LYNN — The Lynn Classical and Lynn English girls soccer teams squared off Tuesday evening at Manning Field. In addition to a traditional archrival game, it was also Senior Night for both teams as players were honored pregame in front of their families and friends.
In the end, Classical defeated English, 1-0.
Once the pregame ceremony finished, it was game-time and the Lady Rams were in control. For the first 20 minutes of the game, it was all Classical, which retained the majority of possession.
One of the game’s best chances came in the 22nd minute when Mia Duncan was played through on goal, but her chip sailed over the bar. A few minutes later, Dulce Juarez’s shot from a cross just went wide.
But Classical finally found its breakthrough as Chloe Corbett was in the right place at the right time to tap home a cross (1-0).
“It was Chloe’s first goal; it was a nice goal,” said Classical coach Jessica Gambale. “We had two players use their left feet to get the ball to her, which is what we have been practicing – using both feet. I was happy with that.”
English started to play better after the goal. The Lady Bulldogs nearly found an equalizer in the 35th minute when Ava Jones’ shot went wide.
“We just struggled to score. I can’t fault their effort tonight. I thought they played well. We just couldn’t find a way to score,” said English coach Peter Pappagianopoulos. “We played well and played hard. This is a great senior group of girls.”
In the 57th minute, the ball was swung in and found a wide open Corbett, who took a point-blank shot, but a diving save from Kiomi Moun kept the Lady Rams from doubling their lead.
Both coaches praised their seniors.
“In the offseason, senior captain London Seng took care of everything for me,” Pappagianopoulos said. “I’ve only been the coach for two years, so I wasn’t there from the start, but they’ve done everything they’ve been asked to do. They work hard and never complain. Their grades are great. They’re great performers in the classroom, too.”
“We have 13 seniors in our program and 10 of them are on varsity. It was nice to see them out there tonight,” Gambale said. “This was the group I started head coaching with. It’s a special group for me, watching them develop alongside me as a coach. They’re going to leave some big shoes to fill.”
English’s final regular season game is Thursday in Malden at 4:15 p.m. Classical hosts Chelsea the same night at 7:30 p.m.
