PEABODY — It’s always nice when seniors have a big impact on a Senior Night win, and that was exactly the case for the Peabody field hockey team in a 6-0 victory over Northeastern Conference foe Saugus Tuesday evening at Coley Lee Field. Three seniors scored goals in the victory, while a pair of senior goalkeepers combined for the shutout in net.
“I think things are really starting to come together for us out on the field,” said Peabody coach Tawny Palmieri. “We’ve been working hard to figure out playing in the new 7-on-7 rules and how to deal with the conditioning aspect, and I think now we’re starting to play up to our capabilities.”
Prior to the game the Tanners honored their group of 11 seniors — captain Sydney Branga, captain Alise Maltsev, Kylie Colella, Emma Hayward, Sophie Izzo, Jenna Lombard, Dado Nasso, Niki Nikolouzos, Julia Paulino, Elise Staunton and Lily Bromberger — for their contributions to the program over the past four years.
“To see this group of girls grow, both on the field and off it, has been really special,” said Palmieri. “It’s tough because we’re just now starting to really figure things out and now they’re leaving, but all of them have left their mark on the culture of this team and the younger players who will be coming back.”
As for the game, Peabody was led by goals from Staunton, Nasso, Izzo, junior Jackie Scopa, junior Isabella DeCicco and sophomore Siobahn Smith. Paulino and Gina Terrazzano each had one assist, while Branga and Colella combined for the shutout between the pipes.
The Tanners put the pressure on Saugus from the very beginning, dominating time of possession early on and getting a number of scoring opportunities. Dado Nasso earned three breakaway chances just on her own in the first quarter, but all of those chances ended up with saves from Saugus’ goalkeeper.
But then, with just over two minutes to play, the Tanners’ fortunes changed. Peabody earned a penalty shot with just over two minutes to play, and Smith was chosen to take the shot. Instead of the normal shot across the ground, Smith decided to go top shelf, scooping the ball up and over the goalie’s left shoulder to give the Tanners a 1-0 lead.
That goal seemed to open the floodgates. Less than a minute later, DeCicco found the back of the net on a rebound to make it 2-0, a score that Peabody took into the start of the second quarter.
It didn’t take long for Peabody to score in the second quarter either, as Paulino was able to knock home a rebound with 12 minutes to play to make it 3-0. The score remained 3-0 at the halftime break.
The Tanners were able to run away with the win in the second half, getting goals from Izzo, Staunton and Scopa to round out the scoring.
Peabody (2-3-1) will now have some time off before a bout with NEC foe Gloucester on Monday (5:30).
“It’ll be nice to have a bit of a break, and we’ll continue to try to keep practice light while also continuing to work,” said Palmieri. “Hopefully we’ll be able to continue this strong play into next week and beyond.”
