ITEM PHOTO BY KATIE MORRISON
North’s Hannah Butler, left, of Melrose, sprints toward the goal as the South’s Molly Eagar, of Hamilton-Wenham, catches up during the Agganis All-Star girls soccer game on Tuesday.
By MIKE ALONGI
LYNN — The goalkeepers took center stage in the 21st annual Agganis All-Star Girls Soccer Game at Manning Field Tuesday, but it was the South team that managed to put a few goals on the board to grab the win, 3-0, over the North.
“For a group of kids who had never played together before, they did an excellent job,” said South coach Tim Phelan, who coaches at Austin Prep. “They moved the ball well and played good soccer. That’s what happens when they’re all great players out there.”
Hamilton-Wenham’s Madeleine Berthoud, who will attend Westmont College this fall, took home MVP honors for the South team after notching two goals and an assist in the win. Pingree midfielder Kerri Zerfoss (Northeastern) won MVP for the North.
“I thought we played pretty well out there,” said North coach Ken Leeder, of Swampscott. “I thought we moved the ball well, the girls looked fit out there and they looked like they were having fun. In the end that’s all that matters.”
As for the goalkeepers, Lynn English’s Kaitlyn Nadeau (Endicott) earned the shutout for the South team with eight saves.
“Great game for her,” said Phelan, also an English alum. “It’s great to see a fellow English alum do well, and she did a wonderful job out there.”
For the North, Marblehead’s Lauren Unterborn (Case Western) had seven saves.
It was a back-and-forth battle for the first 15 minutes, with each team coming up empty on some scoring chances. Then, with 23:15 on the clock, Berthoud laid out a great pass to St. Mary’s forward Kaylin Deschenes (Emmanuel), who was streaking up the middle of the field. Deschenes had a wide open shot and buried it to give the South a 1-0 lead.
Just over three minutes later, the South scored again when Lynnfield forward Abigail Weaver (UMass Amherst) sent a pass from the left corner into the box. Berthoud was right there waiting, and she buried a shot right under the crossbar go up by two goals.
The North started pressing a bit more and got a few more scoring chances before the half, but Nadeau stood strong and didn’t let anything pass.
The second half was much of the same, with both teams getting several scoring chances throughout. However, the South was once again able to capitalize on its chances, with Berthoud scoring another goal with just under nine minutes left to give the South the 3-0 lead that would hold until the end of the game.
“It was a great time as always, said Phelan. “The Agganis game is a great game and it’s a great foundation, both teams did great and it was a lot of fun.”
