Huge Weekend for Tewksbury Youth Soccer Teams

(Editor's note: The following information was submitted by the coaches and administtrators of the Tewksbury Youth Soccer League.)

Tewksbury BU10-1

Tewksbury – 3

Billerica - 2

First half of the game, Defense, Garrett Miskell with some terrific body tactics to deflect the ball from goal. He kept Billerica busy along with Kyle Braciska who assisted with some fancy footwork out on the field. With many shot misses from RJ Florino, Lucas Frost, and Chad Boschetti - Brandon Melo connects with the net scoring 1 for Tewksbury. RJ, Lucas and Brandon continued to shoot with near misses. Mike Reppucci held his own on net making many saves on goal. First minute of second half, Lucas Frost with a powerful shot on net scores Tewksbury's 2nd goal. Mike R made a terrific kick sending it to their goalie, however we couldn't connect with the net. Mike DellOrfano & Ryder Neadson were a force to be reckoned with as they placed pressure on Billerica. RJ with a great sprint through the field to lend a help to defense but unfortunately Billerica shoots and scored their 1st goal. Quickly thereafter Billerica scored again tying the game at 2. Mike R. wasn't giving Billerica anymore chances and protected his territory.Tewksbury wasn't ready to end the game with a tie, with 5 minutes left in the game, RJ passed the ball to Chad who made the final point of the game to score! Tewksbury wins 3 -2

Tewksbury BU10-3

Tewksbury – 3

Wilmington - 0

 The Tewksbury BU10-3 team travelled to Wilmington this past Saturday, and had a strong outing against a tough Wilmington squad. The first half, started with a bang and the boys were on the attack. Liam Flynn connected for the first goal of the game, within minutes. He was assisted by a strong forward line of Noah Fleming and Thomas Barinelli. They had the strong defensive approach, of Riley Auth and Liam Cafferty, who were instrumental to shutting down the Wilmington offense and allowing the play to be pushed up to the forward line. The second goal of the game was well executed, by some quick dribbling by Joey Branchaud to assist and set up Shawn Manson’s outstanding rebound, to connect for the second goal of the game. Nicholas Biron was unstoppable this first half in net.

At the start of the second half, Wilmington’s offense was no match against the solid defense of Sean Cunningham and Arya Mehrabani. They both came up strong, in breaking apart the offensive surge on net. Each one of the defenders, during each half, were aggressive and first to the ball on each occasion. The third and final goal came as Nicholas Biron pushed the ball up the field to Joey Branchaud as he scored the third and final goal. The forward lines were well rounded by a quick thinking Chris Melo who was always getting to the open space to create a play. It was a collective team effort by each player that helped cement the second win of the season for this team. GREAT job boys!!!!!!!!

Tewksbury BU14-1

Tewksbury – 5

Billerica - 1

Tewksbury BU14-1 team won for the third consecutive game this past Saturday 5-1 against Billerica. During the first half, Tewksbury kept the pressure on the Billerica team, by creating various scoring opportunities. At the 12 minute mark Tewksbury midfielder Tyler Sar opened up the scoring with a low blast from 20 yards out. An unfortunate injury occurred to the Billerica goal keeper, when he came out to challenge for a ball in the air. The keeper and Tewksbury forward collided, resulting in the keeper having to leave the game. However, the Billerica team kept trying to press and constantly attacked up the right wing. Tewksbury left fullback, Benn Lafortune held his ground and broke up the Billerica attack. The first half came to an end with the Tewksbury leading 1-0.

The second half started with Tewksbury creating scoring opportunities and constantly applying pressure. Seven minutes into the second half Tewksbury Co-Captain, Mitch Miskell scored his first goal of the game on a loose ball scuffle in front of the net. Eight minutes later, Dario Riparo scored on a corner kick from Tyler Sar, making it 3-0 Tewksbury. At this point Tewksbury was well in control of the game. On a counter attack from Billerica, the referee determined that the Tewksbury defender back passed to his keeper. Billerica was awarded an indirect free kick inside area. Tewksbury goalkeeper Alex Botazzi made an excellent diving stop to his right to preserve the shutout. Twenty-five minutes into the second half Mitch Miskell scored his second goal. Again it came on a corner kick from Tyler Sar. Miskell rose above everyone else and headed the ball into the net, making the score 4-0. Billerica counter attacked and was able to penetrate the Tewksbury defense, and on a cross from the right side was able to score their lone goal. With just seconds’ remaining in the game, Tewksbury scored their fifth and perhaps their prettiest goal. Dario Riparo won a 50/50 ball and passed it to Nicholas Valente, who controlled the pass and passed it to Kyle Paquette, who in turn fed Mitch Miskell a pass that he shot into the back of the net, thus completing his 1^st hat trick of the season.

