Saugus girls soccer tackles Cape Ann League this season

The Saugus High girls soccer team will be in for some major changes this season.The Sachems will tackle a new league and they?ll do it with a lot of new faces in the lineup after losing nine seniors to graduation. Six of them were starters.Saugus moved to the Cape Ann League in all sports this fall, making for some unfamiliar foes. Coach Chris Coviello said he?s excited about the change, but also a little apprehensive as his team faces teams he knows little about.?I don?t even scout these teams during the year, but they don?t know anything about me either,” he said.The Sachems lost three quarters of the defense and half their center midfielders to graduation. Among the losses were leading scorer Jackie Russo and goalie Andrea Davis.?We?re going to have a young team this year,” Coviello said.Leading the way will be senior captains Giana Zirolo (stopper); Jillian Lyons (center midfield) and Ashley Torton (defense), and junior captain Mikayla Pirella (forward).Coviello has some experience returning at outside midfielder with junior Danielle Strangie and sophomore Alison Aldred. Defender Catherine White and forward Amanda Poussard will also bring some experience to the lineup.Coviello said he expects to bring up four or five players from the junior varsity team. He?s still getting a feel for who can do what and with a couple of scrimmages lined up before the season starts, he expects to have it all sorted out soon.Coviello expects the Cape Ann League to be challenging. Saugus is in the large division at this point. The Sachems have 18 games, all against CAL teams.?It?s a very strong league, top to bottom,” he said.Saugus will be facing all new opponents, but the Cape Ann teams aren?t complete strangers since they?re all out of Essex County and players who come up through the Youth Soccer program are familiar playing against many of the CAL towns.One of Saugus? strengths over the years has been its defense and that?s something Coviello expects to continue.?We?ve tended to not give up a lot of goals the last couple of years. I?m thinking that trend will stay with us. We?ve got to find someone to put the ball in the net,” Coviello said.Saugus opens its season at home against Pentucket a week from this Thursday.