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Quick strikes keep Masconomet unbeaten

Thursday, October, 18 By Matt Williams
Staff writer

Minutes after Cape Ann League scoring leader Mike Kennedy spotted Lynnfield a one-goal advantage yesterday afternoon, one thing became abundantly clear | host Masconomet was done fooling around.

The Chieftains assaulted the Pioneers' net in the latter stages of the first half to emerge with a 4-1 victory that kept their unbeaten record intact at 12-0-3.

"I think we got angry. They scored on us and it woke us up," said Kevin VanLenten, Masco's co-captain and scoring leader. "Our coach (Lenny Emmons) tells us during the year not to get down if teams get ahead, because that happens. We put it behind us and took control."

Senior Ali Olia evened things up at the 16-minute mark, dribbling around a pair of defenders and sending a perfectly placed shot into the top corner of the net. The shifty forward knocked home the game-winner on a free kick five minutes later.

Brad McDonald buried a penalty kick at 7:30, and knocked home his second of the game during a scramble in the box just 93 seconds later to complete the onslaught. Just like that, the Chieftains were firmly in control.

"Because of the result, I was sort of glad we got behind to see what kind of character this team has," said Emmons, Masconomet's long-time head coach. "We're going to be behind in some games in the (Division 2 state) tournament, and we want to make sure we're ready to come back and beat those teams." With another win in the books, Masco sits at 9-0-1 and atop the CAL standings | and looks dominant. They're ranked second in the state behind the last team that beat them, defending Division 2 state champion Concord-Carlisle. The air-tight Chieftains' defense has conceded just eight goals all year (0.53 per game) while their offense has racked up 47 goals.

The million dollar question, then, would be: can they finish the regular season unbeaten?

The Chieftains aren't biting on that one. Instead, they're focused on tomorrow night's showdown with Wilmington, who is 7-0-2 in league play and threatening to snatch the CAL crown from under their noses.

"We have to take it one game at a time and not get caught looking forward," said VanLenten. "We have a big game (tomorrow), so we'll look at that and try to keep rolling." If Masco does run the table and heads into the postseason undefeated, it'll be thanks to a unique combination of grit and guile that have given them a leg up on the competition. "Soccer is a funny game because on defense you have to be an animal | you have to be mean and nasty," Emmons explained. "Then when you get on offense, you have to have finesse and be smooth and cool. That transition is interesting | that's why athletes love the game."

Both those aspects were on display yesterday afternoon. Keeper Jon Doucette, defender Andrew Panella and midfielders Tyler Bodengraven and Ian Gelinas were ferocious in keeping Lynnfield's Kennedy, one of the North Shore's premier snipers, off balance.

Meanwhile, both Olia's goals showed impressive touch and finesse. The Chieftains also got two goals from some hard-nosed play, with a free-kick and penalty kick drawn by players holding position in the box.

"One of the refs told us, 'You can finesse with the best of them, but you can also rumble with the best of them.' That's the value of this team," said Emmons.

Smooth passing helped the Chieftains control the pace in the second half as Doucette only had to stop one shot after the break.

Masconomet's conditioning also helped them yesterday and should be a strength heading into the playoffs.

"Teams get tired," said VanLenten, "and they can't stay with us the entire game. (Lynnfield) got tired in the second half. We were able to wear them out and put them away."