wilkinson shoots over Charlie Henderson

Kyle Odoy finds an opening to the basket

Zach Liebert at the line

Board battle

Quintin McHale at the line

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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January 13, 2021 · 11:34 pm

Newburyport overwhelms Lynnfield early getting 61-29 win

Anna Affolter was part of a tight Newburyport defense

The Clippers turned missed Lynnfield shots into fast break opportunities.

Deidre McElhinney (13 points) led all scorers.

(Newburyport MA) Impressive performance by the Clippers.

Undefeated Newburyport (4-0) dazzled in every aspect of the game and routed Lynnfield, 61-29, on Wednesday night at NHS.

The Clippers smothered the winless Pioneers (0-3) defensively from the get-go and were about as good on offense as you can get.

“We came out strong,” said NHS high scorer Deidre McElhinney afterwards in what could well have been the understatement of the year!

The Clippers scored the first eleven points of the game and may not have missed a shot during the hot start.

By the end of the first quarter, seven different Clippers had contributed points and NHS was in control, 24-5.

Leah Metsker and Riley Hallahan

“Once we started making shots, we gained more confidence,” explained senior Leah Metsker.

Four of the NHS baskets were on offensive rebound conversions.  Three came on 3-point shots, while another was off a turnover that high scorer Deidre McElhinney (13 points) turned into a layup.

“A lot of us were on tonight,” added Deidre in yet another understatement.

Sophomore Jackie Doucette told me post-game, “I wasn’t really on tonight,” yet she still ended up with eleven points.

Clippers coach Karen Grutchfield was pleased with the way things went: “I thought they did great.  Our whole focus was defensive pressure and out of that pressure we got transition points.”

The Clippers seemed to have the right answers for each defense the Pioneers tried.

Abigail Gillingham (8 points) shoots over the Lynnfield defense

Against Ipswich, Newburyport struggled with the visitor’s zone defense.  Not tonight.  Plenty of good passes including cross-court ones that turned up high-percentage looks.  Even on misses, the Clippers size and positioning resulted in nine rebound baskets.

Impressive show, to say the least.

Credit Lynnfield for never giving up despite falling behind by as many as thirty-five (56-21) early in the final quarter.

“They were taller than us and played great,” said Lynnfield coach Jeannine Cavallaro afterwards referencing Newburyport.  “You get down by twenty early, it’s hard to come back.”

Tight Clippers defense on the inside kept two of Lynnfield’s Cape Ann League All-Stars (Caroline Waisnor & Grace Klonsky) on the perimeter and shut down the driving lanes for them.  They were each limited to four points.

Caroline Waisnor on defense

“We got some decent looks,” added Coach Cavallaro, “but our offense has been stagnant so far.”

Sophomore Isabella George led the Pioneers with ten points.

Abigail Gillingham (8), Emma Foley (8), and Sydney Turner (7) added points for Newburyport.

I thought that the individual defense of Anna Affolter and Makenna Ward on Grace Klonsky was excellent.

The early score-separation gave both coaches opportunity to give everyone plenty of playing time.  “We have plenty of depth,” said Coach Grutchfield, “and we don’t lose a lot when we substitute.  Our scoring was spread out (nine players scored) and I like that.”

Newburyport lost twice to Lynnfield last year.  “We remembered last year,” said Deidre.

Lynnfield coach Jeannine Cavallaro

The Pioneers have certainly gone through some changes since last year’s 13-7 season.  The Morelli sisters graduated.  CAL All-Star Cate MacDonald (averaged 12 rebounds per game) transferred to New Hampton Prep.  Three players are out with injuries. And they have a new coach.

“We’re missing players,” said Coach Cavallaro, “and we’ve been quarantining it.  So we’re behind but that’s no excuse.  You have to come out and play.”

Grace Klonsky is committed to Denison while Caroline Waisnor will join the Endicott Gulls this fall.

The good start by Newburyport bodes well for their schedule ahead.  “If we start the way we did tonight, we’ll be in good shape the rest of the way,” said Deidre McElhinney.

The other two CAL games I have covered have been posted on Mascores and this one should be also.  The link to my blog (McClelland Miscellanea) will be on Twitter (@mcclellandpeter) will be on Twitter.  I also hope to get pictures on Instagram (Mcclellandmiscellanea).

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

Gabby Loughran pressures Maggie Ozanian

Olivia McDonald in denial defense

Elizabeth Metsker defends Riley Hallahan

Anna Affolter tries to guard Grace Klonsky

Loose ball

Grace Klonsky guarded by Makenna Ward

Jackie Doucette (11 points)

Caroline Waisnor

Emma Foley (8 points)

Battle on the boards

Deidre McElhinney in for two

Makenna Ward guards Grace Klonsky

Ava Buonfiglio, Deidre McElhinney, and Maggie Ozanian

Livia Tare

 

 

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January 11, 2021 · 11:36 pm

Liv Kiricoples (21 points) leads Triton past Georgetown 48-35

Sophomore Liv Kiricoples (21 points) took over the second half for the Vikings

Liv Kiricoples found sixteen points for Triton on the inside in the second half

(Byfield MA) Way too much Liv Kiricoples for Georgetown to cope with in the second half.

