In monsoon conditions, Revere girls defeat Classical 1-0

LYNN – Manning Field lived up to the weather conditions as advertised during Revere’s 1-0 win over Classical in girls soccer on Tuesday.Click here for a photo gallery.Classical, with only one win on its record as led by coach Kerri Altieri, had a great chance against a 2-2-1 Revere team coached by Natalie Lyons, who is in her fourth year at the helm of the Patriots.The rain, however, was a great equalizer for both teams. The ball doesn’t do what you want it to do under such adverse conditions. The players can’t cut like they are used to doing. The two keepers were the stars of the game. They are Melissa Adreani from Revere and Mackenzie Coppinger from Classical. They had to judge the spin on the ball as it was shot at the goal, as well as shots that hit the ground in front of the keeper and skip to either side. This doesn’t take into consideration the ball misplayed by defenders, which makes the keeper involved in the play.For the first 25 minutes, the game was played between the areas with neither team gaining any advantage. In the 26th minute, Revere sophomore midfielder Marisa Parent intercepted an errant clearing pass about 35 yards from the Classical net. She snaked her way past three defenders and as Coppinger came off her line to play the shot, Parent put the ball in the low left corner. This made the score 1-0, Revere.The remainder of the half was played at midfield with neither team mounting any scoring chance.As the second half unfolded, Revere seemed to be gaining control of the midfield play and had some shots on the Classical net that the keeper was able to save. Classical’s best chance to tie the game came in the 65th minute. Revere was called for a handball in the area that resulted in a penalty shot.Francesca Galeazzi took the shot. As she put her plant foot down to shoot with her right foot, the left foot seemed to slip a bit. This was enough to throw off her balance and the shot went directly at the keeper, who made the save. Classical’s best chance to tie was gone. Revere played the final fifteen minutes with seven defenders. With three minutes to go, Classical kicked a ball into the area that Adreani came off her line to play and missed the ball. The Classical cross went over the end line for a goal kick.After the game, Lyons said, “Classical has improved this year. Except for a slip, this was a tie game.”Altieri was disappointed with the loss. However, she said, “Christine Francois played very well as did Yasmin Badr on defense. Mackenzie Coppinger was outstanding in the net. She has been the backbone of the team all year.”The Rams travel to Saugus on Thursday to face the Sachems.