Classical’s Castro scores, but North wins Agganis men’s soccer game

LYNN – While his South team lost the 15th Agganis All-Star Men’s Soccer Classic, 3-2, Lynn Classical star Miguel Castro had reason to feel proud at Manning Field on Tuesday.Click here for a photo galler of last night’s soccer actionCastro scored a goal in the first half and earned the game ball for the South. Teammate Andrew Mikulski of Danvers, who played goalie in the second half, earned South MVP honors.”It was a cross from the right side,” Castro said of his goal. “The kid from the left headed it to me. It went right in the corner at the top.”Castro scored in the 23rd minute of the first half. His goal tied the game 1-1 after the North took a 1-0 lead on a goal from Caleb Rogers of Wilmington in the 34th minute.”We started off a little slow,” said South coach Mike D’Agostino (St. Mary’s). “We were not that aggressive.” Then, however, he added, “Miguel Castro scored a beautiful goal. That got us fired up.”D’Agostino said that his Spartans team played Castro and Classical last season. He also said that he had faced the Rams and their star “many times” when he was with Salem.”He has a great touch,” D’Agostino said. “He’s an amazing teammate, an amazing athlete, great foot skills. He’s one of the best shooters in the city and the state.”Yet the North reclaimed the lead on a goal from Foti Andreo (St. John’s) in the 18th minute and added an insurance tally on a score from Carmen Bordonaro (Saugus) in the 10th minute for a 3-1 halftime lead.”I’d say we outplayed them in the first half,” North coach Brad Smith (Triton) said. “The kids were kind of rusty ? but they’re a great group of kids, and they all had a good time. They were very unselfish.”At halftime, D’Agostino had a little chat with his squad. The result: a more competitive second half.”We picked up the intensity,” he said, “and were a lot more aggressive.”Mikulski shut out the North in the second half and the squad pulled within one on a goal from Graham Flynn (Reading) in the 19th minute.Rogers earned MVP honors for the North afterward and Colin Smith (Triton) got the game ball for the North.The South still leads the all-time series, 7-6-2.