Lynnfield Girls Soccer In Race To Finish

This isn’t the situation that Mark Vermont and his Lynnfield girls soccer team thought they would be in when the season began a few months ago.

The Pioneers had goals of improving on their semifinal appearance in the Div. 3 North MIAA soccer tounament last season, but now they must act as if every game is a one-game playoff to try and fight for their playoff lives.

Vermont is taking a page out of the head coach who makes his home in Foxboro and not look past the next opponent with five games to go in the regular season and a must-win situation nearly coming in every situation from here on out.

“We are trying to focus on the Bill Belichick model of one game at a time and go from there,” Vermont said. “I’ve been talking to the girls about it and they’ve had a lot of experience in the tournament. Our mindset right now is tournament soccer. That’s what it is right now. It’s a little early for it, but it’s the situation that we are in. THe only thing that matters is the next game. “

As of Friday, October 21, Vermont’s club was 3-5-5 with five schedule games left on the regular season slate.

The goal-scoring has been down for the Pioneers this season and there have been plenty of missed opportunites and come-from-behind ties so far this season. The five ties, according to Vermont, could have easily been a few more victories in favor of the Pioneers.

The Pioneers made a late comeback and tied Gloucester, 2-2, early in the season, but coughed one up late in the final minutes against Ipswich to walk away with another even match.

Lynnfield was also up against Masconomet 3-1 at one point during an earlier tilt, but watched again as the opponent came back to walk away with pivotal ties that should have been victories for the Pioneers.

Vermont did get a good sign with a big 2-1 victory over Amesbury earlier in the week before the rain came and washed away a potential matchup with Hamilton-Wenham. Vermont said that his team clanged the crossbar twice and hit the post four times, but luck finally changed the teams way to give the Pioneers a win and maybe a little bit of forward momentum.

“That was really good for us,” Vermont said of the win. “That was a good encouragement for us.”

The Pioneers face Triton on Friday and have potentially four games left on the schedule in a crowded week next week.

Vermont is encouraged by the perseverance of his team, but knows there is a long road to go before thinking about the playoffs.

“We got to do a lot of work to get there,” said Vermont. “That’s really for me right now is too far away. We are in tournament mode, so I think that’s the situation we are in. But the girls are responding in practice and we will see what happens.”