Late goal propels Marblehead past Tech

MARBLEHEAD — Behind Peabody and Beverly, there might not be a hotter team heading into the state tournament than Marblehead.View photo galleryThe Magicians won just once in their first six games but since then coach Scott Laramie’s team has been on fire. However, Lynn Tech played the Magicians tough Monday at Piper Field. It took a goal by the Magicians’ Chris Brady with 12:30 left in the game to give the Magicians a 1-0 victory on senior night.Only a loss to Medford last week has kept the Magicians from a nearly flawless back half of their schedule and on Monday, everything was working in concert for Laramie’s team despite the closeness of the score.”We are on a nice little run right now and I hope it keeps up going into the tournament,” Laramie said.It was by no means easy for the Magicians. The Tigers played one of their best games of the season, but they came up a goal short for the second time in as many tries this year against Marblehead.”I thought that we played very well,” Tech coach Fred Gallo said. “(The score) was probably the right score because both teams played great soccer. It’s just been a struggle for us to finish all year.”Both sides came out of the gates slowly in the first half before gradually beginning to turn up the offensive pressure.The Magicians had the best chance in the opening 20 as Max Orrock’s header off a Claudio Alvarez corner kick was swallowed up by keeper Tyler Beliveau.Moments later, the Tigers had a chance to break the ice but Domenic Turilli’s shot went just over the goal.The Magicians would get a couple more golden chances inside the final five minutes of the half but both Conrad Kleykamp and Alvarez would send shots just over the crossbar and the teams went to the intermission scoreless.The Tigers controlled the ball for the first portion of the second half but the Marblehead defense didn’t yield a single shot on goal.Marblehead eventually began to push the play into Tech’s end and the pressure finally paid off in the 68th minute when Brady got behind the defense and ripped a shot under the crossbar to give his team all the offense it needed.”Chris has been our best player and it’s kind of fitting that it worked out like that on senior night,” Laramie said.