North wins Agganis Men’s Soccer Classic

LYNN – In a tightly contested game full of skill and big plays, the Agganis All-Star North men earned their way to a 1-0 win over the South at Manning Field on Tuesday night.Click here for an Agganis photo gallery.Scoring the winning goal for the North was Cameron Tibert from Rockport. The scoring play started with a corner kick that was knocked down by the South’s defense. Fellow Rockport teammate Shaffy Roell was able to tip a loose ball to Tibert, who was able to pop the ball over the goalkeeper’s head. Tibert will attend the University of Tampa.”We were able to work together and come together down near the net on that goal,” said North coach Tom Duplisea.While the winning goal belonged to Tibert, the game’s heroics belonged to Danny McCarthy of Salem. McCarthy, coming into the game at the 20-minute mark of the first half, was able to keep a surging South squad from scoring on excellent chances. In the first half, McCarthy made two big saves from point blank range. McCarthy’s efforts preserved a scoreless first half.As an encore for the first 20 minutes of the second half, McCarthy made three more massive saves to keep the game scoreless. When the final whistle had sounded and the North had won, McCarthy was named the MVP of the North squad. McCarthy will take his MVP trophy with him next season to Fitchburg State.”McCarthy definitely kept us in the game. From the twenty minute mark on, he was outstanding for us in net,” said North coach Dave Curley.Not to be outdone, Classical’s Dammy Dada started the game in net for the South. Dada made two saves of his own, including a diving effort early in the game while both sides were settling into a routine and getting a feel for the flow of the game. Dada played on the wing in the second half and was part of several surges towards the net. Dada was named the MVP of the South squad and will attend UMass-Lowell in the fall.”Dada had a great first half for us,” said South coach Mike D’Agostino. “He kept us in the game early, made some big saves. He really had a great second half as well, putting together some scoring chances.”At the start of the game, the North played Keady Segel in net. Segel made one save, but proved instrumental from in the first and last 20 minutes of each half. Segel provided a solid presence in net for the North. Segel will play for Boston College in the fall.”We had planned on having Segel start and finish the game for us,” said Duplisea.”That was the plan from the start. We wanted to start the game and end the game strong.”Said Curley, “He is a great player who really knows how to manage the game from back there.”For the South, the chances were many during the course of the game. Starting with Bishop Fenwick midfielder Doug Garabedian, the South put together a good show of quick interior passes and long passes down the sides to streaking players on the wing. Garabedian was instrumental in this show of offense, often making crisp passes to open players and creating scoring chances. Garabedian will attend Connecticut College.”(Garabedian) really is a playmaker. He was key for us tonight and always plays well,” said D’Agostino. “I think he has the best left foot on the North Shore.”The scoring chances for the South were also developed in conjunction with Julian Yourawski of St. Mary’s and Chris Welch of Reading, both of whom showed good ball movement and field vision. Unfortunately their efforts would prove fruitless in the face of McCarthy, Segel, and Beverly defenseman Josh Carmer. Both Yourawski and Welch will have a chance to work together on the pitch in the future as teammates next season at New England College. Carmer will stay local and attend Gordon College.