English, Classical boys tie 1-1 in soccer finale

LYNN – It is wonderful to be a sports fan in Boston. The Patriots are undefeated, the Red Sox are going for the World Series title and the Boston College Eagles are still trying to figure out how they pulled out that win in Virginia in that driving rainstorm. At Manning Field, the same feeling was going through the Classical and English boys soccer teams. They were finishing a season that started in the hot summer days of August and was ending in the rains of late October. There would be no league title or even a trip to the state tourney as neither team qualified. Their biggest game of the year would be Saturday morning in Lynn and they were playing for pride and the knowledge that they were the best team in the city. Perhaps appropriately, the result was a 1-1 tie.The Bulldogs are led by Kerry King. They had an overall record of 4-11-2. The Rams, led by Joe Skahan, had a 4-8-5 record in his rookie year. Both coaches had their teams ready to play. The only problem was the weather. The rain put a damper on the speed and cutting abilities of both teams. Many games in the North Shore area were cancelled. King said, “The field is perfect despite the amount of rain. We are ready to play.”Skahan agreed. “This is the most important game of the year and the rain won’t stop our style of play,” he said.The game started at a slow pace with each team getting used to each other as well as the turf. Classical struck first. In the 21st minute, Carlos Cifuentes, a junior midfielder with exceptional speed, shook off an English defender at midfield and fed a through pass to sophomore striker Miguel Castro, who came clear at the top of the area and beat English keeper Eric Hamlin as he came off his line to make a play on Castro. This was Castro’s 31st goal of the season to go along with 10 assists. This makes him tops in the city. The half ended without any further scoring.In the second half, English finally got untracked. With All-League Mubarak Nyang leading the attack and Alex Alvarez shutting down the Classical attacks, the Bulldogs came to life. In the 58th minute, co-captain Ulisis Guevara carried the ball down the right wing and crossed it to an unmarked Jesus Maldonado, who was in the arc and beat the Classical keeper to the low right side. This tied the game at 1-1.The next twenty minutes were played between the penalty areas. With two minutes to go, Bulldog keeper Hamlin made the biggest save of the game. Castro, Classical’s top scorer, carried the ball into the top right corner of the area, and as an English defender closed in on him, he let go a rocket destined for the top right corner. Hamlin managed to get one hand on the shot and deflect it high enough that it hit the crossbar and bounced harmlessly over the sideline. The game and the season ended two minutes later with a 1-1 tie. English finished up at 4-11-3 and Classical at 4-8-6.King, the English coach, said, “We had too many offsides and the wet field changed the speed of the ball. But all in all it was a good game.” When asked about next year, he said, “We have seven returning starters, so we will have something to build on.”Skahan was very happy with his team’s performance. “We did very well,” he said. “I am looking forward to next year with eight starters coming back.”The league all-star game was played Sunday evening at Manning Field. Representing Classical at the game were Castro and Cifuentes and representing English were Nyang, Alvarez and Nelson Manuelo.