Liv turned in a 16-point second half as Triton defeated the Royals, 48-35, on Monday night at Triton.

“#10 is a great player,” said Triton coach Bryan Shields afterwards referring to Liv.  “She works as hard as she can and is never satisfied with what she’s doing.  Only a sophomore, I can’t wait to see how she develops in the seasons ahead.”

The Vikings (2-0) needed that strong second half because the Royals only trailed by a point (23-22) halfway through the third quarter after a Brook Higgins put-back basket.

“We played hard,” said Royals coach Kevin Fair post-game.  “I definitely liked our effort.”

And through 2 ½ quarters the effort and hard work was enough because both teams missed shots and turned the ball over with an alarming regularity.

Georgetown pressure

Triton pressure

The last half of the third quarter, however, Triton put together a string of unanswered points (thirteen) and were in control, 36-22, at quarter’s end.

A Riley Bell runner, a Molly Kimball triple, and a Caitlin Frary layup blended with six points from Liv Kiricoples to gain separation from the pesky Royals.

“That third quarter killed us,” admitted Coach Fair.  “We had too many turnovers and too many missed layups.”

Even when the visitors successfully broke the persistent Triton pressure, they often missed the in-alone layup at the other end.

Caitlin Frary (11 points) gets to the basket

“We want to play fast on both ends,” said Coach Shields.

The Vikings missed plenty of shots too.  Decisive for them was taking advantage in the last part of the game of having Liv Kiricoples in close to the basket.

The new rules eliminate, for the most part, taking the ball out under the basket.  Triton used sidelines out-of-bounds to their advantage.  The Royals tried to front Liv in the post, but the inbounds passers often lobbed over the defenders to Liv who had the lane to herself.

Neither team gave the other any kind of defensive break.  Both teams committed twenty-seven turnovers by my unofficial count.  Most of Georgetown’s were in the backcourt while most of Triton’s were in the frontcourt.

“We struggled against their press,” said Coach Fair.  “It was disappointing because we practiced really hard against it.”

“This game was real tight early on,” said Coach Shields.  “Georgetown stuck right with us.”

Liv Kiricoples finished with twenty-one points.  Teammate Caitlin Frary added eleven.

Freshman Tyrah Marcelin (9 points) at the line

Tyrah  Marcelin (9 points) and Carena Ziolkowski (8 points) paced Georgetown.

Everyone played even though the game was a close one for quite a while.  I think, after seeing two games, that the short season and no post-season will encourage coaches to use more players.  Enjoy the moment, seems to be the approach.

Triton box

Georgetown box

The link to my coverage will be on twitter (@mcclellandpeter).  I also expect to post some individual shots on Instagram (McClellandMiscellanea)

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

Meaghan Loewen in a Triton double-team

Georgetown coach Kevin Fair

Caitlin Frary

Carena Ziolkowski guarded by Emily Hoggard

Bodies flying

Meghan Loewen in for a layup

Fight for the ball

Fifty-four turnovers in this game

Riley Bell

Ref repair

Ryan Gentile

Ball heading out of bounds

Maeve Heffernan set to defend

Maeve Heffernan looks to pass

 

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January 5, 2021 · 11:15 pm

Abigail Gillingham (17 points) leads Newburyport by Ipswich 39-24 in CAL opener

Senior Abigail Gillingham (17 pts) led all scorers

Leah Metsker and Gabby Loughran trap Ava Horsman

(Newburyport MA)  The Newburyport Clippers were good defensively all night.

The offense took a while to kick in.

But when it did, the visiting Ipswich Tigers were in trouble and fell to the Clippers, 39-24, on Tuesday night at NHS in the Cape Ann League opener for both teams.

Senior Abigail Gillingham (17 points) collected nine points in Newburyport’s game-turning, 16-point unanswered streak in the second half.

Jennie Tarr’s shot-clock buzzer beater had the Tigers within one, 21-20, with 1 ½ minutes left in the third quarter.

Riley Daly drew plenty of Newburyport attention

Ipswich coach Chris Tolios was pleased with the rally: “The girls played hard.  We went into the final quarter only down three points against one of the best teams in the Cape Ann League.”

And the Tiger’s top returning scorer (Riley Daly) hadn’t scored a point yet!

“We had missed a ton of shots,” explained Newburyport coach Karen Grutchfield post-game.  “I don’t think that our shot selection was great.  We didn’t take what they gave us.”

None of that had to do with the 4th quarter, however.

The Clippers began to make shots and make it look easy.

Newburyport huddle

“When things got ugly, we did recover,” admitted Coach Grutchfield.

The Clippers made shots inside and outside and Ipswich couldn’t match them down the other end.

Key basket (Abigail Gillingham) in the sixteen-point streak was scored after three straight, offensive putbacks.

Sydney Turner’s layup from Makenna Ward ended the NHS run five minutes into the 4th period with the score now, 37-20.

