THE SAUGUS ADVOCATE – FriDAy, OCTObEr 28, 2022 Page 11 Saugus girls’ soccer drops Senior Night tilt to Peabody O By Greg Phipps n a foggy evening Wednesday, the Saugus High School girls’ soccer team celebrated its Senior Night but suffered a 3-1 loss to the Peabody Tanners at Christie Serino Jr. Stadium. The Sachems had been on a roll entering the final week of the regular season but dropped consecutive games to Swampscott on Monday and Peabody on Wednesday. In the loss to the Tanners, who had just five wins entering the game, the Sachems had a few good chances offensively in the first half but couldn’t dent the net. Meanwhile Peabody tallied at the midway point of period one to go into the half ahead 1-0. The visitors netted two more in the second half while the Sachems got on the board once. Saugus fell to 11-5-1 on the season with the playoffs right around the corner. Having allowed six goals in their last two games after having been stellar on defense over a three week stretch, the Sachems will look to end the regular season on solid note and regain their momentum when they host Somerville Friday. Saugus honored its three senior players before Wednesday’s contest. Receiving recognition were Lexi Rais, Allison Justice and Ana Flemings. The rest of the roster, which includes the likes of Veronica Ortega, Madi Femino, Shawn Sewell, and Madison Botta, will be Senior player Lexi Rais and family. Senior player Allison Justice and family. Senior player Ana Flemings and family. Saugus defender Layla Manderson breaks up the rush of a Peabody forward in Wednesday night’s contest. Saugus’s Violet Hawley gains possession of the ball during first-half action on Wednesday. (Advocate photos by Greg Phipps) back in 2023. Friday ’s game against Somerville is an important one given that it could mean the difference between an opening-round playoff game at home or one on the road. A victory would give the Sachems 12 for the season and could help earn them a high enough seeding to open the tourney on their home turf. Saugus’s Veronica Ortega tracks down a Peabody ball handler on Wednesday. Saugus senior Allison Justice goes up in an attempt to settle the ball in Wednesday night’s game. Saugus boys’ soccer team reaches double digits in victories I By Greg Phipps t has certainly been a turnaround season for the Saugus High School boys’ soccer team, and it appears the development of players in the town’s youth soccer leagues has helped to build a formidable program at the high school level. Since suffering a 5-1 loss to Gloucester back on Oct. 10, the postseason-bound Sachems have reeled off six consecutive wins and have allowed just two goals in those five contests. The team has also reached 12 victories on the season and could be in position for at least a first-round playoff game at home. The latest triumph came on Wednesday on the road against Peabody – a 2-1 defeat of the Tanners. Last week, Saugus knocked off Swampscott, 5-1, on Monday, beat Greater Lawrence Tech last Thursday (a 5-0 shutout) and blanked the Danvers Falcons in an impressive 2-0 home showing last Tuesday. Forward Max Anajjar popped home both goals in the win over Danvers while teammates Nicholas Alves, Cam Soroko and Alejandro Ortega put forth key efforts to aid the cause. The Sachems tallied once each in the first and second halves while, at the same time, playing solid defensively to keep the Falcons off the scoreboard. Head Coach Guillermo Sepulveda has overseen the Sachems’ progression from a borderline playoff challenger in recent years to a legitimate and dangerous postseason representative this fall. He told the press after the Danvers win last week that the town’s youth soccer movement and the players’ familiarity with each other has made a lot of difference. “[The players have] grown up together. They’ve played ball in town,” Sepulveda explained. “A lot of them are a product of Saugus soccer from when they were little kids.” Sepulveda also pointed out that ball possession, patience and ball movement have been the key to the teams’ success this season. “We don’t go for the quick shot all the time,” he said. The Sachems close out the regular season at Mystic Valley on Friday. Saugus forward Max Anajjar scored twice to help the Sachems to a 2-0 win over Danvers last Tuesday. (Advocate photos by Greg Phipps)
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