Girls Soccer: Fenwick rises to occasion

The Fenwick girls soccer team played without star player Kristin Verrette (torn ACL) for the first time, and the Crusaders rose to the challenge and defeated St. Mary’s 2-0, Thursday at Manning Field.Fenwick coach Karen Guillemette was very happy with her team’s performance.”You can’t replace a player like Kristin Verrette (21 goals this season). My team really responded with a complete team effort tonight. I think my team’s defense really was the difference in the game,” Guillemette said.The game was tied 0-0 at the half, when Annette Ruggiero scored Fenwick’s first goal in the 54th minute of the game. Lauren Toye-O’Donnell scored Fenwick’s final goal to put the game away. Fenwick’s defense was the key with Maura Doyle as its anchor. Becca Graves had a strong game in net (4 saves). Fenwick is now 10-1-1.Peabody 6, Swampscott 2At Peabody, the Tanners jumped out early and never looked back. Leading the way for Peabody was Madison Doherty. Doherty recorded a hat trick. Haley Dowd, Kirsten Nihan and Victoria Digiacomo all scored one goal each for Peabody. Peabody coach Dennis Desroches was pleased with his team’s play.”Swampscott came out very strong early in the game. My team found a way to weather the storm and take control when the opportunities came,” Desroches said.Rikki Langan and Taylor Eaton scored for Swampscott.Peabody is now 11-0.Danvers 3, Marblehead 0At Marblehead, the Falcons jumped out to an early lead and never looked back. Kellie Macdonald scored the opening goal (13 minutes in) assisted from Becky Landers. Macdonald also had a very strong performance on the defensive side of the ball. Two minutes later, Brittany Russo scored, assisted by Corey Persson. The score was 2-0 at the half. Persson added the final goal early in the second half, assisted by Kylie Plaza. Falcons goalie Allison Tivnan had a strong game in net (8 saves). With the win, Danvers (9-2-1) qualified for the state tournament.Saugus 5, English 1At Saugus, the Sachems’ (10-3-1) Jackie Russo provided the offense. Russo scored a game-high four goals, two unassisted and two assisted by Olivia Turgeon. Emily Quinlan added the final goal assisted by Ashley Aldred. Gabby Cogliano, CeCe Devine and Melissa Toomey had strong performances for Saugus. English’s lone goal came in the second half from Briana Vaughan, assisted by Brianna Moreno. The Bulldogs’ Mackenzie Clark played a strong game at sweeper. English is now 5-9.Winthrop 2, Classical 0At Classical, the Vikings broke through in the second half. It was 0-0 at the half. Classical coach Kerri Altieri was happy with her team’s performance.”It was a very competitive game. My team played hard but just came up short,”Altieri said.The Rams’ Frankie Galeazzi and Krista Cuozzo had strong performances. Classical is now 1-8.Salem 3, Beverly 1At Beverly, Holbrook Phelan provided the offense early and often for the Witches. Phelan scored two first-half goals that put Salem up for good. The score was 2-1 at the half. Jasmine Bryant scored the final goal for Salem. Desiree DeLeon assisted on two of the three goals scored by Salem. The lone goal for Beverly was scored by Caitlin Hardy. Salem is now 7-3-1.Masco 2, Lynnfield 0At Masco, the game was scoreless through the first 66 minutes, but the Chieftains’ Gabby Russo drilled the ball from 25 yards out for the game winner and then scored again three minutes later to put the game away. Lynnfield coach Mark Vermont was pleased with his team’s effort despite the result.”They (Masco) are a fast, strong, all-around good team. It was a great game,” Vermont said.Masco outshot the Pioneers, 10-6.Gloucester 1, Revere 0At Gloucester, the Fishermen jumped out to an early lead and found a way to hang on. Revere coach Natalie Lyons was pleased with her team’s performance.”It was a good game today. I was hoping my team could break through to win or at least tie but unfortunately that did not happen today,” Lyons said.Revere’s Marissa Parent and Samara Nieves had strong performances