RallyNorth.net

Fri, Nov 09, 2007 06:00 PM @ Bishop Fenwick

Team	1st	2nd	Final
Playoff Game
Lynnfield	1	3	4
Bishop Fenwick	1	0	1

Fenwick boys soccer falls short of finals

Friday, November, 09 By By Nick Turczak
Staff writer

PEABODY| The Bishop Fenwick boys soccer team was unable to recreate the magic found in their previous two contests against Lynnfield as they fell, 4-1, last night in the Division 3 North semifinals at Donaldson Field.

Lynnfield's senior sensation, Mike Kennedy, recorded a hat trick for the Pioneers, who advanced to play Greater Lowell Monday in the Division 3 North final.

Kennedy's first goal was likely the game's most important goal | even though it only tied the game at the time. The Cape Ann League MVP scored with just over one minute left in the first half after being shut down and frustrated for the first 38 minutes.

"That goal at the end of the half was absolutely huge. If we were down at halftime, then who knows how this game would have ended," said Lynnfield head coach Brent Munroe.

"That shot from the left corner where (Kennedy) rang it off the post was just a high class shot," added Bishop Fenwick head coach David Mitchell, whose team finished its season with a 10-7-2 mark.

Kennedy netted his frustration | along with the goal | as the tough Fenwick defense had shut him down in this season's earlier encounter, a 2-0 Crusaders' win.

"He's a great player. We've played him for the last two years and used the same tactics tonight that we used the last two times against him," said Mitchell. "Those two times it worked | tonight it didn't."

The 12th seeded Pioneers (10-6-2) carried the momentum from the late first half goal right into the second stanza as Kennedy converted on a free kick from 20 yards out five minutes in, giving his squad a 2-1 lead.

While Kennedy carried the offensive output for Lynnfield, it was their defense that made the biggest improvement from the last meeting.

"We struggled earlier in the year defensively, but the guys in the back have really straightened things out and its made a huge difference. We've had great offensive players all year, but they were stuck in our own end defending. The defense came up and won balls in the midfield, which allowed us to get our halfbacks up into the offense," said Munroe.

The Crusaders kept the game close early on and jumped out to an early lead when Doug Garabedian sent a beautiful cross off a free kick, which was headed into the far post by senior Mark Price.

But after scoring twice in early on, Kennedy notched his third goal (and 32nd of the season) with 16 minutes left as he went in on a breakaway from 30 yards out after the Crusaders failed to convert on three straight corner kicks.

"When were down 2-1, we were going to send some of our more offensively skilled (defensive) players up to try and score. We kind of went for broke and Kennedy burned us," said Mitchell.

Phil Knox, who finished with a goal and an assist, capped off the scoring in an impressive second half for the Pioneers, who finished the game with a dominating 12-2 shots on goal advantage.

"We've played some of the worst games this season since I've been here, but now the kids are clicking and we are definitely playing our best soccer," said Munroe,