Another good victory and wonderfully played game by the Tewksbury BU14-1 team. Next Saturday, Tewksbury travels to Waltham. Game time is at 12:00PM at Veterans Memorial Field.

Tewksbury GU10-2

Tewksbury – 2

Lowell - 1

The GU10-2 played two games this week, On Tuesday they picked up their first win of the season against Lowell GU10-1 in a 2 to 1 victory. Emma Scopa scored mid way through the 1st Half with the assist going to MaryCate Cassidy. Lowell was able to even up the score before the end of the first half on a corner kick. Emma Scopa again found the back of the net early in the second half with the assist going to Julie Ozek. The defense held strong limiting Lowell at any chance of tying it back up. Rebecca Smith played very well in net helping to secure the win. Jessica Potito, Kiley Tibbetts, and Julie Ozek played strong defense keeping Lowell in their end for much of the game. Madison Bourassa, Cassidy Grunning, MaryCate Cassidy, Brianna Walker, and Sophie Eskenas kept pressure on Lowell throughout the game.

Tewksbury – 0

Billerica – 2

In the second game of the week we lost to Billerica 2-0. Billerica scored 1 goal in the first half on a breakaway they were able to chip one in over our goalie and in the second half they scored on a corner kick. Rebecca Smith despite the two goals may have had her best game of the season making some great stops to keep us in the game. Her pressure on Billerica’s offense flustered the Billerica team. Kiley Tibbetts, Julie Ozek and Jessica Potito played very well during this game. Their best effort was put forward, and their endless hustle showed their hard work. The offensive lineup of MaryCate Cassidy, Emma Scopa, Madison Bourassa, Cassidy Grunning, Brianna Walker, and Sophie Eskenas was impressive. The score failed to reflect the hard work of the offense. There were countless opportunities of great runs with the ball by the offense. The entire offensive lineup shows great progression from the beginning of the season. I know that next week with continued hard work we will be adding another win to our record.

Tewksbury GU10-3

Tewksbury – 1

Billerica – 1

The Tewksbury Girls U10 Division 3A team hosted a tough Billerica team. Neither team in this early part of the season had a loss. This trend would continue as the game ended in a 1-1 tie. The teams came out with Billerica controlling the tempo early on but the defense of Grace Morris, Meaghan Welch, and the goal play of Marissa Ladderbush were able to stymie the Billerica attack. About 15 minutes into the game the Billerica forward was able to slip through the Tewksbury defense and blast a shot into the net for a 1-0 lead. However just a couple of minutes later Kenzie Kennison was able to streak down the middle and put in her first goal of the season to tie the game back up. This goal was set up by the defense as Olivia Houghton playing right defense stepped in and kicked the ball high and long. The ball landed just outside the box on the Billerica end and Kenzie was able to run it down.

The 2^nd half consisted on a lot of back-and-forth play. Kenzie, Jordan Paula, and Lauren McIntyre were able to put many shots on net that were kicked away by the goalie. Kendall Donahoe and Sarah Cunningham showed great effort in the middle of the field. Kendall used her body many times to make the 1^st touch on the ball. Late in the 2^nd a Billerica player broke through with a 1-on-1 with the goalie Maddy Berry. Maddy showed incredible poise as she waited for the Billerica player make her move and swallowed up the shot to preserve the tie. Like every week each player on this team made a vital contribution for the success of the team and every player should be extremely proud.

Tewksbury GU10-4

Tewksbury – 0

Chelmsford - 0

The Tewksbury girls 10-4 team played on a beautiful Saturday Morning (finally) vs. Chelmsford. From the Start the girls were determined and energetic; they kept the play on the Chelmsford side of the field for most of the first half. The Offense was lead by Julia Garland, Erin Carter, Isabelle Frost, Gianna DiGiorgio, Hannah Slattery and Catherine Mawn. They showed great passing and kept constant pressure on the Chelmsford Goalie. The defense was lead by Cora Barrett, Ryan Quinn and Kaitilin Sheehan, all displaying great effort to keep Chelmsford at bay. Playing Goal in the first half was Julia Cafferty, she made several nice saves and outlet passes to jump start the offense. The first half ended 0-0, the girls played great but just could not finish in front of the Chelmsford net.

