Lynn City Soccer Tournament starts next week

Soccer players from all four Lynn high schools will vie for bragging rights when they meet next week in the first round of the annual Lynn City Soccer Tournament at Manning Field.The action begins Tuesday night with the girls first-round games, continues Wednesday with the boys first round and wraps up next Saturday with the consolation and championship games.The Classical boys and the St. Mary’s girls will try to defend their title. In the girls first round, English will play Pope John in the opening game (5) and Classical will face St. Mary’s (7). The following night, the St. Mary’s boys play Classical at 5 p.m. and Tech plays English at 7 p.m.”The Lynn tournament is all about heart and pride for the city,” Classical boys coach Joe Skahan said, adding that the games are aggressive and hard-fought, but once it’s over, everyone’s smiling and shaking hands.There will be an admission charged at the gate, but all proceeds will be donated to the Lynn Special Olympics program. Last year, the tournament raised more than $2,000.English boys coach Kerry King said his players are excited about the tournament.”They take the tournament seriously,” he said. “They want to be known as the best team in Lynn.”King said the tournament is also a nice way to tune up for the start of the regular season.”It gets us ready for league play,” he said. “A lot of these kids are teammates in various leagues during the off-season. They train together in the summer. They’re really looking forward to playing against each other.”St. Mary’s boys coach Al Jackson said the tournament serves as a nice kickoff for the season.”The kids are really excited to play,” Jackson said, adding it’s even more exciting this year because Manning Field is complete.Jackson said the field is one of the premier high school stadiums around, and when you throw in the lights, the stands, the crowds and the press, the environment is unbelievable.Classical girls coach Marcy Durgin said the competitive aspect of the tournament is nice, and it’s a way for the Lynn schools to kick off the year in a positive way.St. Mary’s takes care of all the administrative and organizational issues, including assigning the officials, who do the games on a volunteer basis. Harrington Trophy donates the championship trophies and Neatco provides each team with an apparel-based item for the MVP. The city donates the cost of the Department of Public Works coverage and Shaughnessy-Kaplan Rehabilitation Hospital provides the trainers.English girls coach Ed McNeil said his team’s hoping for another crack at St. Mary’s, but to do that, the Bulldogs will have to get past Pope John and the Spartans will have to beat Classical.”The girls love the tournament. They can’t wait for it,” he said. “I think it’s a great thing for the City of Lynn.”The consolation games on Saturday, Sept. 6, begin with the girls at 11 a.m. and the boys at 1 p.m. The girls championship game is at 3 p.m. and the boys championship game is at 5 p.m.