LYNN — The Lynn Classical girls soccer team dropped to 5-4-1 after a 3-0 loss to Revere (8-0-1) at Manning Field on Thursday afternoon.
Revere opened the scoring with 19 minutes left in the first half then added two more goals off set pieces.
The first set piece came with 4:14 left in the first half on a Revere corner kick that was sent into the box. An unmarked Patriot got her foot on the ball and fired it into the back of the net to increase the lead to 2-0.
“Something we’ve been working on is defending against set pieces, finishing our set piece,” Classical coach Jess Gambale said. “If just one girl is left open and she finds the ball, it’s going to be impossible to stop.”
Revere scored its third goal from a free kick in the second half to ice the game.
“Two of their three goals came off of set pieces which is unfortunate,” Gambale said. “They played really hard. We had some opportunities but couldn’t quite finish. We’re looking forward to seeing them again later this season though.”
While Revere was clinical in front of the net, the Rams were left frustrated, hitting the crossbar twice in the game. Lauren Wilson hit the bar in the first half just moments after Revere opened the scoring. Dulce Juarez also hit the crossbar after a Rams’ free kick from 25 yards out.
“Those couple of inches can cost you. Hopefully, the next time it’s a couple of inches lower and in the back of the net instead of right back onto the field,” Gambale said.
One player who gave Revere fits in the backfield was the Rams’ McKenna Duncan. The defender was everywhere on the turf, clearing balls and intercepting anything that came near her.
“McKenna Duncan has been such a huge player for our team this year,” Gambale said. “She was strictly an outside midfielder last year. This year she’s played center defense, outside defense, center defensive mid, offensive center mid, and she does it without a complaint.”
“She’s a huge member of this team and I’m really happy I get to have her and be her coach,” Gambale said.
Another player who stood out to Gambale was freshman defender Liliana Parker.
“She just really stepped up,” Gambale said. “People wouldn’t know she’s a freshman out there. She’s working hard and always fighting for the ball.”
Despite the final score, the game was closer than the score suggested. Gambale credits her defense for keeping the Rams in the game.
“Our defensive line as a whole with Rachel Dana, Dulce Juarez, Liliana Parker, and McKenna Duncan really kept us in the game with a lot of stops,” Gambale said. “It could have been a different score without them back there.”
The Rams look to bounce back on Saturday when they travel to Winthrop for an 11 a.m. start, while Revere won’t be back in action until Tuesday when it comes back to Lynn to face English at 3:45 p.m.