 The second half started the same as the first half. The Tewksbury girls had several opportunities to score, great passing from Gianna, Julia and Erin lead to a great chance that just went wide. Cora and Ryan kept the play on the Chelmsford side of the field with great defensive pressure on Chelmsford girls trying to move the ball out of their end. Isabelle and Julia switched up in net in the second half each playing part of the second half. Both displaying their aggressive goaltending, making several saves to keep Chelmsford off the board. Every save made was followed by a quick outlet pass to send our offense on the attack. With less than 1 minute left in the game a great pass from Julia Garland left Isabelle wide open in front of the Chelmsford net, but her strong shot was deflected wide. The game ended 0-0, the Crushers earned a hard fought point and will be looking for a win next Saturday.

Tewksbury GU10-6

Tewksbury – 2

Billerica – 3

The girls got off to a rough start with two hand ball penalties but Tewksbury picked it right up with an evenly matched game against Billerica. Leanne Durham started in net not allowing Billerica to score the entire first half. Gianna Bourassa and Heather Connelly were on defense to start with Casey Steven, Rebecca Defrancesco, and Sarah Boudreau in as forwards. Sabrina Alman subbed in as a forward and Rebecca moved back on defense doing a great job on pressuring the Billerica team. Billerica had a tough defense too so the game was scoreless going into the second half. Danielle Bain played in net for the second half with Stephanie Mercurio and Lauren Eyssallenne on defense. Leanne, Caitlyn Fiore, and Sydney Crowley played forward sparking the Tewksbury offense. Billerica scored one minute into the second half but two minutes later Caitlyn scored on a penalty kick making the score 1-1. Both teams played hard, defense was good on both sides with ten minutes left in the game Billerica scored two more goals and Leanne scored one with three minutes left with the final score being 3-2 Billerica. Tewksbury has shown improvement from the last few games.

Tewksbury GU12-1

Tewksbury – 2

Chelmsford - 1

The Tewksbury Girls U12-1 travel team earned a hard fought win at home this past Saturday against Chelmsford. Tewksbury spotted Chelmsford an early 1-0 lead after the first minute of play but was able to find some rhythm as the 1^st half wore on. Midfielder Lindsay Harris sparked the team with her aggressive play. The team followed her lead as Alison Paracini and Emily Sessa began to match Chelmsford’s intensity at midfield. The offense, led by Jessica Cacciola, Kelly Golini and Lillian Holden put some good rushes on net with great passing and teamwork, but all their shots were saved or near misses. Tewksbury got on the board before halftime when Rachel Prevost blasted a high towering shot over the goalies head from thirty feet out to tie the game at one.

After halftime, Tewksbury began their assault on Chelmsford, carrying the play for most of the half. After a shaky start to the game, Tewksbury defense, led by Rachel Sessa, played stellar the rest of the way. Maggie Penta, Victoria Mirabito and Isabelle Picher followed suit with shutdown defense. Once again, Tewksbury’s pressure paid off late in the game. With less than two minutes to go, Samantha Schultz took the ball deep into the offensive zone and crossed the ball to Rachel Prevost. Rachel was able to get free from a defender and put a hard shot on net. The Chelmsford goalie was able to stop the shot, but not control the rebound. Kayla Devlin pounced on the rebound and scored the game winner. Samantha Mercurio earned the victory in goal with a solid performance in net.

Tewksbury GU12-2

 Tewksbury – 1

Medford - 0

 The Tewksbury GU12-2 girls travelled south to face Medford for their first meeting of the year. Tewksbury lost the coin toss and was playing with the wind at their backs for the first half. The midfielders had to carry a heavy burden playing into the ultra-conservative defense of Medford. Ashley Antonelli and Andrea DiCiaccio won a number of 50/50 challenges, but the Medford defenders would stifle the attack repeatedly by kicking the ball out of play. Madison Wescott and Sarah Ciampa threatened Medford in the offensive zone all morning but the hard turf was like an extra defender keeping them from getting a control for a scoring opportunity. The Tewksbury defense saw minimal action in the first half other than to move into the attacking zone to support the offense. The most exciting play of the first half was when goalkeeper Emily Langone 2-hopped a kick over the Medford keeper but a defender was able to deflect the ball away for the save. Sam Surowiec and Kelly Fortier bolstered their strong defensive play with a number of corner kick opportunities but again the ground was too unpredictable for the team to capitalize and the game remained scoreless at the half.

