Rams sweep in city soccer

LYNN – It was a good day for those wearing green and gold on Saturday in the championship games of the Lynn City Soccer tournament at Manning Field.After suffering heartbreaking defeats a year ago in the finals of both the boys and girls tourneys, Classical wasn?t to be denied as it stunned English with three goals in the final 7:22 of regulation to win the girls title, 3-1. Not to be outdone, the boys broke a scoreless tie against Tech late in the second half to claim the title over the Tigers, 2-0.The girls title game was up first and it looked for the longest time like the Bulldogs (1-1) were going to upset the favored Rams as they took a strong wind at their backs for the first half and used it to take a 1-0 lead when Emma Trahant dribbled down the right wing and chipped a shot into the net in the 15th minute.?The wind definitely was a huge factor,” English coach Ed McNeil said. “We dominated that first half and got the lead because it really helped us. But I don?t think we got the ball over the 50 in the second.”The Rams (2-0) didn?t panic entering halftime and once they headed towards the scoreboard end of the stadium for the second 40 minutes, it was a completely different story.How dominant was Classical in the second half? English didn?t register a single shot on goal as the Rams hemmed the Bulldogs in at the defensive end.Classical put plenty of pressure on but English goalie Kaitlin Nadeau was able to hold the fort with several clutch saves as it began to look like the Bulldogs might be in position to steal one from their rival.The Rams, however, finally paid off their constant pressure as Shannon Magner picked up a loose ball and fired a shot inside the right post with 7:22 left to deadlock things.?All the girls did everything that we asked them to,” Classical coach Justina Alicudo said. “We had some good chances that we didn?t finish but they kept fighting right to the end.”It looked like a shootout was going to be needed for a second year in a row in the finals but one of the Rams? most experienced players had other ideas.After English turned it over on a clearing attempt, Jenn Ierardi, who earned tourney MVP honors. was able to fend off a Bulldog defender and beat Nadeau with a quick shot with 2:00 left to give Classical the lead for the first time.The Bulldogs would push for the equalizer but it was to be for naught as Kaitlin Marcinko?s goal in the final seconds salted away the title for Classical.?I?m so happy for these girls. They wanted this so bad. They?ve all been playing together for a while so it?s nice to see this happen,” Alicudo said.In the consolation game, St. Mary’s cruised to a 6-0 victory over Lynn Tech. Kaylin Deschenes and Sam Saunders each had two goals. Taylor Capozzi and Mia Nikolakopoulos also had goals.The boys game would also be competitive right from the outset as the Tigers, who had bounced English in the semifinals on Wednesday, controlled the play for much of the first half but couldn?t get anything past Classical netminder Strati Saranteas.Despite the play being controlled by Tech, it was the Rams who had the best chance to score in the first 40 when Abitalib Girdia beat Tyler Beliveau clean but had his shot hit off the right post.?Tech came out really strong in the first half and they took it to us early,” Classical coach Rob Upton said.Much like the opening game of the finals, Mother Nature would ultimately have a deciding influence on the game as temperatures that peaked in the 90s caused temperatures to feel closer to 100 on the field and it began to take a toll on the Tigers.?I think that our conditioning was the difference in the second half,” Tech coach Fred Gallo said. “We just got a little tired. But I was pleased with the way we played against a very good team.”Classical had a chance to break the scoreless tie early in the second but Tech?s Gilmer Mendez blocked Daniel Ssozi?s shot with Beliveau out of position. The Rams would continue to pressure and nearly struck again b