LYNN — The Lynnfield boys soccer team ran out of magic Saturday afternoon, when the Pioneers’ postseason run closed after a 3-1 loss to Bedford in the Division 3 North final at Manning Field.
Bedford, the top seed in the sectional, scored just 90 seconds into the game, never trailed and kept No. 10 Lynnfield on its heels for the majority of the afternoon.
“Bedford’s the best team we’ve played all year,” Lynnfield coach Brent Munroe said. “It was a little bit of a slow start but that’s just a better team. I don’t think we were ready for their pace. We tried to keep up but it’s hard. Their pace is fast. I’m really happy with our guys. They fought hard.”
Ryan Knight, Jasper Paez and Dexter Kennedy scored a goal apiece for the Buccaneers. Kennedy and Nolan Hafer each recorded one assist.
Lynnfield junior Matheus Saramento scored the Pioneers’ lone goal on a picture-perfect play. Junior Henry Caulfield dished the assist.
It took the Pioneers a few minutes to get their feet underneath them and Bedford made them pay. Shortly after the opening whistle, Max Alper sent a header in Lynnfield goalie Dante Gesamondo’s direction but Alper’s shot missed the mark.
The Buccaneers’ next attempt didn’t miss. Knight picked up a pass from Hafer, found an opening in the defense and cashed in to put Bedford ahead 1-0 in the second minute.
“Bedford’s possession was awesome,” Munroe said. “They have depth. They have really talented players at many positions but they’re overall depth’s terrific.”
Lynnfield weathered the storm from there and regained its focus through the next 15 minutes. With 23:17 left in the half, Paez worked his way to a one-on-one, found his angle and hit the back of the net to stretch Bedford’s lead to 2-0.
The Pioneers gained some momentum at the close of the half on Saramento’s clutch tally. Caulfield sent a pass to Saramento and the latter did the rest on a header, closing the gap to 2-1.
“That was probably our best goal of the season,” Munroe said. “We won the ball in the midfield, we put it out to the left-hand side, we switched back through the middle to the right-hand side, then we had a cross and a headball that went in. It was a great combination play and we were pretty proud of it. It was a great highlight for us on a day that was Bedford’s day.
“We felt good at halftime. This was a hard deal for us. We went into it knowing that Bedford’s a really good team. Our guys battled as hard as they could battle. Sometimes you just go down to a better team.”
Kennedy’s goal six minutes into the second half made it a 2-goal Bedford lead at 3-1. Opportunities were few and far between for the Pioneers from there. Jack Bird’s corner kick midway through the half was to no avail. Bedford’s defense held tight the rest of the way for the 3-1 win.
The Pioneers finished the season at 12-9-1.
“This was such a great tournament run for a No. 10 seed that barely got in,” Munroe said. “We finished fifth out of six teams in our league and we made it to the North final. It’s been a great run. We lost to a great, great team.”
