At the start of the season, the Manchester Essex girls’ soccer team faced a number of unknowns: How much would the returning talent and experience on the field translate into wins and losses? How would the transition to a new coach go? Could this group repeat or even build upon an appearance in the Sweet 16 of the Div. 4 tournament in 2023?
With the regular season now in the books and 2024 tournament play beginning with a Round of 32 home game against Milbury on Nov. 6 (4:30 p.m. @ MERHS), those unknowns are now known, and the questions have been answered. The returning (and newly added) talent and experience meshed quite well with new coach Scout Grifoni, and the results were an 11-5-2 record and a top ten (ninth overall) seed in the tourney.
“It’s been a rewarding experience coaching this group,” explains Grifoni. “What sticks out about this season is the
commitment to growth and wanting to be better every day. We are able to learn from wins and losses and that’s helped us develop a better understanding of who we are and what works for us. Just seeing the growth has stuck out the most.”
That growth was evident following losses to Lynnfield and Marblehead in early October, after which the Hornets won six shutout games in a row to close out the season.
“I feel Lynnfield was the turning point for us,” says Grifoni. “We had other moments in this season that forced us to self-reflect about who we are and the kind of team we wanted to be. These girls were able to take a really tough loss and look at it objectively in order to identify trouble areas. For me as a coach that game felt like a blessing in disguise. I will always remember the back-to-back equalizers in the final minutes of Georgetown and Newburyport from this season. Pure grit”
That grit is important, as well as a defense that knows how to put the clamps on the opposition (goaltender Madi Cook has been stellar in those final few matchups) and a strong transition game. Grifoni is hoping that momentum will carry over to the postseason this week against Milbury.
“They have played some tough opponents this season,” Grifoni says of Milbury. “We don’t take any game for granted and are
focusing on ourselves and how we execute. Nothing is guaranteed past Wednesday’s game for both teams so we have to play with a lot of heart to win.”