The Clippers defense was tough throughout.

“Our team strength is our lockdown defense,” explained Abigail.  Newburyport has length and allowed few open shots from anywhere.

Emma Foley steals from Riley Daly

It seemed as if almost every Ipswich possession in the first half had Coach Chris Tolios counting down the final seconds so that the Tigers would get off a shot before the thirty-second clock went off.

Ipswich was quicker on offense in the second half and that was how they rallied to make things interesting in the third quarter.

“Newburyport made plays at the end that we couldn’t make,” added Coach Tolios.

Coach Grutchfield was pleased with the win but added, “offensively we’ve got a lot of work to do against zone defenses.”

It wasn’t hard to miss the novelty of the situation.  The doors were locked. There were no spectators.  Everyone had a mask on.  There were some rule adjustments especially on free throws.

Maddie Duffy gets off a shot for Ipswich

The game was extremely quick.  I think it lasted just an hour.  I think that half-time was five minutes long and the teams didn’t leave the court.

There was a bigger picture.

Coach Tolios: “At the end of the day we were playing basketball.  We’re lucky to be here.”

Abigail Gillingham: “All of us have made the decision that we have to make the most of what we’ve got.  We’re grateful that we even get to play.  We’ll work through the rules and make something great out of it.”

Newburyport box

Ipswich box

(The story and pictures will be posted on Mascores and the link to it on Twitter.  May post some pictures on Instagram.)

The pictures above and below will enlarge if you click on them.

Referee

Makenna Ward

Ipswich coach Chris Tolios

Battle under the basket

Jennie Tarr

Freshman Olivia McDonald set to play defense

Deidre McElhinney

Ava Horsman eyes the hoop with Brela Pavao defending

Jennie Tarr beats the 30-second clock with a three

Jackie Doucette looks to pass

Abigail Gillingham was hot from the outside

Riley Daly

Maddie Richard defends Jackie Doucette

Battle for the ball

 

 

 

 

 

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November 7, 2020 · 11:12 pm

Caden Leader goal in 2nd OT gives Oyster River 1-0 D2 state title win

Oyster Rivers wins NH Division 2 state title

Celebrating Caden Leader’s game-winner begins

Zach Anderson in a crowd of Bobcats

(Durham NH) Sometimes a small strategy change can make a big difference.

It certainly did for Oyster River this afternoon.

The tweak in approach starting the 2nd overtime resulted in the only goal and a Division 2 title for the Bobcats over the Bow Falcons, 1-0, on Saturday.

“That winning goal was planned out,” explained OR head coach Akan Ekanem afterwards.  “Both teams sat back in the first OT, so we said, ‘Let’s go at them, they’re tired.’”

Enter Caden Leader.

The talented senior turned teammate Noah O’Hern’s long free kick into a header on net that ended things just twenty-seven seconds into the second OT.

“I wanted to settle Noah’s long kick, but I misjudged it,” recalled Caden.  “I turned and saw the goalie coming and decided to try and head it over him.  Luckily, it went in.”

Caden’s second OT header on it’s way to the Bow goal. ( Caden is to the left with Bow GK Kyle Martin)

“Caden has been our goal guy all year,” said OR goalkeeper John Kell.  “He’s amazing.”

Brayden Wesler and Corum Nichols

Tough loss for Bow.

“It’s one play,” lamented Bow coach George Pinkham post-game.

“I’ve been in too many of these,” he added.  “I’ve won some and lost some. Fourteen-fifteen years ago, we beat them the same way.”

“We knew that we couldn’t let (Caden) Leader get going,” said Coach Pinkham.  “He such a great athletic player.

The victory gave Oyster River (10-3-1) their thirteenth state title.

It was the first for 3rd year coach Akan Ekanem.  “We got the trophy, finally,” he said. “It took a while.”

OR’s last championship was in 2015.

Runnerup Bow

The Falcons finish 7-1-3.  They won consecutive titles in 2011-12 while in Division 3.

Henry Zent about to shoot as Colby Smith defends

The Bobcats had a 13-3 advantage in shots.

“One of the reasons we changed our strategy going into the second overtime was that we didn’t want to go to penalties,” said Coach Ekanem.  “As you saw, their goalie (Kyle Martin) was amazing.”

Sophomore Hunter Perry had excellent scoring chances for Oyster River in the second half and in the first overtime.

The win was payback for Oyster River.  “Two years ago, we thought we were going all the way,” recalled Caden Leader, “but they knocked us out in the tournament.  We got revenge back on them today.”

The weather (for November 7th) was truly amazing.  Seventies with a pleasant breeze!  Nice change for me.  I covered a Monday night game that “featured” temperatures in the mid-30’s with a strong wind.  Who can figure out New England weather??

The spectators were kept outside the fence that surrounded the field.  Everyone except the teams wore masks.

Unlike Massachusetts, there were no rules’ alterations just regular soccer.

Oyster River GK John Kell

John Kell: “We didn’t find out if we were playing until August.  We had no control over what would happen.  It could have gone anywhere from playing a full season to playing intramural games.  We were really fortunate to have a season.”

