LYNNFIELD — It was a special night in Lynnfield as the field hockey team played its annual Play 4 The Cure Fundraiser. The Pioneers beat Marblehead 5-1 in front of an energetic crowd.
After the game, head coach Samantha Pindara was pleased with her team’s performance under the bright lights.
“I think it was great. We do this event every year and the girls love it,” Pindara said. “They always rise to the occasion when this game rolls around and they certainly did that tonight.”
One player who showed up to the occasion was senior Sophia Fiorentino. Fiorentino scored a first-half hat trick.
After junior Taylor Valiton opened the scoring four minutes into the first quarter, it was Fiorentino who found herself at the right place at the right time.
Fiorentino’s first goal came with 50 seconds left in the first quarter when the ball, after a failed clearance, landed to Fiorentino, who poked it home to make it 2-0 going into the second quarter.
Then in the second quarter in a span of 40 seconds, Fiorentino scored twice to secure her hat trick with 8:18 left in the quarter.
“(Fiorentino’s) one of our go-to kids when we’re looking for a goal,” Pindara said. “The fact she kept the stick on the ground, something that she has been working on, and to see her put that hard work into action tonight was great.”
The teams went into halftime with Lynnfield holding a 4-0 lead. Pindara said her team has been focusing on getting a strong start in the half.
“That’s something we’ve been focusing on this year,” Pindara said. “For the first half of the season, we felt we were more of a second-half team, so we’ve been working on putting the ball in the net in the first half to not wait until the second half to start.”
In the second half, Marblehead started to put pressure on the Pioneers. Unfortunately for the traveling Magicians, Lynnfield scored its fifth goal through Chloe Kustka.
Marblehead didn’t drop its head and continued to fight back to avoid being shut out.
With 45 seconds left in the game, the constant pressure eventually led to a Marblehead goal, which was scored by Ava Salem to make it 5-1.
“I just love the pressure that they just kept going. They didn’t stop and they just kept going right to the end and got the goal in the end,” Magicians coach Mia Maccario said.
Despite the loss, Maccario said she was “super proud” of how her team performed.
“They played amazing,” Maccario said. “They did everything that we’ve been working on in practice and brought it to the field. Their communication and pressure were great, their passing and shooting were also great. They were listening to me being crazy on the sidelines telling them what to do and they listened and did it.”
A standout player for the Magicians was Maggie Beauchesne, who registered more than 10 saves for the Magicians.
“I’m always happy with Maggie’s performance. She’s doing really well,” Maccario said. “She’s adapting really well to everything. Even when I was explaining to her how one of the goals went in, she was really good about it and made sure she was aware of it for the next time. Between her and the defense helping her was great tonight.”
When asked about the occasion, Pindara talked about the tight community Lynnfield has.
“This community is so great when it comes to events like this,” Pindara said. “Every year they all come out and they donate and help the cause. The youth program, there’s over 145 kids, so it’s great that they get to come out. Our girls give back throughout the season with the youth program, so it’s great that they can come and be with the big girls on the big field for the night. It just shows the community is pulling for one another.”
