MARBLEHEAD — Despite the Tech boys soccer team getting off to a hot start Thursday afternoon at Piper Field, Marblehead got a foothold midway through the first half and rode it all the way to a 3-1 win. The Magicians exploded for a three-goal stretch early in the second half to earn the win.
“It was a little bit of a slow start for us, which is kind of typical, but the guys played well out there,” said Marblehead coach Scott Laramie. “We played well defensively for most of the game, and when we needed to find the back of the net we were able to. It was definitely a solid win against a very good team.”
Marblehead got two goals from Hayden Miller and one goal from Vittorio Mariotti. Emmett McGorray and Alfred Bresnahan each had one assist.
For Tech, the lone goal came from Ashby Murphy.
“We really had them in the first 10 minutes, we were playing really well out there,” said Tech coach Eric Moreno Sr. “But then we lost it for much of the game, and we were only able to regain that momentum in the last 10 minutes. We played well, but not well enough to win.”
The Tigers had as good a start as they could ask for without scoring a goal. For the first 10 minutes of the game, Tech was flying all around the field on both sides of the ball. The Tigers got multiple quality scoring chances and also were able to keep the ball away from Marblehead on defense.
But after those first 10 minutes, things changed direction. Marblehead started to get good runs at the net itself, putting a bit more pressure on Tech’s defense. The Magicians were also able to stop the constant offensive attack of the Tigers, swarming to the ball and keeping the ball out of their own zone.
After a number of runs at the net by Marblehead to close the half, the game remained scoreless going into the break.
Marblehead took the momentum it gained right into the start of the second half. About 13 minutes into the half, the Magicians finally struck. After getting awarded a free kick from about 35 yards out, McGorray sent a ball into the box that found the foot of Miller, who hesitated for a split second before burying the goal to make it 1-0.
Just over six minutes later, the Magicians earned another free kick, this one taken by Bresnahan. He sent the ball into the box and once again Miller was in the right place, redirecting the ball into the back of the net to go up by two goals.
The Magicians completed their flurry of scoring just 40 seconds later, when Mariotti got loose and fired a rocket into the back of the net for a 3-0 lead.
The Tigers went on a small run near the end of the game, eventually getting a goal from Murphy after executing on a set play. There were a couple other opportunities to score that came from Geo Ramirez, but close misses kept the score at 3-1 when the final buzzer sounded.
Tech (9-3-1) is already in the state tournament, so the final few games of the year are being used to prepare for that higher level of play. The Tigers clash against Northeast Friday afternoon.
“It’s time to forget about this loss and move on, because we have another game tomorrow,” said Moreno. “We just need to learn from our mistakes, prepare for the next game and move on.”
For Marblehead (4-10), this was a highlight win that it hopes will give the Magicians some momentum going into the end of the year. Marblehead takes on Somerville Monday.
