RallyNorth.net

Mon, Nov 11, 2013 02:30 PM @ Masconomet

Team	1st	2nd	Final
North Andover	0	1	1
Masconomet	1	1	2

Knights fall to Masco in North final

Monday, June, 23 By Christopher Smith

LYNN — As members of North Andover High boys soccer huddled and consoled one another yesterday after the Division 2 North championship, you have to wonder if senior Mike Skarbelis leaves the team as the greatest player in program history.

Skarbelis scored the 1-1 equalizer 59 seconds into the second half, but Masconomet’s Kevin Gilbert fired in a free kick from a remarkable 52 yards out to lead Masco 2-1 over North Andover at Manning Field, handing the No. 1-seed Knights their first loss of the season.

Skarbelis’ goal was his 41st of the season and 71st of his storied high school varsity career.

Senior Jeff Warden said numbers don’t lie and make the case for Skarbelis being the best Scarlet Knights boys soccer player ever.

“I haven’t seen other people play but statistics show he (Skarbelis) is the points leader and goal leader for our high school (program) and just playing with him, he makes a huge difference on the field because every team’s gunning for him because they know his name,” Warden said. “And he still gets the job done.”

Warden said Masco’s midfield and defense were particularly strong, adding only one defender covered Skarbelis during the first half.

“And then you could see in the second half that every time he got the ball, they were just surrounding him,” Warden said. “His goal, I think it was just a scrum around the net. And he was able to put it in the net. Other than that, they really got at least two or three kids on him to try to shut him down.”

North Andover first-year varsity coach Kyle Wood was the Scarlet Knights freshmen team coach from 2001-12 before his promotion this year. So he has seen plenty of talented players, including Eagle-Tribune MVPs Gareth Dudney (2009), Evan Dudney (2012) and Jon Wentworth (2002-03), pass through the program.

“He (Skarbelis) is the most talented soccer player that I have seen,” Wood said. “There is a reason he has so many goals in his career and in this season. And there’s a reason why since playoffs (began) teams have tried to shut him down because he is that good.”

Skarbelis has been motivated throughout his soccer career by brother Chris Skarbelis who he said was the leading goal scorer at Leonardtown High School in Maryland. The Skarbelis family moved from Maryland to North Andover when Mike was in seventh grade.

The senior — whose top college choice is to play soccer at UMass Lowell — lauded Masco’s defense.

“For only playing three in the back they were very good,” Skarbelis said. “Their midfield dominated us. Not dominated, but played well. They controlled it and played really well.”

Skarbelis couldn’t say enough about the great time he had playing for North Andover.

“We’re all a family,” he said. “We’ve been all playing together for so long. Even if you weren’t playing together (with the core) and you joined in, you’re still part of the family. Even with all these club teams I’ve played on, I’ve never had the same experience (as with this team). Going to back-to-back North finals, winning or not, it’s still very spectacular.”