Classical moves on in D2 North

CHELSEA – The No. 7 Lynn Classical boys soccer team began its Division 2 North postseason run with an impressive 1-0 first-round victory over host Chelsea on Sunday afternoon.After being outplayed for much of the first half, the Rams began to pick up the pace as time wore on. When the visitors came out for the second half, the No. 7 Red Devils were greeted by a much hungrier squad.?I thought Chelsea carried most of the play in the first half,” explained Classical coach Rob Upton. “They?re a very skilled team and do a good job in possessing the ball. We did a good job of re-focusing at the end of the half and made some adjustments going into the second.”The Rams matched the Devils? intensity to start the second period and finally generated some chances. With 15 minutes remaining, Yabesi Musema sent a drive on net that rebounded off the keeper to William Ugorji, who banged it home.?The guys put in some hard work towards the end of the game and it paid off,” said Upton. “They did a great job of figuring out what they had to do to create some opportunities for themselves.”On the other end of the field, the Rams relied on shutdown defense from Angel Canales as well as the play of midfielders Keregya Nasibu and Abitalib Girdia, who were all over the field. Wes Thomson also had a strong game, creating plays throughout.Strati Saranteas earned the shutout in goal, shutting down the Devils when they could muster some momentum. The hosts did hit a crossbar in the opening half.Upton, who earned his first tournament win as coach, was thrilled with his team?s effort.?It really was an all-around great team win today,” he said. “I?ve stressed to this group all year long that focus is huge and they have succeeded in staying active and doing what they have needed to do to get here.”Classical moves on to the quarterfinals on Tuesday to play No. 2 Tech Boston, a team similar to Chelsea.?We?ve done our research,” explained Upton. “They won their league, the BCL, and scored a lot of goals. They beat Reading 7-1 in their first game so we know it?s going to be another tough game and we look forward to that.”