ITEM PHOTO BY KATIE MORRISON
Beverly’s Sean Hanlon, left, of the South team, heads the ball over St. Mary’s Dan Hennessey, of the North team, during the Agganis All-Star boys soccer game on Tuesday.
By KATIE MORRISON
LYNN — Several members of the Agganis North boys soccer team have played with and against each other throughout their high school careers. That familiarity served them well in the 21st annual Agganis All-Star Boys Soccer Game, as the North team cruised to a 4-1 win over the South at Manning Field Tuesday.
North MVP Andrew Wayrynen (Rockport) was an offensive force, scoring once and logging an assist. Peabody’s Evangelos Andrias, a midfielder, won the South’s MVP.
North goalie Andrew Allman (Newburyport) also played excellent, holding the South at bay with some acrobatic saves.
South goalie Cameron Bornstein (Danvers) also had an impressive game, but really had his work cut out for him against a North offense that was working like a well-oiled machine.
It was the South that created the first good scoring chance of the game. Classical’s John Gathua snared a pass and eluded the defense to find himself all alone with Allman. Allman cut down the angle and smothered the ball before Gathua could get a shot off.
Then it was the North’s turn for a missed scoring opportunity. Wayrynen got past Bornstein as the goalie charged out of the net. But Wayrynen couldn’t get a shot off, as St. John’s Prep midfielder Quinlan Byrne stayed right alongside him to force him out of bounds.
Wayrynen got another chance a couple of minutes later, and this time, he capitalized. He beat Bornstein to a loose ball and tapped it in for the game’s first goal.
The South kept Allman busy, but couldn’t break through. Then as the clock ran to zero, Essex Tech’s Josh Zwiercan was in the right place at the right time as Wayrynen launched a pass right in front of the net. Zwiercan put his body on it to guide the ball in and give the North a 2-0 lead.
The second half was a stalemate until there were just four minutes left in the game. Woburn’s Cameron Pacheco got the South on the board on a penalty kick, cutting the North’s lead to 2-1.
But the North wouldn’t let the South get any closer than that.
Masconomet’s Shane Collins launched a nice shot past Bornstein two minutes later, and Zwiercan once again took it down to the wire, finding the back of the net as the clock ran down.
Wayrynen said that he’s played with many of his North teammates at the club level and against them in high school, so he knew what to expect.
“I kind of know how they play, they know how I play,” said Wayrynen. “We complement each other well.”
The familiarity between the teammates was certainly a luxury for North team and Masconomet coach Jared Scarpaci.
“I think there was a lot of chemistry,” he said. “They had played together and they all had played against each other for the last 10 years, probably. So it was nice to put them all together.”
The Mass. Maritime commit says that he’ll be playing against some of them next fall as well. He may even end up playing against South MVP Andrias, who is attending Salem State University.
Andrias’ name may not show up in the stats for Tuesday’s game, but he made a big impact in the middle of the field.
“It was fun, and it was good to get back out there because it’s been a long time since I’ve played soccer,” said Andrias. “And the MVP award, it kind of motivates me, makes me feel better about myself and my game.”
