The Lynnfield girls soccer team jumped out to a 3-0 lead in the first half against Essex Tech and never looked back, improving to 9-2-1 with a Cape Ann League win at home. Ava Damiani led the offense with a goal and two assists. Emma Rose scored two goals, the second one off her own corner kick. Clara Caulfield notched two assists while Bella Carroll had a goal and an assist. Giada Antidormi also scored.
Freshman Sabrina Hayman, filling in for injured goalie Victoria Minor, got the start and her first varsity victory. She said she was nervous, but, truth be told, she played like a seasoned veteran.
“It was nerve-wracking, but my teammates gave me such great support,” Hayman said. “It’s nice to have people supporting me and today my teammates were all around me knowing that if I made a mistake, it was okay and they would understand. It was nice knowing that the team is always very supportive.”
“She did a nice job and looked good,” said Lynnfield coach Mark Vermont. “Their only goal took a very funny bounce and just sort of blew in, but overall, Sabrina did her job today. I thought all the girls worked really hard. We had some nice goals early on and it’s always nice to get the goals early and kind of settle in to that.
Rose (from Damiani and Caulfield) got things started in the 11th minute when she tapped in a cross in the box. Twelve minutes later, Antidormi doubled the lead when she finished a feed from Damiani.
Damiani closed out the first-half, scoring about six minutes later when she deposited a rebound of a Kaylee Barrett shot. Carroll also notched an assist.
Rose made it a 4-0 game in the 53rd minute, then Carroll got in on the action, finishing a Caulfield cross in the 50th minute. Essex Tech’s only goal came with five seconds remaining in regulation on a deflection that took a high bounce and just barely snuck in under the crossbar.
With a solid lead, Vermont had a chance to give several non-starters some quality minutes in the second half.
“Katie Connolly did a nice job along the sideline and Sofia Giardina and Alex Schmidt did a nice job in the middle, too, and Lily as well,” Vermont said. “They were working hard in that second half and moving the ball the way they are supposed to. The starters and the people who subbed in were still moving the ball the same way and that was exactly what we need.”
