Lynnfield girls soccer hopes Brockton trip a successful one

LYNNFIELD – Make no mistake. Soccer practice at Lynnfield High Tuesday afternoon was one chilly affair.?The kids were bundled up like little Eskimos,” girls soccer coach Mark Vermont said.Maybe there was even a little grumbling, but there was no place the players or Vermont would rather be at this point in the season than preparing to head to Brockton today where they?ll play Dedham in the Division 3 state semifinals at Marciano Stadium. Game time is 5 p.m.The Pioneers are still riding high following a 3-1 win over North Reading in the Division 3 North final over the weekend. Prior to that, Lynnfield hadn?t won a sectional title since 2004.?I think we beat North Reading in that one as well,” Vermont said. “I remember it was a cold night in North Andover. One side of the field was turf and the other side was ice pellets.”The ice pellets may not be a problem in Brockton tonight, but the temperature isn?t expected to be exactly balmy with a high of only 34 predicted during the day.The Pioneers will be facing a Dedham team that finished second in the Bay State Herget Division behind Walpole. The Marauders have had an intense tournament ride with two games, including their 2-1 win over Medway in the South sectional final, which was decided by a shootout. In Dedham?s win over Dover-Sherborn it took 17 rounds of PKs and against Medway, seven. Junior goalie Elizabeth Balzarini has been more than battle tested. At the other end of the field, senior captain Meghan McFarland has been an offensive threat all season.?They have a striker who is very good. She?s fast and can put it in the back of the net,” Vermont said, adding he thinks the Marauders are also strong defensively with a very good sweeper.Vermont acknowledged he doesn?t know a lot about Dedham, but that doesn?t concern him all that much.?I think we just need to focus on ourselves, play our game and make adjustments as we need to,” he said. “You can get too focused on the other team and not do what you have to do.”The Pioneers (16-4-2) head into the game with a few bumps and bruises but overall healthy, he said.Dedham will have the task of containing a Lynnfield attack that is fairly spread out. Jess Duhaime leads with 13 goals, but Liz Reed, Paige MacEachern and Kelly Look have six each. Midfielder/forward Abby Weaver has played very well all season and in the last game,was rewarded with a couple of goals.?That was great to see,” Vermont said. “She?s a smart play with great skill.”