Boys soccer is back on track after two wins

Gloucester Boys Soccer went 2-1 in the last week, beating Marblehead and Salem, but losing to Peabody. 

Gloucester had a very strong start to the season, with a record of 5-1-1 after seven games. But after losses to Lynn Classical, Lynn English, and Salem and a tie against Malden, their phenomenal start came to an end.

The team was in need of a season turnaround. This happened on Friday, October 11th at Newell Stadium against Marblehead. The most noticeable aspect of Friday’s game was the weather. It was cold and raining hard, with strong gusts blowing across the field. The extreme conditions didn’t prevent either team from coming into the game with intensity. 

Gloucester had a steady start, with a solid first 20 minutes of defense keeping the game scoreless. They stayed back on defense and created chances by catching Marblehead on the counter-attack. 

Their counter-attacking paid off when Junior Robert Mugabe scored off a cross from Captain Anthony Suazo. Suazo caught their defense out of position, taking the ball down the sideline and providing the assist to the first goal of the game. 

Entering the second half with a 1-0 lead, Gloucester had confidence. The lead was secured after Gloucester scored their second goal 10 minutes into the second half. Sophomore Andrew Coelho intercepted the pass from the opposition, burned the defender, and put in a good cross that fell right to Suazo’s head and into the back of the net. 

They continued to lead late into the second half until Marblehead scored a late consolation goal. Gloucester played tough defense in the final minutes in the cold rain to get the 2-1 win they deserved. 

Gloucester had a tough game against Division 1 opponents Peabody. Peabody is a promising team this year with a record of 13-3, one of these losses coming from a clash with Gloucester earlier in the season. 

The game was 0-0 for the majority of the first half. This changed when Peabody scored a header off a corner kick shortly before half-time. 

In the second half, Peabody came out even stronger, creating more goal-scoring opportunities and doubling their lead to make it 2-0. 

Gloucester brought themselves back into the game and made it 2-1 when Coelho caught their goalie off guard and scored his 13th goal of the season. 

However, Peabody scored 2 more goals throughout the second half and had a strong finish to the game, winning 4-1. 

Gloucester bounced back from this loss when they traveled to Salem on Friday, October 18th. After losing to Salem at home, this win in Salem was crucial and greatly increased their chances of making the State tournament. 

After 20 minutes of dominating the play, Gloucester finally made it on the scoreboard, when Junior Robert Mugabe scored his 4th goal of the season. Mugabe joined after 8 games and has proven to be a valuable addition. 

Salem surprisingly got themselves back into the game when they capitalized on one of their few chances. This goal gave Salem confidence, but also made Gloucester up their intensity. 

Captain Suazo shut down Salem’s hope when he scored twice in the second half to give Gloucester the 3-1 lead. Suazo now has 21 goals in 13 games, a very impressive scoring campaign. 

With one more win, the boys soccer team qualifies for the Division 3 State tournament. On Monday, October 21st, at 6:30, Gloucester plays Swampscott on Senior Night.

A victory will clinch a spot in the playoffs for the third consecutive year.