LYNNFIELD — With the rain drenching the jerseys at Lynnfield High, the Pioneers (8-3-2) were downed by the still-undefeated Newburyport Clippers (11-0) on Tuesday evening.
Using their size and strength to their advantage, the visiting team allowed little breathing room for their opposition – pressuring Lynnfield ball-dribblers and providing layers on defense. James Forrest-Hay paced Newburyport in their victory – always a threat to shoot from distance, and finding the back of the net in the second half.
Newburyport applied the pressure early on with back-to-back corner kicks. The first connected with Forrest-Hay who got a cleat on it, but the ball was raised just a tad high. Immediately after, Benedict Cotter found twine at 38:23 – heading the ball in to give the Clippers the early 1-0 advantage.
The Pioneer defense was stagnant on the goal, and no one picked up Cotter who was just feet away from the keeper. Lynnfield Head Coach Brett Monroe credits Newburyport for their persistence, and recognizes their threat to score at any time.
“Newburyport is a great team. They put more pressure on us than any team we play,” Monroe said.
The Clippers were less sloppy than their opponent in the first half, and used all parts of the turf to spread out the Lynnfield defense. Conversely, a few missed passes out of bounds hurt the Pioneers early on.
To their credit – and despite trailing in the time of possession category – Lynnfield refused to back down against the Clipper pressure, and weren’t afraid to use their physicality.
Lynnfield started to find their groove as the half continued, connecting on short passes and communicating more. However, when they provided pressure of their own, it was far away from the net.
The Pioneers’ Charlie Morgan might as well have been the fastest man in Lynnfield during the 15th minute, jetting to a loose ball and softly keeping the ball away from his goalkeeper.
Lynnfield’s Dillon Riley impressed in the 11th minute, dazzling his way through multiple defenders and was able to get his team a corner kick. Despite no goal on the ensuing cross, the sophomore’s effort was certainly a spark for the home team. The halftime score read 1-0 in favor of Newburyport.
In the first minute of the second half, Reinold showed off his awareness in net, intercepting a cross on the ground and scooping up a Clipper centering pass.
Lynnfield’s golden chance came in the 35th minute with Riley getting his foot on the ball just two feet from the net while the tender was behind him, but he failed to even the score.
Cole Manfredonia got a prime chance a few minutes later, receiving a pass and attempting a one-touch kick, but the ball just barely deflected off his cleat.
Forrest-Hay found the back of the net in the 24th minute, doubling Newburyport’s lead to 2-0. The ball found him on the left side of the goal and a quick, raising shot proved to be too hard for Reinold to corral.
Tyler Maddocks did his best to gain momentum for the trailing team a few minutes later, extending his entire body to slide-kick a ball away from a potential chance.
After a period of dry air, the rain returned with around 19 minutes remaining, and the umbrellas returned in the bleachers.
No clear skies, no problem for Lynnfield’s Alex Gentile who cut the lead in half with a header in the 15th minute – followed by a passionate celebration in front of the fans who love him most.
Overall, Newburyport’s long strides and tight-knit defense proved to be too much for Lynnfield, and there wasn’t enough time for a comeback.
Despite the loss, there were positives to take away from today, said Monroe.
“We kept fighting and we scored the goal at 2-1, so, we’re coming on a little bit,” Monroe said. “We were able to take their pressure.”
Next on the schedule for Lynnfield in Amesbury this Thursday, Oct. 6 at 4:30 p.m., where the Pioneers look to return to the win column.
Joey Barrett can be reached at [email protected]