Caden Leader: “It’s a wonderful feeling to win at home.  I had only one other shot before the goal.  It was nice that it was the one that counted the most.”

Caden told me that he hopes to play soccer in college.  He hasn’t committed anywhere but is interested in Roger Williams, St. Anselm’s, Bentley, and Babson.

This story, with pictures, will appear on my McClelland Miscellanea blog.  The link to the coverage will be included on my Twitter account (@McClellandPeter).  Later I will post pictures on Instagram (McClellandMiscellanea).

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

Oyster River captains John Kell, Caden Leader, and Aidan Kelley

Aidan Kelley defended by Noah Leuchtenberger

Noah Leuchtenberger eyes a header chased by Hunter Perry

Caden Leader in the open

Bow builds a wall

Battle for control

Ethan Wilson heads

Hunter Perry (19) in close

Kyle Martin leaps for incoming shot

Zach Anderson defended by Andres Alcocer

Corum Nichols and Brayden Wesler

Alden Swiez over GK Kyle Martin

Ty Dorow out front

Caleb Leader and Corum Nichols celebrate winning goal

Coach Akan Ekanem with three captains

Connor Wachsmuth

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November 2, 2020 · 11:39 pm

Ipswich finds enough defense to hold Newburyport to 0-0 tie in Cape Ann League girls soccer

Allie Waters and Lauryn Whynott battle for control.

Maddy Farris was busy in the Ipswich net

(Newburyport MA) I don’t know the last time Ipswich girls soccer tied or won a game against Newburyport.

I do know from Mascores that the last time the Tigers scored a goal against the Clippers was in 2012.

Ipswich didn’t end the scoring drought tonight, but they did play enough defense to earn a 0-0 tie with Newburyport.

“Newburyport is a good team,” said Ipswich coach Dave Wood afterwards, “and this is a great result for us.”

Dana Farardeau defends Anna Affolter

Things weren’t so upbeat on the Newburyport side post-game.

“We had plenty of chances especially early, but we just didn’t finish,” said NHS coach Kevin Sheridan.

Just three minutes into the game the Clippers (4-2-3) had a sequence with four quality shots and no return.  Credit Ipswich goalie Maddy Farris for being where she needed to be during the barrage of NHS shots.

“Their goalie was very good,” said Coach Sheridan.  “She stopped some crosses and she also was able to hold onto some long-range high shots.”

Over and over senior Allie Waters facilitated Newburyport setups by getting by Ipswich defenders and finding teammates for good looks.  She also had several quality shots on net.

Allie Waters and Carter King

But that first goal never came for the home team.

And because the Tigers (3-4-2) survived the first half they gained confidence and did a better job of limiting the NHS scoring chances in the second half.

“We could have gone into the second half up 2-0,” explained Coach Sheridan.  “It would have been a different game in the second half if that had happened.”

But it didn’t happen, and the Tigers were able to put some shots on Newburyport’s second-half goalie Gabby Loughran.  Lauren Waters and Carter King had the best chances.

The Clippers never stopped having chances but on this extremely cold (30’s & windy) Monday evening they couldn’t finish.

Izzy Kirby and Colby Filosa

“We did have some chances in the second half,” recalled Coach Wood.  “We finally started working the ball to the outside and then across.  We just didn’t get on the end of any of them.”

Some of that Ipswich offense was generated by senior Lauren Waters.  “It was a great last away game for her.”

Ipswich will close with Amesbury at home on Wednesday.

Coach Wood cited the defense of Lauryn Whynott: “It was her best game all year.  She was aggressive and she was willing to carry the ball out of the back which she’s not always willing to do.  She had faith in her first touch.  They gave her space, and she took advantage of it.”

This was a game in which there appeared to be plenty of open space in the middle of the field.  Allie Waters, Deidre McElhinney, and Carter King found opportunities to flash some nifty dribbling skills in those spaces.

Deidre McElhinney

Coach Sheridan: “We had some quality play tonight.  It just didn’t result in a goal.  We have a great group and I’m super proud of them.  I want them to finish the season on a high note on Wednesday against Lynnfield.”

Junior Katie Gallagher may have had the best Clippers scoring opportunity early in the second quarter.  The strong-footed defender blasted a long kick just under the crossbar, but Ipswich GK Maddy Farris jumped to snag it.

The cold in this game was real.  Add a steady wind to the low temps and only the truly committed lasted the whole game.

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

This story will appear on my McClelland Miscellanea blog and the link will be on my Twitter account (McClellandPeter).  Individual pictures will show up on Instagram (McClellandMiscellanea).

Carter King chased by Allie Waters

Lucy Harmon and Shannon Harrington

Katie Gallagher between Lauren Waters and Olivia Novello

Allie Waters chased by Dana Falardeau and Jennie Tarr

Lauryn Whynott

Allie Waters defended by Jennie Tarr

Lauren Waters chased by Anna Affolter

Katie Gallagher and Colby Filosa

Carter King

 

 

 

 

 

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October 24, 2020 · 8:30 pm

Amesbury and Manchester-Essex settle for a 1-1 tie in CAL girls soccer

Lidya Belanger and Madison Lawler

(Amesbury MA) Girls soccer is being played in Massachusetts.

