LYNNFIELD ― While the Lynnfield boys soccer team withstood the pressure from the Newburyport Clippers, they were unable to do so for the entire game and were defeated 2-0.
Even though Lynnfield was unable to walk away with the win, Coach Brent Munroe thought that his team played well.
“They are a very good team,” said Munroe. “They beat us 2-0. They scored two goals in the first half, and I thought we competed the whole way through. We just lost to a better team.”
For the first five minutes of the match, both sides felt each other out and it was difficult for either to maintain possession.
The first goal would come early, as seven minutes into the match Caelan Twichell rocketed a goal into the back of the net to give Newburyport a 1-0 lead. The Clippers continued to put pressure on the Pioneers, causing Lynnfield to struggle to get into the final third.
Midway through the first half, Lynnfield’s defense was handling the pressure quite well and they were able to keep the deficit at one. While the Clippers gained plenty of corner kicks, the Pioneers managed to do a good job of getting the ball out of their own box.
The Pioneers got their first real chance off a corner in the 19th minute, but the ball was cleared by the Clippers. Before the end of the first half, Lynnfield was able to get another corner in stoppage time, but Newburyport goalkeeper Nicolas Chamberlain secured the ball before the Pioneers could do any damage.
Disaster almost struck off a free kick for Lynnfield, but Charly Morgan made a superb goal-line clearance that was surely appreciated by goalkeeper Chase Carney. Unfortunately, the Pioneers went down 2-0 when William Acquaviva sent a screamer into the bottom of the net in the 24th minute.
Newburyport head coach Shawn Bleau thought that his side performed well in the first half.
“We were knocking the ball around well,” he said. “We had good team speed out there. We were getting down the sidelines, (but) weren’t getting on the end of crosses. We had some really good passing.”
The beginning of the second half started off with both sides feeling each other out for the first five minutes. Carney was tested in the 46th minute when he intercepted a cross before Newburyport could grab their third goal of the game. The Pioneers goalkeeper also made a quality stop in the 49th minute as well in an impressive display of goalkeeping.
Munroe talked about his keeper’s performance after the match.
“I thought he played great and he’s a kid who is a first-year goalie,” Munroe said. “He’s a senior who didn’t play goal until this year. He was a field player and we switched him over and he’s done terrific. A game like this is huge for him because we’ve had some easier games recently where he hasn’t had a lot of action and he needs the action to get better, and I think he will be better next week.”
Once again in the second half, the Clippers were able to put Lynnfield on the back foot. Newburyport continued making it difficult for the Pioneers to get anything going in the final third. For the first 20 minutes of the half, Newburyport controlled possession, with Lynnfield spending little time on the ball.
The Pioneers nearly got their first goal in the 62nd minute off of a free kick, but a header from Alex Gentile hit the crossbar and the Clippers were able to gain possession.
Lynnfield is now 5-3 on the season and will take on Masco on Friday.
