Lynnfield 8-30

AUGUST 30, 2018
WEEKLYNEWS.NET - 978-532-5880 9
Sports
Senior-laden Pioneers primed for new season
By Anne Marie Tobin
LYNNFIELD — There is a
distinct and undeniable level
of excitement in the air when
it comes to the 2018 Lynnfield
High boys soccer team.
Last year Lynnfield finished
the regular season 8-7-3 and
earned the No. 7 seed in the
Division 3 North state tournament.
The Pioneers drew a
strong Melrose team, the No.
7 seed, in round one and were
eliminated with a 4-1 loss.
Fast forward to this year
and with the loss of only four
seniors (only two of whom
started) it would appear that
all of the pieces are in place to
make a deep run in the tournament
and, perhaps, compete
for a Cape Ann League Kinney
Division title.
“The team is looking great
and we have lots of returning
players with a lot of varsity
experience,” said coach
Brent Munroe. “The kids have
worked really hard in the spring
and summer off-season and
things are looking really good
for us. We are really athletic
and physically stronger than we
have been in recent years, and
that may be because of the fact
we have 10 seniors on the team
who have been playing varsity
together since sophomore year
when five of them were regular
starters. They may have taken
their lumps that year, but I am
so optimistic that this team is
Lynnfield’s boys soccer captains, from left Jonathan Luders, David Gentile, Michael Gentile and
Jack Campbell, hope to lead the Pioneers to a deep run in the tournament this year.
going to be very good.”
This year’s team will be led
by five senior captains - returning
captain and last year’s
team Player of the Year honoree,
CAL First team All-Star and
Eastern Mass All-Star, Jonathan
Luders, 2017 Most Improved
Player Michael Gentile and
twin brother and CAL Second
Team All-Star David Gentile,
returning captain Nathan Bass,
a midfielder, and goaltender
Jack Campbell.
Other seniors returning for
another varsity campaign include
forward Aidan Connelly,
midfielder Max Sieger, midfielder
Jackson Cleary and defender
Joseph Connelly.
Lynnfield has a strong junior
class with five returning
varsity players, led by forward
Thomas Buston and midfielder
Tommy Hauser, who
last year had breakout seasons.
Also returning are midfielder
Alejandro Lynch, defender
Matthew Juliano and forward
Joseph Cibelli.
Also back are three sophomores
who saw action as
freshmen on both the junior
varsity and varsity squads
throughout the 2017 season.
Dante Gesamondo is in the mix
at goalkeeper, while Jack Bird
is in the midfielder mix and
Luke Martinho may likely see
time on defense.
Munroe had a chance to see
the team in live action Saturday
at a 4-team round robin
scrimmage at home against
Marblehead, Reading and St.
John’s Prep.
“We looked really good and
I felt really good about the fact
that we only gave up a handful
of shots in the St. John’s scrimmage,”
Munroe said. “It’s hard
to really conclude anything as
some teams played more of
their whole teams, so it’s hard
to judge, but we more than held
our own and won two games
and tied St. John’s, and we
looked especially good against
them, so I was very happy.”
While the roster has yet
to be finalized, Munroe said
freshmen Dominic Ferrante,
a defender, and Ben Sykes, a
midfielder, have looked impressive
and may be in the mix for
varsity minutes.
“They played really well in
Saturday’s scrimmage, so they
may be key players for us,”
Munroe said.
The starting lineup is beginning
to take shape. Campbell
will start in net with Gesamondo
on the bench as a backup.
“Dante is on the shelf so to
speak as he broke his leg last
spring, so he won’t be ready
for at least a couple of weeks,”
Munroe said. “Had he not had
the injury, he would have been
competing with Jack for the
starter’s role, but he’s just not
ready yet.”
Martinho and David Gentile
will start at center back with
Lynch and Juliano starting at
outside back.
“Luke got a lot of varsity
minutes last year when Tommy
Hauser broke his wrist, so he
brings a lot of experience,”
said Munroe. “Lynch was a
part-time starter last year and
Matt also had experience, so
those kids along with David
and Michael as the defensive
center back, that gives us a very
strong backfield, especially up
the middle.”
Bass, Hauser, Cleary and
Sieger are likely to start in the
midfield depending on formation,
while the Pioneers’ top
two scorers, Luders and Buston,
return as forwards.
“Max and Jack both are
looking especially good,” said
Munroe. “They both played
football and their first year of
soccer was only last year, but
they have really worked hard in
the offseason, so it’s night and
day compared to where they
were last year.”
Munroe said he expects the
Kinney Division will be strong
this year.
“The Large has been really
good the last few years and
Masco obviously is going to
be tough to beat, but Pentucket
also looks to be strong as well
as Newburyport, which returns
almost its entire team, and
North Reading is always good,”
Munroe said. “Manchester-
Essex is probably the best team
in the Small, so they will be
tough, and we have two nonleague
games against Austin
Prep team that is always a
good tournament team, so the
schedule is going to be tough
again.”
Lynnfield opens the season
Wednesday, Sept. 5 (4:30 p.m.)
at North Reading.
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