PEABODY — Another strong defensive effort by the Peabody girls soccer team went for naught Wednesday night as visiting Beverly, for the second time this season, defeated the Tanners, 1-0, to sweep the season series.
Beverly forward Olivia Anketell scored the game-winning goal with 22 minutes to play in the game, burying a feed from midfielder Genevieve Bilotti that beat diving Peabody goalie Olivia Ball (8 saves) low and left.
Peabody dedicated the game to mental health awareness, an initiative the Tanners have embraced for the last three years to help raise funds for The Dirty Hands Project. An information table was staged along the grandstands and players wore neon green socks to show their support.
“We’ve raised funds the last few years for them. Avery Bettencourt’s mom, Andrea, is extremely involved and incorporated that into our program as her best friend started it,” said Peabody coach Andrew Douglass. “There are so many student-athletes that struggle with mental health, not just in Peabody, but across the country. Part of our message is: It’s always OK to ask for help, find a friend to lean on, and take a day or two for yourself when life gets hectic.”
Beverly dominated possession in the first half with a clear edge in corner kicks. About 15 minutes in, Beverly’s Charlotte Miller missed by inches, clanking an open shot off the left post. The ball ended up on the foot of another Beverly player, who drilled a bullet from point-blank range, only to be denied by a diving Ball.
With less than three minutes to go in the half, Peabody’s defense stepped up, turning away a corner kick by Bilotti to keep the Panthers off the board. About a minute later, Beverly’s Adeline Abell cut in toward goal only to be broken up by Peabody’s Gabby Meola, who swiped it off Abell’s foot and cleared.
Beverly picked up where it left off in the second half, generating several good chances early – the first on a corner by Bilotti in the third minute and second on a shot by Anketell that rattled off the cross bar about a minute later.
With less than 30 minutes to go in the half, Bettencourt played a pretty through ball to Victoria Vaz, whose cross was collected by the Beverly keeper.
Anketell finally broke through at the 22:07 mark.
“We definitely had our chances, so it was nice to finally get one there,” said Beverly coach Kristin Simpson. “We definitely had the run of the play, but I thought they (Tanners) played very well in the back and were very organized. Their keeper (Ball) was great.”
“That was definitely one of her top games of the season,” Douglass said. “She kept us in that one for sure. I mean, I think they hit the post or crossbar at least twice, so that definitely helped, but Olivia had a great game today – one of her best.”
Douglass called a timeout about 10 minutes later. Peabody, which had been playing with four flat in the backfield and four midfielders, shook things up, switching to a 3-5-2 to attempt to generate more scoring opportunities. The move paid off late, producing a couple of free kicks inside the 35 with less than two minutes to go, but Beverly’s defense held strong, clearing both kicks away to preserve the win.
“We loaded up a little bit more to try to get more numbers for us, which has been a little bit of an issue with us this year,” Douglass said. “We haven’t practiced it too much, so it will take some fine tuning, but we are working on it. The girls adjusted pretty well considering.”
Douglass had high praise for his backfield.
“One of our freshmen, Grace Sylvester, did a great job. Marley Loring, one of our center backs, and Ava Boressi and Gabby Meola – that’s pretty much the back four that’s been holding us down all year,” he said. “There are a couple of other girls who are swing players and we also have a great crop of freshmen defenders as well.”
Peabody’s (2-13-2) hosts Saugus Friday at 6 p.m.
“They’re a good team that’s having a good year, so we’ll have to play our best,” Douglass said.
Beverly (10-4-2) returns home Friday when the Panthers welcome Gloucester at 4 p.m.
