Roundup: SJP soccer extends shutout streak to five

The St. John’s Prep soccer team has taken team defense to a different level this season. The Eagles’ prowess was evident again during Saturday’s 1-0 whitewash of BC High that improved their Catholic Conference record to 4-0 (5-0 overall).Fronted by an active back line of Tom Erickson, Matt Brady and Carter Ocko, keeper Ben Alpern recorded six saves on the way to his fifth consecutive shutout. The Eagles have surrendered a mere five corner kicks through five games.”It’s the whole team. We’re not allowing opponents to get settled and our pressure through midfield makes it really difficult for them to string together passes,” sad coach Dave Crowell. “They (BCH) did hit a post in the first half. That’s two crossbars and a post so far this season, so we are living on the edge a little bit.”Senior Nick Argesti registered the game’s lone goal in the second half. Set up by midfielder Matt Cilton, Argesti converted from the left wing.Peabody 2, Beverly 1At Peabody, the Tanners (2-0-2) overcame a sluggish first half to remain unbeaten. Beverly fell to 3-1-2. Coach Stan McKeen’s decision to move Tommy Drover to midfield from goal for the second half paid off as the Tanners exhibited a more free-flowing attack.”We lost our goalie in pre-season and Tommy stepped in, but he’s also a very strong field player and our distribution was much better in the second half,” said McKeen.Beverly held a 1-0 lead at the break but Peabody tied it in the 13th minute of the second half when senior striker Vlasi Duni converted off Connor Wolff’s direct kick. Junior midfielder C.J. Alimonti netted the game-winner 20 minutes later when he converted Shawn Donato’s crossing pass.Danvers 2, Gloucester 0At Gloucester, the Falcons notched a pair of first-half goals and relied on a lockdown defense the rest of the way to shut out the Fishermen. Zach Noring (goal, assist) and Eric Martin (goal, assist) supplied the offense while goalie Drew Larsen registered a number of crucial stops for his second shutout of the year.”We focused on defensive pressure all week. Our goal was to pressure the ball all over the field. Our entire team stepped up and our defense was definitely the story of this match. Noring, Matt Kidney and Nick Lebel shut down the Gloucester attack that was pressing forward for much of the second half,” said coach Mike Chase.GIRLS SOCCERPeabody 1, Beverly 0At Beverly, the Tanners (4-0-0) remained unbeaten as Victoria Digiacomo buried a first-half penalty kick for the game’s lone goal. Keeper Caitlin Lodi made a stellar save on a direct kick while Cayla Bucci, Bianca Muscato, Kara Digiacomo and Alex Lomasney excelled on defense. Midfielders Christa Trombley, Caroline Colbert, Madison Doherty and Katrina Silva turned in strong two-way games.”Defense won this game for us. We had to limit their chances because they are a team that will capitalize on opportunities when they have them,” said Peabody coach Dennis Desroches. “We were able to keep possession and our ball movement created many opportunities up front. Finishing was a concern as you can’t miss scoring opportunities (against) a team like Beverly.”Tanners standout Hayley Dowd sat out about two-thirds of the game but Desroches said “she was excellent when she was out there as she was a target player and was able to draw defenders to create space for other players. She will contribute any way she has to to help us be successful.”Danvers 0, North Andover 0At North Andover, the Falcons (2-1-2) and Scarlet Knights staged a defensive struggle in this non-league encounter. Danvers keeper Leah Ciampa made a diving tip save of a shot that then deflected off the crossbar late in the first half. Late in the game, Kylie Plaza’s header off a corner kick was turned aside by the NA goalie and Stephanie Kowalski’s shot from 10 yards was just wide.”I thought we played fantastic today against a very good team. Our defense has really been strong so far this season. Erin Loehner and Jackie Morse were outstanding on defen