A Captain Falls, But A Team Marches On

It should have been another bus ride home filled with laughter, cheers, songs and celebration.

The Tewksbury High girls' soccer team had just pulled off one of its biggest wins ever, topping Andover 1-0 on a rainy night at Lovely Field on Tuesday.

But on this night, the bus was quiet. Barely a word was spoken. The defense had been the key to the team's first-ever win over Andover, but the team's top defensive player, senior co-captain Liz Marchand, had suffered a broken leg in the closing minutes of the game.

 Marchand had just played a monster of a game, utilizing her blazing speed to catch Andover attackers from behind at least a half dozen times, almost single-handedly keeping the Golden Warriors off the scoreboard. But a violent collision in the Andover penalty area with just two minutes left to play ended Marchand's promising senior season in shocking fashion, and simultaneously took the shine off the biggest win in a surprisingly successful season for the TMHS girls.

 "It was  a heartbreaker," said first year soccer coach Kelly Barrio. "She's such a great girl and such a great kid and such a role model. I don't know what we're going to do without her."

Unfortunately, Marchand's injury was all the buzz around Tewksbury Memorial High School on Wednesday, because the soccer team isn't the only team that was expecting big things from Marchand during her senior year. Marchand is the definition of a three-sport star at TMHS, having played varsity soccer, varsity basketball and run track for the varsity since her sophomore year.

"Of course we'll miss her as part of the soccer team," Barrio said. "But it's so much bigger than that."

Basketball coach Mark Bradley found out Wednesday morning that his captain for the upcoming season may not play in a single game this year.

 "It's the worst news I could have heard," said Bradley. "Lizzie is my only captain this year. She's a great kid with tremendous speed and a great work ethic. She's truly one of my only leaders coming back, and my heart's aching for her right now."

Wednesday was a bad day for track coach John Byrnes, too. He was counting on Marchand to be one of his top returning sprinters, after an outstanding junior year last spring that saw Marchand earn Merrimack Valley Conference all-star honors in the 100-meter dash and the 4x100-meter relay. As a sophomore, Marchand ran a leg on Tewksbury's sprint medley relay team that qualified for nationals while setting the school record in that event.

"She ran a personal best in the 100 meters at 12.75 last spring, which probably puts her in the top 10 fastest kids in school history (with her senior year still to come)," Byrnes said. "She's got great potential. I haven't heard anything about her rehab schedule yet but I'd be disappointed for Liz if she missed her senior season."

But perhaps the most disappointed member of the TMHS coaching staff is Barrio, who has engineered a remarkable resurgence in the girls soccer program this year. Tuesday's win over Andover is believed to be the first ever win over Andover in the history of the program. The victory improved the team's record to 4-2-3 at the halfway point of the season. Compared to last year's 3-14-1 record, this year's TMHS girls soccer season already has to be considered a success.

Soccer teams earn two points for a win and one for a tie, and need to compile 18 total points to qualify for the MIAA state tournament. With nine games left to play, that goal is, almost unthinkably, within Tewksbury's reach.

 "It's been an amazing season so far," Barrio said. "Coming in I hoped we were going to be competitive, but I knew we were going to have some growing pains. To have done what we've done so far is amazing. It feels so good. I can't tell you how proud I am of these girls."

The team features a mixture of veteran defenders and youthful midfielders and attackers. Seniors Heather Carroll (stopper) and Lauren Spencer (center-mid) are the other two co-captains along with Marchand. Seniors Jamie Minton and Gina Papageorgiou have been the starting outside defenders for most of the season.

The team starts three or four freshmen and three or four sophomores every game. Sophomore striker Nicole Chaet (who scored the game's only goal against Andover) and freshman striker Aly Spencer share the team lead in goals scored with six.

 Sophomore goaltender Rebecca Davies has recorded six shutouts in nine games and has not allowed a goal in three straight games. Freshman Kelly Quigley and Sara Semenza and sophomore Caitlin Ludka start alongside the elder Spencer as outside midfielders, while freshman Meaghan Blaisdell and sophomore Caitlin Morris have started occasionally and played regularly at outside defender.

Unfortunately, the team lost Marchand right when they needed her most.

Tewksbury will take on Central Catholic, the top team in the Merrimack Valley Conference, on Friday afternoon at 3:45 at Livingston Field.  Central, the defending MVC large school champion, comes into the game sporting a 6-1-2 record.  The Raiders are led, ironically, by two Tewksbury girls; sophomore center mid-Alexa Poulin and senior goaltender Jane Hatzikonstantis. Both Poulin and Hatzikonstantis grew up playing youth soccer alongside all of the Tewksbury High girls at the Sal Frasca Soccer Complex off North Street.

Hatzikonstantis was the backbone of coach Mike Hogan's run of successful youth soccer teams, while Poulin led teams coached by Dennis Minton and Sal Schiavone to numerous league championships and an Under-12 state championship in 2008. Both Poulin and Hatzikonstantis have participated in the Mass. Youth Soccer Olympic Development program.

Hatzikonstantis is in her first year as a starter while Poulin took over the starting center-mid position a few games into her freshman year and led the team to a conference championship and a state tournament berth last fall.

Without Marchand, the Redmen will be hard pressed to contain Poulin and get anything past Hatzikonstantis. Barrio, however, is confident that the rest of the team will rally around their fallen leader.

"Of course, it's a huge loss," Barrio said. "But now we have something to strive for. I know the girls are going to play their hearts and souls out for Lizzie.

 "We'll have to make some adjustments," Barrio added. "But I think we're going to stay right in there. It's a tough time to lose a kid like Lizzie, right at the mid-point of the season. Each and every girl is going to have to step up now. But I feel confident that we can contend with every team we face."