BEVERLY – Former St. Mary’s star Amanda Webster scored two goals as the Boston Aztec U23 women’s soccer team defeated the Millburn Magic, 6-1, in a Women’s Premier Soccer League quarterfinal playoff match at Beverly on Saturday afternoon.The Boston Aztec U23 team entered with an 8-1-1 record in the WPSL Northeast, while the Magic came in with a 5-4-1 mark in the WPSL East-Central.The Aztecs got early goals from BC teammates Brooke Knowlton and Amy Caldwell. Jess Luscinski (BU) and Lucy Gildein (New England Aztec/Topsfield) all added single goals. Millburn’s lone goal was scored by Laura Kurash (Wesleyan).”I’m was happy with our performance today, but it only gets more intense from here,” said Dushawne Simpson, the Boston Aztec U23 head coach, whose team advances to meet its sister squad, the Boston Aztec Breakers Reserves, on Tuesday evening. “The Reserves have a lot of talent and depending on the Breakers players available could have a lot of firepower at their disposal.”The Reserves are the top seed in the East.The Aztec U23’s went on the attack from the opening whistle and in the 9th minute Caldwell slid a through ball to Knowlton, who finished a strong shot to the far post. In the 17th minute, Knowlton crossed a ball on the ground to Luscinski at the penalty spot; Luscinski put a low shot on net. Caldwell deflected the shot past Millburn goalkeeper Claire Bennett.In the 25th minute, Webster, a Saugus resident who will enter her sophomore season at Providence in the fall, pressured the Millburn defender into giving the ball up and pushed past her into the box. In recovering, the Millburn defender fouled Webster and the official awarded the Aztecs a penalty kick. Webster calmly stepped up and buried the ball into the back of the net.Millburn got on the board in the 36th minute, when Karash volleyed a bouncing ball in the box into the side netting. The game went to the half 3-1 in favor of the Aztecs.In the 57th minute, Knowlton headed a ball over the last defender to the running Luscinski, who went in one-on-one with the goalkeeper from 35 yards out. The BU star shot the ball from 18 yards out, beating the onrushing Millburn goalkeeper.In the 79th minute, Webster netted her second of the game when she received a through ball from Gildein, beat a defender and fired a shot past the diving goalkeeper.Two minutes later, Gildein, a Masconomet senior, capped the scoring for the Aztecs, dribbling past a Millburn defender and hitting a well placed shot to the far post.Exact kickoff time and venue for Tuesday’s game will be announced on Monday on the Boston Aztec website, www.bostonaztec.com. In other WPSL Eastern playoff action, the Lancaster Inferno defeated the Chesapeake Charge to advance to take on the 2009 WPSL National Champion Long Island Fury.
