The Peabody Tanners (9-2-2) defeated Masconomet Regional (10-3-1) on Wednesday evening by a score of 4-2 at Peabody High.
The loss to the Tanners was Masco’s first conference loss, and came courtesy of a hat-trick from senior striker John Arruda.
Early on, things were fast-paced – full of quick passes, multiple players falling to the turf, and tested goalkeepers. The first scoring chance came from the cleat of Masco’s Ara Scarpaci, but Peabody keeper Paul Drilon made a redirection save.
The first tally came from Peabody’s Nathan Braz on an impressive tic-tac-goal play. Bruno Correia, who Head Coach Stan McKeen refers to as the “energizer bunny,” Ryan Alves, and Braz all touched the ball within four seconds, leading to Braz finding twine on a right-footed strike.
“We moved the ball better than they did. I thought that was the key in the game,” McKeen said.
Masco responded at around the 29:00 minute mark with Scarpaci weaving his way through the opposition and getting a shot off. The rebound found Jack Fiedler who cleaned things up after a fight for the ball.
Braz had a chance at goal number two in the 23rd minute. A cross found him in front of the net, but his header bounced wide right.
Throughout the first half, Arruda’s ball-protection proved to stump Masco on multiple occasions. He created possession with his length and size.
The tie was broken when a Peabody shot from the left point resulted in a gaping net for Arruda, who turned around and fired a shot into the mesh before goalkeeper Marco Russo could dive in front of it.
Shortly after, Alves – on a running start – leaped high into the air to head the ball, but his attempt rose just wide over the crossbar.
With eight minutes remaining in the half, Masco got its equalizer off yet another rebound chance – a brand new game began.
Minutes later, however, Arruda decided to go up against six defenders. The result: a shot that blew past Russo on the ground and into the net. Masco’s defenders failed to mark, and Arruda raced past them on the right side.
Masco had the ball on its side of the field for over two minutes to begin the second half, but Peabody’s defense disrupted passing lanes and put tight pressure on ball-dribblers.
Alves was crafty from the jump. His ability to collect the ball in the air and position himself to receive passes made him strong in the midfield. On the defensive end, junior Yanni Pappas was able to anticipate plays and clear the ball effectively.
Physicality prevailed as the teams became more familiar with one another. Box-outs became tighter, and loose balls became more personal. McKeen said the theme of physicality isn’t necessarily a bad thing as long as players can keep their poise.
“Physical, but be skilled and hold the ball. Play smart, that’s the big key right there,” McKeen said.
The save of the night came in the 11th minute, as a curving point attempt would’ve been placed perfectly atop the net, but Drilon leaped to deflect the ball away with his glove.
Arruda put the game away with his third goal. A header deflected off a player and Arruda, who positioned himself well, tucked the dagger.
Extra time ended and the Peabody fans, as well as the players, went home happy. The Tanners return to play on Saturday, Oct. 15 at 10:00 a.m. at Peabody High against Amesbury.
Joey Barrett can be reached at [email protected]
