LYNN — In a game that was full of chances for either team to take the lead and win the game, a shot never reached the back of the net. The Lynn Classical Rams and Revere Patriots game ended in a 0-0 tie Monday at Manning Field.
The first half was full of great chances on both sides. Within a minute of the game starting, Revere threatened to take an early lead on a ball that just glided over the crossbar from sophomore captain Brayan Medina.
Only a few minutes later, Classical had a chance of its own that just went over the net on a whistling shot by sophomore Abbie DeLeon. As the first half continued, Classical and Revere traded opportunities.
For most of the first half, the Rams were trying long through balls that just could not be finished. The Rams focused on the long balls because of the Patriots’ defensive formation.
“We like to possess a lot, but when the possession is not there, and we want to break the press, we look for long balls. They were playing a back three, so we knew we had the speed, and we got a few breakaways from that,” said Classical Head Coach Eric Moreno.
In the final moments of the half, Revere came about as close to scoring as you could with great opportunities from freshman David Tamayo who hit the left post, and sophomore Kaue Vieira, who just missed putting the ball in the top left corner of the net.
Heading into the second half, the game was played similarly to how it was in the first. However, as the minutes ticked away, chances for Classical kept mounting.
With under 20 minutes remaining in the game, sophomore Jleren Mireles broke past Revere’s last line of defense and shot a slow-rolling ball past the goalie that went just wide of the net. Unfortunately for the Rams, the painful misses did not stop there.
In a last-ditch effort with five minutes left, freshman Jose Coral looked to have an almost automatic goal that Revere’s keeper had to scramble and save just inches before the ball rolled over the goalline.
Even with some missed chances, Moreno was happy with his team’s effort, especially against a team like Revere.
“I honestly think we played really well; we just did not finish our chances – we had about seven in the last 10 minutes; if we finish one of those, it is game over,” said Moreno.
“We have to be happy with that – Revere is a really good team; they finished third last season, so to come out and dominate like that in the closing moments of the game and not shy away that is something good we can take back,” he continued.
On the other side, Revere Head Coach Manuel Lopes was frustrated with his team’s performance at the end of the game.
“My biggest issue was how we played in the last 20 minutes. We should have won the game – we had better opportunities than they did – that was frustrating,” said Lopes. “You can complain about everything in the world, but if you do not put the ball in the net, there is nothing to complain about other than yourself.”
Michael Coughlin Jr. can be reached at [email protected].
