Redmen Seek To Settle Score vs. Middies In Playoff Opener

It's an image burned into the mind of every member of the __

The final whistle sounding and Dracut High celebrating on the Redmen's home turf -- and the Middies hadn't even played the game! The Dracut players had showed up last month to cheer on Chelmsford High in its game against Tewksbury and when the Lions pulled out a 2-1 win, the Middies had clinched the MVC Division 2 title.

Coach Jeff Keefe's squad gets the chance for some payback today (Nov. 6) at 1 p.m. when the No. 13 Redmen open the Division 2 North Sectional Tournament on the road at No. 4 Dracut. (See complete tournament bracket on attached PDF).

But in order to settle the score, the first thing the Redmen will have to do is, well, score. Tewksbury has been shutout twice this season by Dracut’s senior goaltender Rachel Ledbetter, the league’s top goalie. The first game was a 1-0 Dracut victory and then, toward the end of the season, the teams battled to a 0-0 tie, with Tewksbury keeper Rebecca Davies matching Ledbetter save for save.

Davies has had a strong season with seven shutouts but the Redmen, at times, have had trouble scoring goals in front of her. Tewksbury comes into the game with a 9-7-2 record but they are 3-5-2 in their last 10 games and are winless (0-2-2) in their last four.

To knock off Dracut, Tewksbury will need a huge game from junior midfielder Nicole Chaet, who has shown the ability to carry the team on her back. Sophomore strikers Kashka Gammon and Aly Spencer, among others, will also need to try and figure out a way to solve the Ledbetter problem.

The post-season is usually a time for veterans to step and provide the leadership a team needs to advance. So look for seniors such as Meghan Bouthot and Jordyn Leblanc to ramp their game up another notch to try and make sure their high school soccer careers don't end this afternoon in Dracut.