Despite being ranked just one spot higher than No. 5 Old Rochester, the No. 4 Lynnfield volleyball squad swept its opposition Friday night and punched a Final Four ticket in Division 3. Set scores were 25-16, 25-20, and 25-17.
Audrey Manning had 16 kills, 15 assists, and 10 digs. Alexia Vaquerano had 15 kills and 14 digs, while Carina DeLeo added 16 assists and Eliana Moretti collected 18 digs and 10 assists.
The Pioneers took on top-ranked Bellingham Wednesday at Westwood High. The match began at 5 p.m. with results too late to print.
GIRLS SOCCER
No. 11 Auburn 3
No. 6 Lynnfield 2
In a Sweet 16 tilt at Pioneer Stadium, No. 11 Auburn needed just 38 seconds of overtime to eliminate No. 6 Lynnfield from the Division 3 tournament.
“They came out of the overtime quicker than we did. Maybe that’s on me, but I thought we were ready to go,” said Lynnfield coach Mark Vermont. “They definitely were quicker right off the bat. We didn’t play a poor game at all — it was a good game. We settled the ball very well in the midfield and the defense played great. Victoria (Minor) had some great saves. It’s a tough way to end.”
Junior Ava Damiani staked the Pioneers to a 1-0 lead at the 10-minute mark of the first half. Fellow junior Adriana Regitano picked up the assist. Auburn knotted the score 1-1 about 11 minutes later.
Lynnfield regained its lead early in the second half on a goal by senior captain Bella Sykes (from junior Hannah Doherty). Once again, Auburn responded with an equalizer.
The last 20 minutes belonged to the Pioneers, who dominated possession, only to be denied by Auburn’s defense.
“I thought we played well,” Vermont said. “It was back and forth, and I thought we had some chances. Before the end of the second half, we were really pushing.”
The Cape Ann League Kinney Division champion Pioneers finished 14-3-3.
FIELD HOCKEY
No. 2 Sandwich 6
No. 10 Lynnfield 0
Lynnfield ran into trouble against second-seeded Sandwich as goalie Bridget McGee made 13 saves. Coach Kerri Doherty led the Cape Ann League champion Pioneers to a 16-2-3 season.
FOOTBALL
No. 1 St. John’s Prep 38
No. 16 Framingham 0
The top-ranked Eagles defended Glatz Field in their Division 1 opener. The Prep will host No. 8 Leominster Friday at 6 p.m.
BOYS SOCCER
No. 1 St. John’s Prep 1
No. 17 Lowell 0
Saturday morning came with Division 1 soccer at Glatz Field in Danvers. The Round of 16 showdown ended with top-ranked St. John’s Prep defeating No. 17 Lowell 1-0. Garrison Murphy netted the game-winning goal in the 58th minute. Matt Droggitis recorded a four-save shutout for the Eagles (17-1-2), who handed Lowell (16-1-3) its first loss. The Prep advanced to Wednesday’s Round of 8, where coach Dave Crowell and company hosted No. 9 Cambridge Rindge & Latin (12-3-3) at 6 p.m. Results were too late to print.
No. 1 St. John’s Prep 3
No. 33 Algonquin 1
Murphy was a man on a mission for top-ranked St. John’s Prep, scoring a pair of first-half goals in a Division 1 Round of 32 showdown. James Minor netted an insurance goal in the second half and Ryan King dished out two assists.
CROSS COUNTRY
Race after race across Massachusetts this past Saturday, local cross country programs were well-represented with strong individual and team finishes. John McIntosh (6th – 15:59.00) led St. John’s Prep (3rd) in the Division 1-A state races at Wrentham Developmental Center. In Division 3-A action, the Lynnfield girls (8th) were led by Abby Lopez, who secured 22nd with a time of 21:37. Also performing well was Maeve Wertz (48th – 23:40). The Pioneer boys (14th) were paced by Nick Degennaro (64th – 19:21.53), Rowan Bayer (66th – 19:22.79), and Jason Tran (19:24.40).