But the MIAA has taken the rivalries out of it.

Teams are happy just to be playing.

Thoughts of who the opponent is, and winning state titles have vanished.

Spectators are limited in number and visiting spectators are banned from the events.  It’s a paid vacation for the officials as a result!

The games feel like scrimmages to me.  But I digress……

Battle for the ball

Amesbury (3-2-2) and Manchester-Essex (3-1-2) played to a 1-1 tie this morning at Landry Stadium as part of their 10-game Cape Ann League schedules.

One player described today’s game as “fun.”

That’s not the way I recall the November get-togethers the last two seasons in the Division 4 North finals between these two teams!

The crowds were into those events and the players were as well.  It wasn’t all sugar and spice for sure.

The Hornets lost one of those game in overtime and the other on penalty kicks.  There was plenty of “thrill of victory,” and “agony of defeat” in both events.  The winners were very happy and the losers not so much.

Getting an advantage

But then there’s today’s game.

Both coaches were happy with the result.

“It was super exciting,” said ME coach Luke Cosgrove.  “It’s always a great game between these two teams.”

“I thought we moved the ball better than we have all year,” explained Coach Adam Thibodeau of Amesbury.

The goals came in the second quarter.  MK McElaney (Amesbury) converted her own rebound while five minutes later Dasa Hase (Manchester-Essex) had her long shot go in off the crossbar.

ME goal keeper Leilani Brown

The goalies were terrific, and they had to be to keep the score as low as it was.

Facing shots from Division 1 commits (Alyssa Pettet-Holy Cross & Dasa Hase-Dartmouth) will bring out the best (or worst?) in a goalie.

On this day, both Julia Campbell (Amesbury) and Leilani Brown (Manchester-Essex) were very, very good.

“Their goalie was fantastic,” recalled Coach Thibodeau.  “She was ultra-aggressive and took plays away at the top of the box.”

Alyssa Pettet of Amesbury was the one applying some of the pressure in the final quarter.  “I had some good chances, but the goalie (Leilani Brown) made good reads coming off her line.”

One of the features of the Hornets/Indians games is the contrasting styles.  ME tries to be patient and relies on a short, quick passing game.  Amesbury likes to pressure the defense with long runs and long kicks, hoping for a mistake.

“It’s always exciting to watch the two styles go against each other,” said Luke Cosgrove.

Only in the second quarter were the teams able to cash in.

MK McElaney puts in a rebound

“Madelyn DiPietro got the ball forward and Ella Marinopoulos moved the ball into the middle,” said Coach Thibodeau describing his team’s goal.  “MK (McElaney) came down the gut for a shot and then put in the rebound.”

MK McElaney: “I came down the middle and the ball went off the goalie.  My shot went off the post and came back to me.  Then I shot it in.”

The Manchester-Essex goal was set up when the Indians had trouble getting the ball out of their own end.  (The MIAA rules require that the ball be kicked on the ground after some violations and clearing a ball that way is difficult especially from deep in your own end.)

Dasa Hase’s shot goes over GK Julia Campbell

Dasa Hase

“They gave Dasa (Hase) a little bit of space,” said Coach Cosgrove, “and she smashed it.  We’ve seen quality play from her for four years and have no doubt she’ll continue that in college.”

Dasa Hase: “There was space, and I was able to rip it (from the right) with my left foot.  I was looking high and it worked out.”

Coach Thibodeau: “We gave Dasa way too much space.  It was a great shot and nothing Julia (Campbell) could have done about it.”

Dasa will be attending Dartmouth in 2021.  “I started talking to them the summer of my sophomore year and I went to a bunch of their camps.  They then reached out to me.  I got on campus and fell in love with the school.  It’s beautiful there and the coach is great.  The goalie on my club team is a freshman there.”

Senior Gabby Smyth: “We really turned it around today.  The goal by MK was fantastic.  I expect to go to Lasell University next year.  They contacted me.  I like the GNAC Conference.”

Gabby Smyth

Avery Hallinan: “Our offense today was better than usual.  We need to work on getting to the back post which we did at the end.”

Before today’s game, the AHS seniors on this year’s squad were honored.  “We were set up a little differently today to get the seniors as much time in the game as possible,” said Coach Thibodeau.

The weather was stunning for October 24th.  Nice and warm.

(All of the pictures will enlarge if you click on them.)

This story/pictures will be on my McClelland Miscellanea blog, as well as Twitter (@mcclellandpeter) and Instagram (McClellandMiscellanea).  I have been trying to post on Mascores, as I have in the past, but with no results so far.

