LYNN — Sometimes, the gameplan goes out the window, and you have to rely on defense for 80 minutes. Such was the case Tuesday at Manning Field when the Lynn English girls soccer team hosted Malden. The game ended in a 0-0 tie.
Malden, with its speed and size, controlled most of possession, but couldn’t find a clear chance to score thanks to the Bulldogs’ tenacious defense. The Golden Tornados pressured for long stretches, especially down the wings, but were repeatedly denied at the final pass or shot attempt.
In the first half, the Bulldogs defended well. Whenever Malden had the ball in a dangerous area, multiple English defenders swarmed to extinguish the threat.
For an English team that has struggled at times this fall, its collective energy and discipline stood out in this one.
“The girls played hard today. Malden was way more physical than us, taller than us, but we battled for every ball. That’s the effort we need,” said Lynn English coach Peter Pappagianopoulos. “If we play like that all season, it’d be a very different season right now.”
When Malden did get through the Bulldogs’ defense, it couldn’t find a way around goalie Aura Quezada.
“She’s awesome. She didn’t want to play goalie this year — she’s not a goalie. But she’s kind of picked it up over the course of the season,” Pappagianopoulos said. “She’s been excellent. For someone who didn’t want to play goalie in the first place, she’s really solidified our team.
“We came into the season not having an idea who our goalie would be. Our goalie from last year, who we thought would play this year, moved, so we came in with no goalie and went goalie by committee. But Aura has taken the job since game No. 2 and changed our team.”
The second half was more of the same, with the Bulldogs fighting for every 50-50 ball.
Pappagianopoulos credited his players for shutting out a talented Malden offense.
“It’s nothing that I did. My defenders played excellent today. The midfielders busted their butts to get back on defense. It was just a whole team effort,” he said. “The next thing we have to do is link to the forwards to get a little more offense. We had a couple of opportunities, but not really many.”
Senior captain Brianna Ortega made a key defensive play late in the second half when Malden broke through on goal. Ortega hustled back, stopped the counterattack, and forced a goal kick to help preserve the shutout – a sequence that underlined both her leadership and the Bulldogs’ never-quit mentality.
English’s next game is Thursday when it travels to Medford for a 4:15 p.m. game.
