Boys Soccer: Second-half surge powers Magicians past Big Blue

It took a while to warm up, but the Marblehead High boys soccer team scored two second-half goals to defeat Swampscott, 2-0, Monday at Swampscott.Jacob Wikar scored off a corner by Claudio Alverez at the 50-minute mark and Will Gaddis padded the lead a bit 10 minutes later. Chris Colcord had the assists. Nate Witherell was fairly busy in net with a dozen or so saves.?It was a good game,” Marblehead coach Scott Laramie said. “I thought we moved the ball well. We held possession for a while and I think that turned the tide near the end.”Marblehead is 3-2, 1-2 Northeastern Conference.The Big Blue had their chances, at one point hitting the crossbar twice in a row.?It was a normal rivalry game,” Swampscott coach Eric Robinson said. “It was a good, competitive, clean game. We didn?t capitalize on a couple of opportunities and that came back to haunt us.”Peabody 2, Revere 0At Revere, the Tanners got a goal and an assist apiece from Joao Correia and Ben Manoogian along with 11 saves from Kevin Lebel in a shutout of the Patriots.Peabody (3-1-1) opened the scoring 3:30 into the first half on a goal from Correia before he set up a Manoogian tally with 13 minutes remaining. The trio of Christian Morales, Nick Bettencourt and Alex Tisi turned in stellar defensive efforts in the win.Danvers 5, Gloucester 2At Danvers, sophomore midfielder James McEachern scored three goals for the Falcons (3-1) with Matt Benard and Jay McPherson accounting for the other two. Danvers led 5-1 at the half.?He (McEachern) played outstanding,” Danvers coach Mike Chase said. “We played really well. We passed the ball around and took advantage of some opportunities.”Freshman Teddy Vaillancourt (10 saves) was in net for the win.St. John?s 1, Acton-Boxboro 0At Danvers, senior Paul Magazzu?s goal (assisted by senior Peter McManus) 23 seconds into the second half stood up as the game?s only tally. Prep (3-0-1) senior goaltender Zach Rowell made five saves in his third shutout of the season.Beverly 3, Salem 0At Beverly, the Panthers (3-0-1) were led by Naheul Pittamiglio, who opened the scoring on a free kick 10 minutes into the game before adding two assists. Jake Bettencourt and Leo Feinstein recorded tallies midway through the second half, providing goaltender Justin Carnevale with more than enough insurance.Fenwick 2, Arl. Cath. 0At Arlington, the Crusaders (2-1) got a goal and an assist from Shawn Carlson, who opened the scoring (assisted by Jimmy Brophy) before setting up Troy Belleville for an insurance tally. Jimmy Moore, Patrick Welch and Jack Palmachuk played strong defensive games in front of goalkepper Galvin Murray, who had a strong showing in the second half.