Page 12 THE SAUGUS ADVOCATE – FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 12, 2021 Sachems suffer another crushing late-game defeat T By Greg Phipps he Saugus Sachems entered this week’s action still searching for that elusive first victory. They have come excruciatingly close to entering the win column twice, and last Thursday night’s 15-14, heartbreaking football defeat at Greater Lawrence Tech was about as close as a team could come without winning. The Sachems held a 14-7 lead into the final minute. But the host Reggies, who accumulated more than 400 yards of total offense, drove for the game-winning touchdown. They scored as time expired. Saugus still held a 14-13 edge that didn’t last long, as Greater Lawrence, which improved to 2-7, bowled in for the twopoint conversion and the victory. The contest was tied 7-7 at the half before Saugus quarterback Sean O’Rourke found his favorite target Drew Gardiner on a 40-plus yard scoring pass in the third quarter. The extra-point kick gave the Saugus quarterback Sean O’Rourke and receiver Drew Gardiner hooked up again for a goahead, second-half touchdown in last Thursday’s heartbreaking loss to Greater Lawrence Tech. (Advocate photos by Greg Phipps) Sachems a 14-7 lead. It stayed that way until the final play. The Greater Lawrence loss was hauntingly similar to Saugus’s late-game setback at Salem back on Oct. 7. In that contest, the Sachems owned a 6-0 lead until the Witches tallied twice in the final three minutes to steal it. The clinching touchdown came on a 90-yard interception return when the Sachems appeared to be driving for the potential game-winning score. Grabbing a win in fall 2021 will now be a major challenge for Saugus. The 0-9 Sachems took on the 7-2 East Boston Jets at Christie Serino Jr. Stadium on Thursday night (after press deadline). Against common opponent Winthrop this season, the Jets emerged victorious 22-14 while Saugus was blanked by a 22-0 margin against the Vikings. The Sachems end the season with the annual Thanksgiving Day battle against Peabody on Nov. 25. The Tanners were 5-4 overall entering this week’s action. Saugus girls notch playoff win before losing to top seed D By Greg Phipps espite having to make a lengthy trip to Cape Cod, the Saugus High School girls’ soccer team found a way to overcome potential travel fatigue and pull off a comefrom-behind, 2-1 victory over the Sandwich Blue Knights last Thursday in the preliminary round of the Div. 3 playoffs. The Sachems, who were awarded the 33rd seed in a 44-team statewide field, fell behind 1-0 in the first half. But two goals in the final 20 minutes of the game catapulted Saugus to the next round, where they faced the top-seeded Norwell Clippers. In last Saturday’s first-round matchup with the Clippers, Saugus fell behind 3-0 after one half. The Sachems gave a better account of themselves in period two (giving up just one score) but came up short by a 4-0 count. Saugus finished the season with an 11-9 overall mark and a postseason win on the resume. In the win over 32nd seed Sandwich, Shawn Sewell scored the game-winner for Saugus with about five minutes remainin regulation. Maddie Goyetche struck paydirt when she drilled a direct kick that landed just under the crossbar to even the contest with approximately 17 minutes on the clock. Twelve minutes later, Sewell would put home the game-winner. The Saugus players mobbed each other after the final horn sounded. Saugus goalie Felicia Reppucci had a solid game in net – her lone blemish coming when Sandwich’s Lily Hofmann beat her at the 25-minute mark of the first half to give the hosts the lead. In all, it was a strong team effort for Saugus both on offense and defense. Most of Saugus’s 10 reguShawn Sewell scored the winning goal and Maddie Goyetche delivered the tying tally in last Thursday’s comeback win at Sandwich in the preliminary round of the Div. 3 playoffs. (Advocate photos by Greg Phipps) ing. She got free behind the defense and whistled a shot past the reach of Sandwich goalie Abi Kinney. From there, the Sachems were able to shut down any attempt by the Blue Knights to even the contest. The Sachems pretty much carried the play in the second half and, still trailing by a goal, were finally able to put one in the net with less than 20 minutes left lar-season wins this season were of the blowout variety. The Sachems outscored opponents by 39 goals in those games – the only close one being a 2-1 win over Winthrop back on Oct. 1. So it boded well to see the Sachems prevail in a tight, low-scoring game last Thursday. Senior players departing from this year’s squad are Goyetche, Jordan Morris, Reppucci, Jenna Tennant, Alycia Martinez, Kylie Phillips and Brianna Giardullo.
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