MARBLEHEAD — After a long off-season and a competitive preseason, the Marblehead boys soccer team took the field for the first regular season game of the season. On the newly renovated Piper Field, the Magicians kickstarted their season with a 2-0 win over Andover.
Once the whistle was blown Marblehead was immediately on the attack and within 37 seconds the Magicians found themselves up 1-0. The goal came from a cross by Ilan Drucker and was finished by striker Miles Fontela-Tuttle to give Marblehead an early lead.
“We talked to the guys about how we needed to come out strong, from offense to our defense and to our goalie. We wanted to be firing on all cylinders right from the start,” head coach Elmer Magaña said. “In the previous year, it took us a while to get into the game. We practiced a lot about starting fast and we did it today.”
One player who enjoyed going up early was starting goalkeeper and senior captain, Rory Zampese.
“The biggest thing I liked was the energy we brought. In some of the scrimmages we came out kind of soft in the start,” Zampese said. “The fact that we started off with an early goal showed us and set the standard for the entire game.”
The Magicians didn’t take their foot off the gas, controlling possession and creating numerous chances. Marblehead hit the post twice in the first half and went into halftime only up 1-0, but easily could have been up by more.
When asked what he told his guys at halftime, Magaña said he remained positive and upbeat about the chances they were creating.
“The message was positive. We kept on creating opportunities to score, but the ball just wasn’t going in. Their goalie kept making good saves and we hit the post a few times,” Magaña said. “We just told the guys to keep up the pressure and keep creating those quality plays to score.”
In the second half, Marblehead kept up the pressure. Within the first minute of the second half, Fontela-Tuttle got his head on a corner. The ball looked like it was going in, but Andover’s goalie pulled off a fantastic save to keep the score at 1-0.
However, the Magicians eventually found their insurance goal thanks to David Magen. Magen dribbled his way into the penalty box before an Andover defender brought him down, leaving the referee no choice but to call a foul and point to the spot seven minutes into the second half.
Magen was chosen to take the penalty and he coolly slotted it to the goalie’s left to make it 2-0. Magaña had high praise for the sophomore.
“He fights for every ball. Even the balls that you think he’s not going to be able to get to, he gets it. He puts pressure on the defenders in every move he makes. We love his intensity,” Magaña said.
After Marblehead went up 2-0, Magaña began to make some substitutions. Andover soon started to control more of the ball and started to get shots off.
Luckily for Marblehead, Zampese was motivated to keep his shutout and made four terrific second-half saves to keep the scoreline 2-0.
“We had to start making substitutions because it was a very intense game. We tried to make key substitutions in order to keep the intensity going. They took advantage of those moments of our substitutions, but our subs were able to help and did not give up a goal,” Magaña said.
On Zampese, Magaña said he earned his spot in goal the moment he came to the program.
“He’s been solid since he came to the program four years ago. He came as a freshman and won the starting spot and took us to the playoffs in the first year to the second round. As a sophomore and junior he led us to the playoffs,” Magaña said. “He’s a senior captain and a great leader. He is able to inspire all the guys with his words and skills. He makes some sick saves too which inspires everyone.”
The shutout is the first of the season for Zampese and he takes pride in his shot-stopping.
“It’s really important because it stops the momentum of the other team. That’s the position of the goalie, if you make a mistake then it can completely shift the momentum of the game,” Zampese said. “You have to stay focused and locked in.”
Marblehead is back in action on Wednesday when it travels to Masconomet at 4 p.m.
