LYNN — The Lynn city tournament kicked off on a scorcher, as Lynn Tech’s girls soccer team (1-0) got the best of Lynn English (0-1) in a 3-1 match at Manning Field.
Tech applied the pressure early and often, but it took the Tigers 15 minutes of play to get past the remarkable athleticism of English goalie Gracie Mulloy.
After controlling the game for much of the first half, it was Tech’s Angela Reyes who netted her first of the day with a rip to the bottom-right corner (1-0).
Later, after the first hydration break, Reyes made it a double with an impressive outside-the-boot rip to the same corner, giving Tech a stronghold on the game (2-0).
Tech coach JD Perry – who snagged his first win as head coach on Wednesday – went on to say Reyes’ performance was “just tremendous,” complimenting more than just her play.
“One thing that I’ve seen is a change – and Angela, more than anyone, exemplifies that change – is the growth in self-confidence to perform as a leader individually,” Perry said.
Even with a 2-0 deficit, English didn’t let up, as Mariah Fowler buried a breakaway for her first of the season with 11 minutes remaining in the first half.
As the game progressed into the second half, Tech continued controlling the pace with three opportunities from the corner within the first 10 minutes.
Reyes continued to dominate play in the midfield, but even with Tech’s relentless offense, English refused to break.
Eventually, Tech finished a third and final time, as Allie De Leon’s ball – over the top of defenders – left Jemmy Nolasco with a beautiful volley, which she tucked away to seal the game.
Tech continued to pile chances, and the lead could’ve been much more than two if it weren’t for Mulloy’s spectacular effort in net. She made numerous point-blank and near-impossible saves to keep Tech off the board, which coach Abby Driscoll was extremely impressed with.
“She’s actually never played soccer before and never played goalie,” Driscoll said. “We’ve been teaching her the rules every single day… She should be really proud of herself.”
Even with the loss, Driscoll is staying positive and looking to take this one as a learning curve.
“There’s a lot of a lot to be learned. But also, I was really happy with a lot of the things that we’ve been working on since the season started, so there’s only room to grow,” Driscoll said. “We’ll just make the most of it and look for small wins as they come.”
Tech advanced to the title game against St. Mary’s on Saturday, where it looks to apply the same pressure it instilled against English.
“It’ll be more of the same,” Perry said. “We will focus on ball control and putting pressure in all areas of the game offensively [and] defensively.”
