Bryn Golesworthy blasts first goal for Ipswich. Later the Tiger sophomore would tally the game winner in the 9th round of penalty kicks.
(Lynn) Tough last 24 hours for Lynnfield soccer, as both of their very good high school soccer teams exited the state tournament via the excruciating penalty kicks route.
First the boys lost to Rockport on Wednesday night at Manchester as they were closed out in the 4th round of the penalty kicks. Late yesterday (Thursday) afternoon, the Pioneer girls reached the dreaded penalty kick game-settler and lost in the ninth round to Ipswich at Manning Field.
I witnessed both games and admit that I didn’t realize totally how the penalty kick part worked. Now I do, and that makes the Division 3 North semifinal girls soccer game between Ipswich and Lynnfield a true classic.
The penalty kicks go for five rounds unless one team earlier than five rounds gets an advantage that can’t be overcome. That “unless” part is what happened to the Lynnfield boys. When Keady Segel of Rockport hit his penalty shot in the 4th round it gave Rockport a 3-1 advantage. When Keady then followed that up with a save in the bottom of the 4th on the next Lynnfield shooter, the game was over.
Bryn Golesworthy (#4) and Tiger goalie Hannah O’Flynn celebrate the game winner.
In the girls game the score was tied 2-2 after five rounds. Talk about tense. DiCesare Allegra had given Lynnfield a 2-1 lead in the top of the 5th round. The game would have ended if Tiger Samantha Brown hadn’t scored in the bottom of the 5th round. But she did and then the game entered the “next goal wins” stage. Seven shots were taken and every one of them was a potential game winner! You talk about a pressure builder! Bryn Golesworthy finally hit the winner and put Ipswich in the Division 3 North finals with Weston (#1 seed ) back at Manning Field on Saturday afternoon (1PM).
Manning Field was a windy place when the game started and I thought Ipswich had the better of the play with the wind. In a game with few clean looks Bryn Golesworthy got one in the first half and Ipswich had a 1-0 lead on her goal assisted by Hannah Weagle.
The wind lessened in the second half but Lynnfield didn’t need any help. They started to descend on the Ipswich end regularly forcing the Tigers to make numerous clearings. Lauren McCarthy evened things for Lynnfield out of a scramble to the right of the Ipswich goal.
Brittany Hunt (19) tracked down by Courtney Long (24) and Grace Gardner (3).
The rest of the half and through the two overtimes I give Lynnfield the edge. They had more finesse, meaning they could put several passes together. However, their passes didn’t lead to clear shots at the Ipswich goal thanks to a Tiger defense led by tireless Courtney Brown. There was a soccer ball or two in dangerous spots but no one from Lynnfield could get a clear shot. Ipswich made a few runs but with CAL All-Leaguer Hannah Weagle being closely watched there was little offense to be seen on their part.
That led to this match being settled by penalty kicks. Years from now folks, recalling this game, will remember Bryn Golesworthy’s goals, and Hannah O’Flynn’s saves (7-of-9 penalty kicks). Hopefully, also included in the memories will be Samantha Brown’s successful penalty kick in the bottom of the 5th round. A miss by Samantha and Ipswich loses.
I have to complement the setup at the Manning Field facility in Lynn. Just beautiful. Here’s a place that: is clean, has seating, has bathrooms, has a turf field, has a working scoreboard, has a speaker system, has locker rooms, has food/drink, has team rosters, and has parking.
(All of this information is unofficial. I hope that gives me a pass on spelling errors and misinformation.)
McClelland Miscellanea 