MK McElaney

Elizabeth Loring and Sarah Chace

Alyssa Pettet gets an open look

Chloe Molin sent flying

Riley Doherty shadows Dasa Hase

Dasa Hase chased by Amesbury defenders

GK Leilani Brown saves in front of Alyssa Pettet

ME goal celebrated

Mercedes O’Neil and Sarah Chace

McKenna Hallinan has a chance

Amesbury goal celebrated

GK Leilani Brown lunges for a shot

Dasa Hase on the move

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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October 17, 2020 · 5:19 pm

Brady O’Donnell (2 goals/2 assists) in Clippers 5-0 shutout vs Georgetown

Brady O’Donnell (2 goals/2 assists) and Carson Purcell

Max Gagnon and Cam Rooney

(Newburyport MA) The weather changed but the Newburyport Clippers didn’t.

On a cloudy/rainy/sunny Saturday morning, the home team was consistently persistent and earned a 5-0 win over Georgetown.

“We have depth,” said NHS coach Shawn Bleau afterwards.  “We can run eighteen players out there and not have much of a drop off.”

Pacing the Clippers (3-0-2) was junior Brady O’Donnell with two goals and two assists.

“Super exciting to win this one,” said Brady who had a hat trick against Amesbury last week.  “Georgetown is always tough.”

Some NHS starters sat out 4th quarter

Newburyport was up by three at halftime and added two more in the third quarter.  Many of the Clippers’ starters sat out the entire final period.

“Give Newburyport credit,” said Georgetown coach Chris DiFranco post-game.  “They really dominated the play.”

The Royals (1-2-2) were missing their top two goalies (Luke van Galen & Riley Soucy) because of injuries.

Freshman Jake Gilstein started as a result.  Sophomore Kyle Davies took over in the second half.

The Clippers poured into the Royals half of the field from the get-go.  A direct kick by Trevor Ward turned into a rebound in front that senior Owen Spence cashed with an assist to Owen McNeil.  Just over two minutes had gone by.

Ryan Archer (goal and assist)

Less than two minutes into the 2nd quarter, another direct kick from the left (Ryan Archer) caromed loose on the right side and Brady O’Donnell hit the open spot.

Just over a minute later Max Gagnon boosted the NHS advantage to three.  Max was in the middle with plenty of players in the way of an open, low shot on net.  Instead of trying to shoot through the players, Max lofted a shot over them. It worked. Max caught the GHS goalie out from the net and his shot went just under the crossbar.

The Clippers, in five games, have only been scored on once and that was off a penalty kick.  That 3-0 halftime lead was going to hard to come back against for the Royals.

“We’ve got to find our scoring,” explained Coach DiFranco.  “We had chances today but didn’t finish.”

The Clippers, however, weren’t done finishing.  They added two more goals in the third quarter.

Brady O’Donnell came in from the right, after a pass from Ronan Brown, with a defender (Cole Zadina) to his left.  Brady was able to get off a low shot that went through the legs of GK Kyle Davies at 9:45.

Three + minutes later the “prettiest” goal of the day was scored.  Brady O’Donnell had possession on the right side and was able to send a pass across the front.  Ryan Archer, with perfect timing, redirected the pass past Kyle Davies.

Ryan Archer converts a crossing pass

“We’ve been working on crossing the ball on the ground, since we can’t head it,” explained Coach Bleau.  “We’ve had similar chances this season, but this was the first one that ended in a goal.”

“It was an awesome pass (by Brady O’Donnell),” said Ryan Archer afterwards.

Coach Bleau rested numerous starters for the final quarter.

Coach DiFranco: “There’s no blame on the fill-in goalies today.  They’re young and we didn’t help them very much.”

Ryan Archer: “The game (this year) is very different.  You have to play a whole different style because there’s no heading.”

Coach DiFranco: “The season is so short (ten games) that every game really counts.”

Ryan Archer: “I am hoping at the end that there is a Cape Ann League tournament going and we get a championship here.”

Newburyport seniors honored

Newburyport seniors were honored pre-game.

The Clippers are undefeated in their last seven meetings with the Royals.  There have been three ties.

I will post this story on my blog (McClelland Miscellanea).  I am also on Twitter (McClellandPeter) and Instagram (McClellandMiscellanea)

All the pictures will enlarge if you click on them.

Sean Lavell and Ronan Brown

Evan Philbrook and Spencer Colwell

John Donovan makes a save for NHS

Zach Rosa and Adam Sadler

Ryan Archer and Brady O’Donnell

Graham Smith and Aidan Maguire

Kyle Davies makes a leaping save

Ronan Brown and Cam Rooney

Kyle Davies saves in front of Brady O’Donnell

Aidan Maguire kicks. Chris Thoreson defends

loose ball

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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October 10, 2020 · 4:52 pm

GK Julia Campbell stars in Amesbury’s 1-0 win over Newburyport

Senior Julia Campbell earned a shutout against Newburyport this morning.

GK Julia Campbell

(Amesbury MA) Senior goalkeeper Julia Campbell has not played much for Amesbury.

Blame graduated Cape Ann League MVP Alli Napoli for that.

However, although Julia didn’t play often, she did get to face Newburyport several times because of injuries to Alli.

