PEABODY — The Peabody girls soccer team gave it all it had Tuesday, but came up just a little short in a 2-1 loss to visiting Masconomet.
The Chieftains came into the game at 9-0-1 and showed why they haven’t lost thus far. They dominated the pace, possession, and tempo, but the Tanners just wouldn’t go away.
“Masco’s just a phenomenal team which is organized and is well-coached with so many great players every year,” Peabody coach Andrew Douglass said. “They just know what they are doing and their foot skills are great, and have their system down pat so they’re always going to be hard to beat.”
“You can always expect that from Peabody,” Masco coach Alison Lecesse said. “They always improve as the season goes on and it’s always a tough game and always a close game when we come to this field.”
Masco came out fast, taking a 1-0 lead in the fourth minute on a goal from senior midfielder Sam Schena.
With 10:20 left in the first half, Peabody’s junior captain Connie Patturelli slipped a pass to senior Gianna Sinibaldi, who drilled it past Masco’s freshman keeper, Evy Mills, to make it a 1-1 game.
The shot was the first of the game for the Tanners. Outside middie Avery Marcus created the opportunity, winning a 50-50 ball just past the 50-yard line before dishing to Patturelli.
Masco also came out energized in the second half, pinning the Tanners in their own end and peppering Peabody senior captain Eva Joyce with one shot after another for most of the first 10 minutes.
Masco finally cashed in at the 30:38 mark. A Masco corner was deflected off a Chieftain out of the box, but the ball was played back into Amanda Schneider, who tapped in past a defenseless Joyce.
Peabody put together an offensive flurry that resulted in a couple of shots off the foot of Patturelli for a couple of minutes after the goal, but Masco’s defense was up to the task.
“It’s all about absorbing their pressure when they come out hard like they did in the second half,” Douglass said. “They press up a lot, so they leave a lot of spaces which gave us those opportunities.”
Tanners’ senior captain Logan Lomasney and Joyce shined defensively. Lomasney, simply put, owned the backfield, breaking up nearly every Chieftains’ attack. Joyce weathered more than 20 shots, making 16 saves.
With less than 12:30 to go in the game, she made the play of the game, a leaping one-handed tip over the net on a ball that looked to have beaten her just under the crossbar, keeping the Tanners in a one-score game.
“Logan really stepped up today. She was vocal and I’m pretty sure everyone in the back knew exactly what they were doing,” Douglass said. “She was great today. I thought this was one of the best games I’ve ever seen her play. And, Eva, she was just fantastic today. She put in a lot of work in the offseason. That upper-90 right-hand save she made was incredible. Her communication has gotten so much better over the course of this season.”
Douglass also praised the performance of midfielder Brooke Lomasney and Sinibaldi.
“Brooke’s so consistent and puts in so much work,” he said. “She covers so much ground so she’s been huge for us all year long as she keeps us calm and organized in the middle.”
“Gianna has really come a long way this year,” Douglass said. “If I never saw another striker walk through the door, I’d be happy if she stayed. She’s been fantastic and has really been working hard. To play against a team like this when you don’t get a lot of opportunities is hard. You chase a lot of dead balls for pretty much the whole time.”
The Tanners were undermanned with junior captain Ally Bettencourt sidelined with a hamstring injury.
“Missing her today was tough… she can really organize us and, when we need to score, I can put her up top,” Douglass said. “She’s a Swiss Army knife who can do anything.”
Masco’s next game is Friday at home against Northeastern Conference opponent Danvers (4).
“That’s always a tough battle, so it will be a good one and we’re ramping up as the season winds down,” Lecesse said.
Peabody (4-9) isn’t back in action until Tuesday when the Tanners travel to take on Swampscott (4).
“They’re also a really young team and are doing a great job too, so that will be another challenge for us,” Douglass said.
