FH went 1-1 this week, beating Hamilton-Wenham 2-0 and losing to Lynnfield 2-0. The team peppered HW goalie with over 25 shots, 2 of which made it in the net by Abby Kent (assist Torrin) and Torrin Kirk (assist Ella). Caelie Patrick, Helaina Davis, Paige Garlitz, and Brigid Carovillano stood out as contributors to our battle with Lynnfield. Despite many opportunities, we were not able to score in this one.
The Manchester Essex boys' soccer team played resilient soccer against two of the top teams in the CAL and came away with a 2-4 loss to Lynnfield playing with ten men and a 3-3 draw to first place Hamilton Wenham. The Lynnfield match featured some excellent defending to combat the very direct attack from their speedy strikers. The Hornets went up 1-0 early on a corner from sophomore Sammy Bothwell that Brady Gagnon thumped into the upper corner. The excellent defending and team possession continued through the rest of the first half. Three minutes into the second, goalkeeper Charlie Langendorf faced a difficult decision when he went out to contest a thru ball outside of his box. He made the save with his hands to prevent a goal which earned him a red card and obliged the Hornets to play with ten for the remainder of the match. The 10-man formation was very defensive until Lynnfield was able to pull ahead 2-1. Incredibly, the Hornets were able to score on a long direct kick which Owen Olivier-Meehan form zero angle, somehow got a bouncing rebound past the Lynnfield keeper to tie the match 2-2 with 20 minutes left. The talent in attack from the Pioneers showed late, however, when, just 10 minutes later they were able to score to go up. As the Hornets pressed for another goal late, Lynnfield would convert on a counter making the final 2-4.
On Sunday at Gordon College, the match against Hamilton Wenham was no less dramatic. With two keepers injured, and the third goalkeeper red carded, Brodi Tolo got the start for the Hornets and made several key saves in the match. After a great start with some excellent possession and attacking chances, the Hornets found themselves down 0-2 against the run of play. A formation change with just three in the back lead to an impressive comeback with Finn Lawler now playing striker in the new formation, drawing an converting a PK to cut the lead in half. Moments later Sammy Bothwell pounced on the second rebound off two dazzling saves from the Generals keeper and thumped the ball home to tie up the match in the final 10 minutes. Two minutes later, Hamilton Wenham would convert from distance which seemingly put the game to bed. But with three minutes left, Sammy Bothwell had a direct kick from the left side of the penalty box that he curled in past the excellent HW keeper to give the Hornets a much-needed result against the team that sits atop the Baker Division table.
With the final week of play the Hornets are scrapping to earn a spot in the State Tournament with a senior night match against Georgetown and an away match versus Ipswich who handed the Hornets their first loss of the season.
The Hornets started their week with a top of the table clash at home against Hamilton Wenham. The last time these teams faced Manchester Essex suffered their biggest defeat of the season (7-0), but this game promised to be much more competitive. The Hornets started strong and looked like they might score several times in the opening minutes. It was Hamilton Wenham that opened the scoring however, when a quick counterattack broke through the Hornets’ defense. Madi Cook made a good initial save, but could not stop the rebound. Manchester Essex did not stop pressing for a goal and just minutes later they were rewarded when a corner from Pippa Springler found Tori Moulton who managed to redirect the ball into the path of Mechi O’Neil who put the ball in the back of the net. The first half finished 1-1. The second half started in much the same way. Both teams wanted to win, and both teams had their chances. Madi Cook made some huge saves, but it was Hamilton Wenham who found the winner to take the game 2-1.
POTM: Tori Moulton
The Hornets had just a day to recover from their battle against Hamilton Wenham as they hosted Whittier Tech on Wednesday. Manchester Essex DOMINATED possession and had almost 40 shots to Whittier’s 3. However, with 18 minutes left in the game the score was still 0-0. Finally, the Hornets broke the deadlock when a deep free kick from Libby Lawler found Ella Arntsen right in front of the goalkeeper for a clean finish. Just minutes later a nice run and cutback from Kendall Newton found Mechi O’Neil in the box who scored her second goal of the week. Harper Brooks added a third goal with a shot from inside the box after a neat pass from Grayson Crocker.
POTM: Ella Arntsen
The Hornets finished a long week with a trip to Lynnfield to face a strong division 3 side. It was clear that this game was going to be a battle from the first minute. It was back and forth with both teams creating chances, but it was Lynnfield who eventually took theirs after some sloppy defending from the Hornets. Manchester Essex were forced to come from behind for the second time in just a week, but they rose to the occasion. A hopeful long ball from Charlotte Crocker found Mechi O’Neil who pushed her way past defenders to and finished past the keeper to send the Hornets into halftime at 1-1 and score in her 4th consecutive game. In the second half Lynnfield controlled possession, but the Hornets had better chances. Tori Moulton stepped up in a big way by going in net when Madi Cook had to be substituted with an injury, and Lynnfield suffered a few losses as well. In the end a tie seemed fair.
POTM: Mechi O’Neil
Hornets Cross Country celebrated the final regular season meet by bidding farewell to our four Seniors. Congratulations to Caroline MacKinnon, Mary Annabelle, Logan Cooper and Jacoby Catanzaro. Facing one of the larger schools in the league is tough with the depth they bring to the competition but both teams did well. The boys lost 36-25. Finn O'Hara continued his winning streak taking first in 17:04, followed by Logan Cooper 2nd in 17:38. Also scoring were Nate Gardner, Sam Heanue and Henry Stevens. Their regular season record is 2-3.
The girls lost 37-20. Scoring for the girls were Sabine Cooper 4th, Lassen Ando 5th, Stella Straub 7th, Caroline MacKinnon 10th and Auraylia Lord 11th. The girls finished 4-1 for the season, winning the Baker Division.