PEABODY ― The Peabody girls soccer team knew it had a tall task in front of it coming into Sunday’s game against Danvers, and the Tanners were proven correct in a 5-1 loss at Coley Lee Field.
Emily McDonough scored the lone goal in the loss for Peabody, while Branae Craveiro notched one assist. Ally Bettencourt, Sam Simmons and Megan Billingsley all played well defensively in the loss, while goalkeeper Emma Bloom had a solid game in net.
Things were even in the first 12 minutes of the game, with both teams battling to a scoreless tie, but Danvers quickly took over. A goal from Reese Pszenny started things off, then 2020 All-American and Gatorade Girls Soccer Player of the Year Arianna Bezanson scored back-to-back goals to give Danvers a 3-0 lead.
The Tanners finally broke through late in the first half, when Craveiro sent a perfect ball into the box on a corner kick and McDonough finished it off to make it 3-1.
But in the second half, the Tanners just couldn’t get any momentum going in the right direction. Bezanson scored her third goal of the game to make it 4-1, then she assisted on Ellie Anderson’s goal to round out the scoring and give Danvers the victory.
Peabody (0-1-1) will host Salem Tuesday afternoon (4).