LYNNFIELD — The Pioneers won their soccer scrimmage against Essex Tech with a final unofficial score of 2-0. The teams were a good match-up, each holding their own during the first half of the game. In the second half Alex Gentile, a senior center midfielder scored the first goal for Lynnfield when he scored on a header after a corner kick. Cole Manfredonia, forward, scored the second goal of the game for Lynnfield.
“To be honest, I thought that they were a very good team. They played a lot more possession than I thought they were going to. We played very similarly with our styles, and it was a good match-up,” said Lynnfield Coach Brent Munroe. “I think in the second half, we wore them down a little bit, and we put a couple in.”
Essex Tech’s team was not the only obstacle the Pioneers faced during the game. The team had to play the weather as well. “I think the wind was a huge factor. In the first half, we were playing into it, so we had to hold them off in the first. And we got a couple in the second half,” said Munroe.
The win comes from everyone doing their part. “I thought our center backs were great today. Drew Damini and Charlie Morgan were really great today,” said Munroe. “Kellen, our sophomore goalie, did really great. I think he’s going to be a great goalie, and this is his first year starting. Alex Gentile, who scored the first goal, he’s a really good player. He played really well, and I expect him to be one of the best players in our league. But we all played well enough to get a win.”
“This is our third scrimmage of three, and Coach (Michael) Chase knows the Lynnfield teams and that they’re one of the top teams in Division 3. So, when we were setting things up, we wanted to get a really good quality of play for our last scrimmage before the regular season starts,” said one of Essex Tech’s co-coaches Joel Spruance. “And they did not disappoint. They came in and played a really good game.”
“We were just trying to find the right mix of guys. We got a few new players to put there; we got a freshman playing with us, we got some underclassmen. We are trying to work out the kinks before the season gets started This Tuesday,” said Chase. “We also have veterans coming back, so it’s really about getting them acclimated to each other.”
Maddi Filip can be reached at [email protected].
