The Gloucester boys soccer team lost a tough battle to the Beverly Panthers Wednesday afternoon. Despite the loss, the teams were equally matched in their aggressive play and talent.
Gloucester struck first, with captain Gino Tripoli scoring off a corner kick with 6 minutes left in the half. The Panthers tied up the game early in the second half before sending in their second goal to secure the win.
The defensive line of freshman Seamus Linehan, captain Benjamin Watts, and Marcio DePaula were on fire, acting aggressively to get the ball out of Gloucester territory. The group also exhibited good passing between each other and up to the forwards.
Goalie Stefano Numerosi was strong in the net, saving shots both on the ground and above his head. He was vigorous in the net and saved many shots from scoring.
Captain Leo Vitale played a strong game in the midfield along with Wesdra Silva. Dylan Smith had many saves at the line and had good ball movement throughout both quarters. He also won most attempts at stealing the ball away from Beverly.
Captains Tripoli, Domenic Paone, and Brendan Anderton all made multiple shots at the Beverly goal. The trio kept the ball in Beverly’s zone for the majority of the game and tested Beverly’s defense. Cole Ciolino also had good ball movement, and made good passes to the captains throughout the game. The Fishermen put up many more shots compared to Beverly, but the Beverly goalie saved most shots in the net.
Despite the score, the team held their own against the strong Beverly team. Beverly is ranked 23rd in Division 1 while Gloucester is ranked 3rd in Division 3. Both of their offenses and defenses are strong and the score does not reflect Gloucester’s aggressive gameplay.
“Last night’s game was definitely a dogfight between two heavy hitting teams,” Captain Anderton said post-game. “Either side could’ve won, it just wasn’t in our favor. We definitely shouldn’t hang our heads after a performance like that. Even though we didn’t come out with the win, we played a strong game.”
The Fishermen are now 12-3-1. The group has 2 games left in the regular season, with Senior Night at 2:00 pm this Saturday. Senior Night is the last home game for the boys, so be sure to support the players this weekend as they seek out a win.
