LYNN — If anyone thought high school archrivalries were a thing of the past, all you had to do was be at Manning Field Wednesday night to see how much they still matter.
The Lynn English and Lynn Classical boys squared off in the Lynn city soccer tournament, and it was clear both sides wanted a win – badly.
With every shot, pass, and tackle, there was intent — and the crowd loved every second of it. Although the game ended in a 2-2 draw, English advanced on penalty kicks to face St. Mary’s Saturday afternoon in the city championship at 2:15 p.m.
The Bulldogs had to come from behind twice to force penalties. English goalie Alejandro Zayas made five saves in the shootout, while Matthew Coelho converted his penalty to seal it.
Coach Valdrim Xhemajli praised his goalkeeper.
“He was unbelievable – not only in the shootout, but in the game. He kept us in it. He made some major saves in the first half that kept us confident back there,” Xhemajli said. “It’s so good to have a goalie that’s a senior back there. He really knows what he’s doing and really makes our defenders feel at ease. I can’t say enough good things about him. He’s so confident in net and he really pulled through for us.”
Classical struck first in the second half after a series of passes switched the field, setting up a cross into the box that found striker Edison Chacon on the back post for a tap-in.
“I think our nerves got to us really early on in the game and I thought our guys were doing things they normally don’t do. They were feeling the pressure of a big-game moment,” Xhemajli said. “It’s always tough when we play Classical. They’re a tough team and are well-coached. Our guys worked hard.”
The Bulldogs responded when Woudson Pierre pounced on a loose ball and buried one to tie the game, 1-1, with 16 minutes remaining.
A few minutes later, the Rams drew a penalty. Chacon stepped up and converted to give Classical a late 2-1 lead.
“Edison is our guy. It was great to see him scoring in his senior year and having a great game,” said Classical coach Eric Moreno. “He’s going to have a great season. He’s a great player who will play in college – it’ll go well for him.”
But with less than five minutes to play, the Bulldogs found another answer. A ball swung into the penalty area and junior James Gomez rose in front of the goalie before heading in an equalizer (2-2).
The game went to penalties, with both teams refusing to give an inch, but the Bulldogs prevailed.
“We have a bunch of seniors on the team and they’re committed to the team and committed to the goal,” Xhemajli said. “Last year, we made it to the state tournament and we want to do the same thing. We’re really looking forward to Saturday. It’s something we’ve been wanting to achieve for a long time. I’m just so proud of my guys for not giving up and keeping going. There were a lot of guys who felt nervous during the game, and they turned it around and showed their solidarity with each other. I’m so proud of them.”
Moreno said he was pleased with his team’s play, and admitted a penalty shootout is a “lottery.”
“We played very well and dominated the game. We just need to shore up those silly fouls. Two yellows in the final five minutes when you’re winning 2-1 . . . we call a timeout to try and settle them down, but it didn’t happen today,” he said.
Despite the fierce rivalry, Xhemajli emphasized he wants the best for all of Lynn.
“Lynn Classical is a very good team – they played so well. I thought both teams were great,” he said. “I love being part of Lynn and I just want both teams to succeed.
“I want Lynn to succeed.”