“I’ve played them quite a few times and I knew their offense really well,” said Julia post-game.

Julia’s goalkeeping turned out to be a key for the Indians (2-0) as they defeated Newburyport, 1-0, on a sunny, windy Saturday morning of soccer at Landry Stadium in Amesbury.

“We don’t win this without Julia,” admitted Amesbury coach Adam Thibodeau afterwards.  “She earned that shutout today especially in the first half.”

Avery Hallinan’s goal celebrated

Defender Avery Hallinan struck the game-winner for the Indians in the third quarter.

The Clippers (1-1) started the game with a double-team on CAL All-Star Alyssa Pettet and the (substantial) wind to their backs.

Both factored significantly early on.

It was 6 ½ minutes before Alyssa actually touched the ball.

It was eleven minutes before Amesbury could even get the ball into the Newburyport side of the field.

That’s dominance………..but the Clippers didn’t score.

Allie Waters and Riley Doherty

“We had more chances and more possessions early,” said Newburyport coach Kevin Sheridan.  “We just didn’t capitalize.”

A number of the good Newburyport looks were shot over the net, certainly influenced by the strong winds.

The teams changed ends after the first quarter, which didn’t happen last game I was at.  It gave Amesbury the favorable wind.

Now it was Newburyport GK Anneliese Truesdale’s chance to face pressure.  And she faced it well.

Amesbury’s MK McElaney had a golden chance after a rebound in that 2nd quarter but Anneliese dove to stop an in-close shot.  Later, Anneliese was out of the net to beat McKenna Hallinan to a dangerous ball.

GK Anneliese Truesdale robs MK McElaney

“Anneliese is fearless,” said Coach Sheridan.

Gabby Loughran replaced Anneliese in the second half.

“We made some adjustments at halftime,” explained Coach Thibodeau.  “We wanted to fill the middle better.  They were taking away our immediate scoring threats, so we looked to get the ball to our 2nd and 3rd layer of players.”

That strategy paid off in the third quarter.

“I got a rebound off of a Newburyport player and dribbled in closer,” said junior defender Avery Hallinan discussing her goal.  “I had an opening, and their goalie was a little bit out, so I took the shot.  It dipped just under the crossbar.”

GK Gabby Loughran leaps for Avery Hallinan’s high shot.

“Two players dove at her and she got around them for the shot,” recalled Coach Sheridan.  “We needed to be containing there.”

That goal, at 12:29 of the 3rd quarter, spelled trouble for the Clippers.

Why?  The Indians switched into a defensive mode and moved Alyssa Pettet (Holy Cross commit) back as a defender.

“We knew that she (Alyssa Pettet) would go to defense if they scored,” said Coach Sheridan.  “She is a high-quality player.”

Alyssa was happy with the switch: “I feel more natural playing defense.”

A key to Alyssa being on defense was her ability to make long kicks, especially on goal kicks, that relieved pressure on Amesbury.

Maddie Felts shadows Alyssa Pettet

GK Julia Campbell was also happy to have Alyssa on defense. “The wind was killing all my punts,” said Julia.  “Alyssa could actually kick the ball out.”

“We packed it in defensively in the second half and it kept Newburyport from getting good chances,” recalled Alyssa.

Julia Campbell: “Avery’s goal was beautiful.  She had the wherewithal to hold onto the ball as long as she could.  She saw an opening and took it.”

Coach Sheridan: “I thought we did a fairly good job of shutting down Alyssa Pettet.  Using her the way they did was a winning strategy for them.”

Continue to be impressed with Deidre McElhinney’s in-traffic skills.

There were a limited number of spectators at this game.  First time that’s happened.  I counted twenty-six of them in the second half.

I have no doubt that “real” soccer folks are being, or would be, driven crazy by the rules that are in play for soccer in Massachusetts.  The ever-blowing whistles are the most maddening part.  I had to agree with Amesbury’s Sydney Aldrich when she said as the game was going on, “The game is now like field hockey and lacrosse.”  BUT, and I have to keep reminding myself, they are playing!

Coach Adam Thibodeau and Katie Gallagher

Great rivalry between Newburyport and Amesbury.  The last two years it was 1-1 ties.  Before that it was a 1-0 Amesbury win and the two years before that Newburyport won by a 1-0 score.

This game story, with pictures will be posted my McClelland Miscellanea blog.  There will also be coverage posted on Twitter (McClellandPeter) and Instagram (McClellandMiscellanea).

All of the pictures will enlarge if you click on them.

Amesbury celebrates a win

Jackie Doucette, Calista Catarius, Izzy Kirby

loose ball

Alyssa Pettet shielded from the ball by Maddie Felts

Avery Hallinan and Liberty Palermino

Maddie Felts and Sydney Aldrich

Deidre McElhinney and Sarah Chace

Deidre McElhinney and Avery Hallinan

Sarah Chace defends Allie Waters

Calista Catarius and Gabby Waters

Molly Webster (19) shoots

Allie Waters and Gabby Smyth

Allie Waters and Riley Doherty

 

 

 

 

 

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October 5, 2020 · 10:06 pm

Alyssa Pettet (3 goals) leads Amesbury by Georgetown 6-1 in season opener

Alyssa Pettet (5) had three goals vs Georgetown. Megan Skahan (21) defends

Alyssa Pettet splits the Royals defenders

(Amesbury MA) Senior standout Alyssa Pettet scored three times in the first half leading Amesbury to a 6-1 win over Georgetown on Monday afternoon.