The second half started with greater intensity by Tewksbury at both ends of the field. Kayla Makooi and Brittany Malfa set up two quality scoring chances but they were unable to find the back of the net. Halfway through the 2^nd, Allison Couillard was in position when the Medford keeper deflected a hard shot from the left side and the ball came down to Ally’s feet. She wound up and blasted a shot that was beyond the reach of the keeper for the only score of the game. Medford gave up their conservative play and went on the attack but defenders Katie Famiglietti, Stephanie Graffeo, and Viviana Bain were too fast for the Medford offense and while there were a few anxious moments, they held fast and kept Medford off the board. Emily Langone recorded the solo shutout in net with her strongest showing of the season. Next week the girls will travel to Wakefield for what may be our biggest challenge of the Spring.

Tewksbury GU14-2

Tewksbury – 1

Melrose - 2

The Tewksbury GU14-2 played undefeated Melrose GU14-1 on Saturday. Early on the teams seemed pretty evenly matched, back and forth, but at the 8 minute mark, Melrose capitalized on some confusion by the Tewksbury defense, and scored for a 1-0 lead. Four minutes later, defender Haley Aznavoorian made a fantastic save, the first of many, stopping a Melrose break away.

 LearBear (Caitlyn Leary), HP (Haley Pozzuto), Big D (Darien Lavino), Little Lavino (Megan), Aria Porzio and Hillary and Brittany Fletcher made notable efforts, but were thwarted by the Melrose defense time after time.

 In the second half, newly positioned defender Emily Velozio turned away a Melrose run, while LearBear, Meredith Cahill and Big D continued to work the ball past the Melrose defense only to be stopped by their keeper.

 Fifteen minutes into the 2nd half, Melrose scored on an indirect kick (tap and blast) to make it 2-0. Despite the score, Tewksbury won the majority of the 50/50 balls, and dominated the play, keeping the ball at the Melrose end of the field. With 5 minutes left, game standout Haley Aznavoorian started the pass chain to LearBear, to Big D, to Meredith Cahill, who got it by the keeper to make it 2-1. The goal sparked the locals, and in the final minute, Cahill followed up on a Big D shot, knocking the ball loose from the goalie, only to hear the whistle blow to end the game.

 Tewksbury lost a hard fought battle against the top team, but they are definitely on the right track.

Tewksbury GU14-3

Tewksbury – 3

Everett – 0

Finally Mother Nature agreed and let us play one in the sun. Gianna Dell'Orfano netted the first of the day and her first of the year to make it 1-nil good guys. Second half scoring was led by Skylar Jacques (3rd of the year) and Katie Dunleavy (First of the year). A great game was played by all the girls. Offensive player of the game was Keira Lawlor, who played her most aggressive and technical game of the year and setting up her forwards most of the game. Kudos to Kate Gilbert and Lauren Strainge for pitching a shut-out in net. Ashley Figucia had some fancy foot work on display. The MVT's (Most Valuable Teammates) are as follows: Caroline Ferrari, Juliana Wahl, Kenzie Wyatt, Taylor Laycox, Bailey Gillis, Nikilina Taromino and Sara the warrior Baptista.

We play Lowell on Friday May 6th and have a big showdown with 2nd place Woburn on Saturday the 7th. Commissioner's Cup, here we come baby.......

Tewksbury GU14-3

Tewksbury – 3

Chelmsford - 2

Stretching to her left to stop a Chelmsford attempt, Tewksbury goalkeeper Shealagh Doherty preserved the win in the closing minutes. Throughout the match, the backfield played aggressive defense. Emily Duquette rushed to veer off Chelmsford's forwards. Mary Bliss intercepted passes, and blasted the ball to midfield. Kayleigh Bishop dribbled out of the zone to send the ball to her teammates. After valiantly keeping Tewksbury in the game with key saves, Molly McDonald crushed the ball up the field. Putting Tewksbury on the board first, Jessica Ripley connected for her first goal. Mounting pressure in the offensive end, Tewksbury continued to pepper the Chelmsford goalkeeper. From the eighteen, Alyssa Aurilio drilled the ball on net. Receiving a pass across the penalty area from Nicole Salvato, Monica Aronson pushed the ball just wide. After picking up a pass from Stephanie McHatton, Makayla Calouro drove the ball beyond the reach of the Chelmsford goalkeeper. When Ariana Calouro crossed the ball from the right corner, Makayla Calouro finished it for her second goal. From midfield, Kelsie Allen placed the ball on net. On her rebound, Katherine Adelsberger looped the ball just over the crossbar of the net. Creating persistent harassment as midfielders, Dimple Gandhi and Catherine Ozek fended off Chelmsford's midfielders.