English girls soccer defeats Classical 1-0

LYNN – In the final regular-season game for the Bulldogs and the Rams, English squeaked out a 1-0 win at Manning Field. Prior to the game, both teams honored their seniors with flowers and balloons. English honored seniors Sheila George and captain Kristi Rebidue, while Classical honored seniors Amanda Stevens, Allison Burggren, Kristina Tsolias, Kelsey Ylonen, Samantha Barker and tri-captains Bryanna Connolly, Courtney Sullivan and Jillian Reddy.English, under the leadership of coach Ed McNeil, brought a 2-12-3 record into the game. He said, “This is our biggest game. We would like to finish on a high note with a win.”Classical, with Marcy Durgin in charge, had a 1-15-1 record and was looking for a win. She said, “It would be nice to win it for the seniors.”Both sides played excellent soccer with keepers Courtney Sullivan of Classical and Brittany Goulet of English both having outstanding games. The entire game came down to one play with thirty seconds remaining in the first half. Junior Devon Robinson of English intercepted a clearing pass in the Classical area and fired a 25-yard shot that eluded Ram keeper Sullivan to the top far corner. That made the score English 1, Classical 0. This should have been a devastating blow to the Classical players.However, Durgin worked miracles with the team as it came out for the second half all fired up and ready to play. McNeil, though, was working the same magic with the Bulldogs. The forty minutes of the second half flew by as the Rams struggled to tie up the game and the Bulldogs were hanging on to their slim one-goal lead. The Ram attack was led by Connolly, while stalwart English was led by freshman sweeper Shawna Henry. The second half ended as it had started, with English on top 1-0.English’s record moved to 3-12-3 while Classical dropped to 1-16-1.McNeil was very pleased with the win and said, “We are looking forward to next year with twenty-two experienced players with a lot of game time.”Durgin was disappointed with the loss, but not with her players. She said, “I am so proud of the girls. They never gave up and played every game right to the end. I am especially proud of my three captains, Jillian Reddy (injured for most of the season), Courtney Sullivan and Bryanna Connolly.”English and Classical both have players who participated in the North-South all-star game played at Manning Field on Sunday.Representing English were senior captain Rebidue, sophomore keeper Goulet, who had six shutouts, and leading scorer sophomore Megan Forti. Representing Classical were senior keeper Sullivan and sophomore Kelly Deveney.