Boys Soccer: Lynnfield qualifies for tournament

It was a battle this year, but the Lynnfield High boys soccer team qualified for the state tournament for the 10th time in a row with a 4-0 win over Amesbury at Lynnfield Monday.”It was a pretty big deal for this group,” coach Brent Munroe said. “This year we really battled to get in. Nothing came easy. We had to win a lot of games down the stretch.”Connor Sullivan scored two goals with James Hook and Blake Strader adding one each. Jake Jablonka had three assists. Joe Bassi and Mike Lanzalotti split the game in net.Lynnfield is 8-6-2 with two games remaining.Peabody 3, Classical 2At Peabody, the Tanners (9-3-2 NEC, 9-3-4 overall) inched ahead of the Rams by a point in the fight for the NEC Large title. Shawn Bernardo headed in a corner kick by Joey Ramsay seven minutes into the game for a 1-0 Peabody lead, but Classical’s Salvador Castro pulled the Rams even on a goal at the 32-minute mark. Yabesi Musema had the assist.Musema scored in the second half to put the Rams on top, 2-1, but the Tanners came back with one of the flukier goals of the season. Maynard Wheeler cleared the ball from the top of his own 18-yard line. The ball went high, hit the ground around the Classical 18 and bounced over the goalie’s head and into the net. Bernardo scored the game-winner 29 minutes into the second half when he tipped in a Ramsay direct kick.Classical coach Rob Upton was happy with the way his team moved the ball and the guys on the left side who created some opportunities for Musema.”We did a lot of things well,” Upton said.Peabody coach Stan McKeen cited the play of Ramsay and Tommy Drove in the midfield.”This was a big win for us,” he said.Saugus 2, Winthrop 0At Saugus, Andre Ipajuca had both goals for the Sachems (7-8-1) with Guilherme Barbosa and Nick Lennan each getting an assist. Peter Pulcari turned away seven shots in net and Kelvin Reach anchored a solid effort by the defense.Danvers 4, Swampscott 3At Swampscott, the Big Blue (1-13-2) gave the Falcons a run for their money. The game was 1-1 at the half and Swampscott led 3-2 before Danvers came back to score two unanswered goals. The game-winner came with 30 seconds left. Drew Piazza (2 goals), Eric Martin and Zach Worth (game-winner) provided the offense for Danvers (12-2-1, 12-1-1).The Big Blue’s goals came from Matt Turner, Josh Price and Kendrick Simpson.St. Mary’s 3, Arlington Catholic 1At Manning Field, the Spartans are still in the hunt for a Catholic Central League title thanks to their latest win. Dan Hennessey, Alexander Alleyne and Noah Camelo all scored for St. Mary’s. Mike Russo and Christian Blaise were rock-solid on defense.The Spartans are currently atop the CCL with Arlington Catholic up next.Beverly 2, English 1At Beverly, Brendon Cronin scored the first goal for Beverly. Cam Rogers got things going on a throw-in that Conor Leahy headed to Cronin and Cronin put in the net. Leahy got a foot on a loose ball in front of the net to make it 2-0. Bryon Girard and Elija Crandell played well on defense.The Bulldogs’ goal came from Fiffehana Gebreyesus in the first half.”The kids played well. We created numerous opportunities, but we didn’t finish. That’s been the story of the season,” English coach Kerry King said.Bishop Fenwick 2, Cardinal Spellman 0At Peabody, Rashard DaSilva scored in the first half and Tyler Fouhey in the second half for the Crusaders (6-8-4).Salem 3, Revere 0At Bertram Field, Robert Abreu had two goals and Alex Carvajal, one, for the Witches, who are in first place in the NEC Large with a 10-2-2 record, 11-3-2 overall. Salem has 22 points, Peabody, 21, and Classical, 20. Salem plays Peabody and Classical this week.Joyce Erekson can be reached at [email protected].