LYNN — Just six miles separate the Lynn English and Revere high schools. Tuesday evening at Manning Field, the separation was even smaller between the boys soccer teams, which fought to a 1-1 draw.
Despite the final scoreline, action was aplenty. English’s Ahmed Abdelrahman was active early, pushing the pace alongside Jose Licardie for an aggressive Bulldogs’ offense.
On the defensive end in a scoreless first half, Aljendro Zayas made some key saves and midfielder Mathew Coelho turned a few defensive break-ups into offensive opportunities.
“There are some things we can touch up on,” said English coach Valdrim Xhemajli. “Revere is a really good team.”
Just like that in the second half, Abdelrahman took one himself and placed the ball up and over the Patriots’ goalie for a 1-0 lead.
But when Revere needed it most – with just two minutes remaining in regulation – the visitors scored on a penalty to equalize.
“It is bad to concede in the last two minutes of the game,” Xhemajli said. “That was difficult, but I thought we played really well.”
Xhemajli remained positive when discussing his postgame message.
“Looking forward, we are on a little streak going on here, so we are looking forward to the next game and hopefully, we can keep it up, play this game, and really just try to make a push for the playoffs,” he said.
English will be back in action Thursday as the Bulldogs host Chelsea at 7:30 p.m.
“They should keep their heads high,” Xhemajli said. “Playing with each other and trusting in each other will go a long way.”
Owen Finn is a student at Endicott College studying journalism
