LYNN — The Lynn Classical girls soccer team may have had to wait more than six months to play a game last season, but they made the most of their shortened season in the spring by winning the Greater Boston League title in their very first season in the league. Now, as the 2021 season gets ready to start this fall, the Rams are geared up to make a run at a repeat.
“Last year was so strange because of all of the unknowns, but for the girls to come out in their first year in the GBL and go toe-to-toe with teams like Somerville, Medford, Revere and others, that was impressive,” said Classical coach Mike Schena. “I think now coming into this year with largely the same group, we’ve been treating things like business as usual and everyone’s excited.”
Classical graduated four key players from last year’s team in senior captains Mary Collins, Hannah Guthrie, Kathleen Mannion and Jessica Page, but the Rams have an incredibly deep class of 12 incoming seniors to take their place. Leading the way will be the likes of Olivia Waterman, Jada Mateo, Maggie Nerich, Hannah Flaherty, Ava Correnti and Molly Mannion. Juniors Eliza Correnti, Delaney Dana and Ava Thurman — who all saw significant playing time last year — are also back to lead the charge.
“This is a group that knows what it takes to win and has now gotten a taste of it,” Schena said of the returners. “We have a lot of talent and the girls now have a full preseason and a full schedule to work with, so we’re keeping our expectations high.”
But, maybe even more importantly for the growth of the program, there is a group of about five freshmen who have a great shot at making the varsity team.
Schena also noted that more than 40 girls came out for the team this year, meaning that the program will have strong numbers for at least the next several years.
The Rams have been back on the practice field for a little more than a week now, and they’ve been getting the most out of their time. And after a scrimmage against Gloucester, Classical has seen live reps for the first time since May.
“We’ve had a great turnout and we’ve all remained healthy, which is obviously key at this time of year,” said Schena. “We had a great performance in our scrimmage against Gloucester and came away with a 5-1 win, so we’re feeling pretty good about things.”
Everything leads up to the start of Classical’s season early next week, kicking things off with the return of the Lynn City Soccer Tournament on Tuesday.
“That’s one of the things that we’ve been looking forward to more than anything,” said Schena. “There’s just something about the tradition of the whole thing, we just can’t wait to get back out there and play in that tournament.”
Classical will open things up with the nightcap of the Lynn City Tournament, taking on Lynn Tech Tuesday night (7) at Manning Field.
“It’s an exciting time of the year,” said Schena. “We know everyone in the GBL is out to get us now, so we’ve got to be prepared to play our best every single night. We’re ready for the challenge.”
