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Haverhill Hillies Boys Soccer '07

Great start for Hillie soccer teams

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Fred Tarbox, the new Haverhill High School girls' soccer coach, led the Hillies to a 2-1 upset win over Central Catholic in his first coaching debut. » Roger Darrigrand, Staff Photographer

Thursday, September, 13 By Mark Behan
Staff writer

As debuts go, well, Randy Moss' first game with the Patriots received more publicity. But Fred Tarbox's first game coaching the Haverhill High School girls soccer team was certainly memorable.

Playing highly touted Central Catholic at Haverhill Stadium, the Hillies defeated the Raiders 2-1 in Tarbox's Haverhill High coaching debut. The win was Haverhill High's first over Central Catholic in girls soccer this decade. Jami Styrczula, the 2006 Merrimack Valley Conference Small School Division Player of the Year, netted both Haverhill High goals. Goalie Christina Gould came up big in net as she made 12 saves to preserve the victory for the Brown and Gold.

In addition to the girls' big win in Tarbox's debut, the Hillie boys soccer team made history by capturing the Andover/North Andover Tournament to cap off a big week for the Brown and Gold booters.

The Hillie boys defeated Andover 1-0 in the tourney finals. Haverhill High senior tri-captain Peter Maranto notched the game winner off a cross from Ryan McLeod with less than a minute to play in the game.

The Hillies' win marked the first time in Andover/North Andover Tournament history that neither the Golden Warriors of Andover nor the Scarlet Knights of North Andover took home the title.

Coach John Coppola's squad, which returned seven starters from last year's team that went 14-3-2, earned a berth in the finals by blanking North Andover 4-0 in the opening game.

Tri-captain Alex Sindoni and junior standout Charlie Roche scored Haverhill's goals against North Andover. Coppola said the 2006 team's 14-win mark, which is believed to be the most in Haverhill High School history, is the "new goal to beat" for the 2007 squad.

Based on their play in the Andover/North Andover Tournament, the Hillies appear on track to accomplish that goal. As for the Hillie girls, who went 5-9-3 last year, Tarbox is pleased with the team's progress in his first month on the job.

"I think we're going to have the capability to be competitive with everyone in the league," Tarbox said.

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