Veracity Soccer Kicks it in Gear For Columbus Day

North Andover Veracity played in the North Andover Columbus Day Tournament over weekend. Here are the results.

U14 Boys

The U14 boys North Andover Veracity put forth enormous effort in the 2011 North Andover Columbus Day Tournament. Their last game, against Swampscott Storming Knights, felt like a breakthrough for them. The players are calling it a “moral victory,” a 1-2 loss on paper, but the two Swampscott goals did not feel like real goals. For most of the game they were winning 1-0, after a goal by Veracity’s leading scorer midfielder RYAN LAPOINTE. A strange backspin on a bouncing ball gave Swampscott one of their goals and a particular perspective by the referee on an apparent save gave Swampscott their other goal. Veracity are trying as hard as they can to climb out of a rut and this past weekend made it feel as though they are almost out. They are still fighting! Keeper Cole Julius made dozens of impressive saves despite spending half the game partially blinded by the sun. Backs Shane Howard, Nathan Willis, Brooks Robinson, Mike Polignone and Ben Robertson grew better organized in this game and along with midfielders Nick Wiles, Eddie Twiss, Chris Gorman and Ryan and Sean Swanton, especially after the North Andover goal, exercised terrific restraint on defense and allowed fewer Swampscott shots. Forwards Devin Finnegan, Eddie Allen, Gary Baginski and Andrue Crowley stepped up to the running inherent in their roles. Eddie Allen especially was terrific timing runs as left forward and it is hard to believe he is new to that role. Strikers Sean Steinberg and Kyle King became more active offering forward targets as the game progressed.

U12 Girls

The U12 girls North Andover Raiders crushed Salem Survivors 1-4 in their final game of round-robin play in the 2011 Columbus Day Tournament. Whether Raiders advance to the Monday playoffs is whether Dracut lose their third round-robin game, against North Reading... at the moment this is to be decided! But, the Raiders have already secured an enormous accomplishment: over the course of two days they moved from a frustratingly-persistent slump to non-stop jaw-dropping performance as their new standard of play. Keeper Talia Brown is owed much of the coaching credit, considering not even what she was saying necessarily but that her voice could be heard over the din of everyone else! It was an exciting game. Backs Jeana Fleury, Sophie Mitchell, Jordyn Keating-Kodys, Catherine Maguire, Ashley Goland and Maddie Hesse were just about perfect. Jeana delivered moments of amazing dribbling through two or three very determined Salem attackers. She had complete control! Ally Maher reprised her role as center midfielder and stayed the important back component of powerful Raiders tidal waves whose attacking fronts were wide players Danielle Maguire, Emma Dickinson, Dana Swartz and Mikaela Eisenhood and targets Maria Cavallaro and Helen Connolly. Emma was phenomenal on both the left and right sides! Mikaela accepted and thrived under her running responsibilities. She was always back when needed and pushing forward hard on formations of these tidal waves. Maria’s two goals officially earned her the title of Target (with a capital ‘T’). (But everyone deserves the chance to earn this title.) Mikaela scored a goal. And Danielle scored a goal. Danielle’s goal was especially notable as the culmination of dozens of attempts at goals like this over the weekend, some having been thwarted by defender fouls not seen by the referee: a perfectly placed cannonball exploding into the back of the net just inside the top of the goal and seemingly impossible for the keeper to even react to let alone reach or slap away.