LYNN — The Lynn Tech girls soccer team fought valiantly in its 3-0 loss against Whittier Tuesday at Manning Field.
Whittier’s goals came from three different goal scorers as Emily Ceder, Madison Gosse, and Maddie Noury each notched a goal.
The Wildcats owned possession and had a plethora of scoring chances throughout the game. However, the competitive fire from the Tigers never wavered, which is something Tech’s head coach hopes will continue throughout the season.
“Whittier is outstanding; they are the best team in the conference. Obviously, today was a test for us to get better, and we have to put the work in – that is what the players said at halftime, and during our timeouts, we should be competing like this every game,” said Tech Head Coach Justin Barrasso.
“It is a lesson for us to compete in every game, every opportunity,” he said.
For most of the first half, Whittier was getting chance after chance and biding its time until a ball finally went in the back of the net. However, the Tigers made almost every scoring chance difficult with its tenacious defense, especially from senior captain Helen Pojoy and senior goalkeeper Sharon Vasquez DeLeon.
Unfortunately, the Tigers’ stout defense cracked with around 13 minutes remaining in the first half when Ceder gave her Wildcats a 1-0 lead.
When the second half began, it was largely up to DeLeon to keep her team in it, and for most of it, she did. DeLeon made some excellent saves for the Tigers’ including a huge save 10 minutes into the second half in a ridiculous sequence.
She stopped an excellent scoring chance from the Wildcats and was poised enough to stay positioned when the next two Whittier shots rang off the crossbar.
Remarkably, DeLeon is not even Tech’s starting keeper, as she stepped in for an injured teammate. Her selflessness and performance drew praise from her teammates and coaches.
“Sharon [Vasquez DeLeon] is a senior – she is team first. Whatever the team needs, she does not question it – however, she can help the team; she helps us, and she always has her teammates in mind first, and we are always better when she is on the field,” said Barrasso.
“I think Sharon [Vasquez DeLeon] is an amazing person not only inside but outside the field. She is always there, always smiles, never complains – I just think she is an overall amazing player,” said Pojoy.
Due to the Tigers’ inability to mount a consistent offensive attack, Whittier pulled away with two goals in the final 20 minutes, first from Gosse, then from Noury, to seal its 3-0 victory.
Even down multiple goals, the Tigers refused to quit, which, to Barrasso, is a quality of his team that starts with their captain.
“Helen Pojoy is our backbone. Helen Pojoy is our heart and soul. Helen Pojoy is our motor – she has no quit in her – not as a soccer player as a person – she has no quit in her, and that is why this team will not quit because she will not let her teammates quit,” said Barrasso.
As the Tigers’ season moves along, they will have to continue to be resilient, and Pojoy emphasized how important that is to win games.
“Once we say that we lost is the minute that we lose. I think we always have to keep our head in the game and keep a positive mindset because that is the only way we will win the game,” said Pojoy.
Michael Coughlin Jr. can be reached at [email protected].