The Indians (1-0) rode Alyssa’s twenty-two goals last season to the D4 state semi-finals.  In the process she gained recognition in New England and will play for the Holy Cross Crusaders in 2021.

“Alyssa’s ability to run off the ball makes her so special,” explained AHS coach Adam Thibodeau post-game.  “She requires so much attention that she opens up the field for her teammates.”

Containing Alyssa became extremely difficult for the Royals (0-1) when defender Erin Irons went out with a sprained ankle just four minutes into the game.

Alyssa Pettet and Erin Irons early in the game

“Erin is not someone we can replace,” said assistant Georgetown coach Kevin Fair, who was filling in for head coach Colleen Gibbs.

The Royals trailed by four at halftime but were the better team for most of the third quarter.

“Our compete level was good, and we finally got a goal for our efforts,” said Coach Fair.

The Royals goal was set up by freshman Kayla Gibbs (coach’s daughter).  “She made a nice steal and put a beautiful ball to sophomore Carena Ziolkowski for the scoring play,” said Coach Fair.

There were other chances for the visitors to Landry Stadium but netminder Julia Campbell was “fantastic” according to her coach.  “She had new players in front of her and she communicated well with them,” added Coach Thibodeau.

GK Mary Surette and Callie Catarius

The Georgetown goal seemed to wake up the Indians.  In the final two minutes of the third quarter, MK McElaney and Callie Catarius elevated the Amesbury lead to, 6-1, and stopped any comeback plans the visitors might have had.

“It was a good first game for us,” said Alyssa Pettet afterwards.  “A lot of times against Georgetown we kind of struggle because they clump things up so much in the back.  But this time we found space.”

Alyssa finished with three goals, an assist, as well as two hit crossbars.  The girl can play!

Maddy DiPietro shoots

Two of Alyssa’s goals in the first half came after she had drawn penalties from the Georgetown defense.  One earned her a penalty kick and the other a direct kick from a short distance.  She collected goals in both instances.

Royals keeper Mary Surette had a busy afternoon.  She, in fact, was injured in the final quarter and was carried off the field by Coach Fair.

McKenna Hallinan followed Alyssa’s successful penalty kick with a long-range goal in the first quarter.  Goalie Mary Surette came out to kick a ball away and it went directly to McKenna.  The AHS junior wasted no time in taking a high shot on goal that Mary couldn’t recover to save.

Alyssa had her goal off the direct kick in the second quarter.

She also added another one in that quarter.  This time she made a long run down the right side with defenders on either side.  She got in close to goal with defenders still nearby and found room to squeeze a shot into the net.

MK McElaney (19) reacts to the goal she just scored

MK McElaney had one of Amesbury’s two goals in the third quarter.  Alyssa Pettet set it up with a kick from the side that went past several players into the middle in front of the net.  MK came down the middle and one-timed a shot for a score.

Later in that quarter, newcomer Callie Catarius hit a long-range shot from the right.

“Callie is a good counterpart to Alyssa,” said Coach Thibodeau. “She can score.”

The grass at Landry Stadium was long and it affected play.

“I love Cashman because it’s a hard, fast surface,” explained McKenna Hallinan.

The Indians practice at Cashman.

Coach Fair: “We had a couple of defensive breakdowns.  We have to do a better job of marking people.  I loved the effort, though.”

Avery Hallinan (11) shoots

McKenna Hallinan: “It was nice to be able to play.  I wasn’t sure it was going to happen.”

Looking forward to next Saturday (10AM) when Newburyport comes to Landry.  That one will feature two players (Alyssa Pettet & Allie Waters) who are committed to Holy Cross.

“The Holy Cross coach has already asked for the film from that game,” said Alyssa.

Georgetown had two close games with Amesbury last season but have lost ten of their last eleven to the Indians.

Ideal soccer weather with plenty of sun.

The pictures will enlarge if you click on them.

I am on Twitter (McClellandPeter) and Instagram (McClellandMiscellanea).  This story will be on my WordPress blog (McClelland Miscellanea).

Rylie Lasquade

action in front

Sydney Aldrich (2) in on goal

Julia Mabius and Alyssa Pettet

Callie Catarius

Alyssa Pettet’s direct kick that became a goal

Elle Schneider and Sydney Aldrich

Alyssa Pettet over GK Mary Surette

Ella Marinopoulos watched by Riley Smith

McKenna Hallinan and Sarah Chace celebrate a goal

Taylor Wight

MK McElaney

GK Mary Surette reaches for Alyssa Pettet’s PK

Georgetown coach Kevin Fair

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