This fall, the Marblehead High boys soccer team accomplished incredible feats that surprised no one.
Coming into the campaign, the Magicians had high expectations, and understood with certainty that playing to their potential would define success. With that said, they displayed tenacity, poise and unity to raise their level of play when it mattered most, while developing a culture of winning.
The Marblehead boys (11-3-6 overall, including playoffs) were seeded 10th in the Division 2 power rankings. There are 59 teams statewide in the division, and they proved without a doubt that they are among the top echelon.
Coach Elmo Magana’s team won an overtime playoff game at home for the first time in five years, and came within two ricocheted crossbar shots of winning another in a Sweet 16 matchup on Nov. 7. They notched 43 goals, and conceded only 16 throughout the past two months. Nine of their 11 wins were by
shutout. Ultimately, they played with an effortless harmony that was in evidence on the pitch week after week.
On Monday, Nov. 3, Somerset-Berkley Regional (12-7), the 23rd seed, came to Piper to begin the tournament in the Round of 32.
In the early minutes, both teams exhibited a tendency to move the ball quickly, which tested the
opposing defenses. Both teams were skilled in possessing the ball, while also being able to smoothly change direction at will.
But Raiders broke through for an early score, just 12 minutes into the game, when it somehow squeezed through two defenders, before hitting a slow roller toward the left side of the goal that was out of Marblehead’s reach.
Initially, Somerset-Berkley was quick to jump on Marblehead’s passing routes. They intercepted the ball frequently, before the home team could penetrate the 18-yard line. But the momentum shifted as the first half progressed. The Magicians began wearing down the Raiders, who eased up on the press and tried to merely contain the attack. The Marblehead boys just knew they had too many weapons, and knew they could outlast their worthy South Shore opponent.
James Achterhof did good work at the end of the first half, shaking off not one but two Raider defenders, before drawing a foul. But it went for naught, when the penalty kick was turned away. As a result, the Raiders remained in front at halftime, 1-0.
But Marblehead emerged from the break, stepping up its attack. They were playing more aggressively, and were determined to force mistakes and expose the weaknesses in the Raiders’ defensive line.
With 27 minutes left in the game, midfielder Ilan Druker slipped through several defenders, before getting tripped up just inches outside the penalty area. He then lined up for the free kick, and unleashed a beautiful curving ball that sailed around the wall of defenders to the right. The ball was heading just outside the frame of the goal, before it spun left to catch the top corner of the net to tie up the proceedings.
The Raiders started showing signs of fatigue midway through the second half, but by then Marblehead was running through the defense without obstruction. The home team was methodical in its approach, taking its time working the ball downfield.
Forward Miles Fontela-Tuttle nearly ended the game with an absolute laser from a short distance away that in any other circumstance would have generated a score, but the Somerset-Berkley goaltender was able to step up to make the save to force overtime.
At the outset of overtime, Marblehead had a great string of set plays, but the one that originated at midfield ultimately led to Somerset-Berkley’s demise.
After a hard foul, defensive back Luke Miller hit a direct kick high into the air that landed in traffic and was nicked by a Somerset-Berkley player. Midfielder Jared Halpern then alertly created separation from the defense to get some space to go to work, where he threaded the ball toward the left side and into the goal, prompting the massive Piper Field crowd to erupt in celebration.
Magicians move onto the Sweet 16
Days later, on Nov. 7, the Marblehead boys went up against host Wayland (9-7-2), the seventh seed, in a Round of 16 game.
The Warriors’ offensive strategy became clear quickly to the visitors. Their field was wider than a typical pitch, and so they spent the opening minutes sending the ball down the lines to their wings, looking for the strikers to make angle runs through the middle. They possessed the ball well, keeping it on the ground most of the time.
But the Marblehead forwards still had success penetrating the Wayland back line. The Warriors had height, but lacked speed.
As he has done all season, midfielder Ilan Druker worked the ball well through traffic. Miles Fontela-Tuttle, in the middle, was able to draw pressure to gain an advantage. From the right, David Magen frequently exploded past the outside back, and it was Magen who put his teammates ahead at the 23-minute mark of the first half on a counterattack that brought the Wayland goalie up high, but still too late to block out the oncoming Marblehead striker.
Two quality shots later in the half could have buried the Warriors, but both struck the crossbar. London McDonald popped a volley high in the air from 30 yards away, but it got no lower than the crossbar.
With six minutes remaining in the half, Druker placed a corner kick into a crowd of players that
connected with Halpern, who came flying into the mix for a header. It, however, was another near miss, as the ball bounced off the crossbar once again, only to sail harmlessly out of bounds.
A few minutes later, center back Adam Loughlin nearly scored on a similar play, but the shot went wide left.
Unfortunately, the referees then created drama by not following standard protocol, when Wayland would delay the game repeatedly by lying on the field minutes after contact, but they did not issue any yellow cards to warn the players. It’s a tactic that’s used on occasion, but rarely to this extent. It definitely impeded the flow of the game.
Early in the second half, Wayland notched the equalizer on a penalty kick. Goalie Rory Zampese read the approaching Warrior correctly to block the PK, only to have another player cut through to score on the rebound.
Wayland was extremely patient, hoping to wear down the Marblehead attackers. But the ploy failed, because of Marblehead’s conditioning, which enabled them to pursue consistently to disrupt Wayland.
There were significant momentum swings throughout. Wayland had a heart-stopping fast break that was squelched by defender T.J. Kelly, who made a textbook slide tackle that likely saved a goal. It was a one-on-one play with nothing between the Warrior and Zampese, but Kelly came through in the clutch.
Mitchell Goldwater had a chance to score, putting a long ball into the box from far out. Marc Grazado made defensive contributions at midfield to disrupt the Wayland transitional game. Eric Badrak and Bubacar Jallow bolstered the middle with their solid play off the bench.
At the end of regulation, the game was still tied at one, forcing another overtime.
Both teams started to play an aerial game by putting the ball deep, hoping to expose a mismatch or two to catch a lucky break. Eventually, Wayland was able to capitalize, when senior John Pordage sent a shot over several Marblehead defenders. It was high enough to hit the back of the net, which unfortunately eliminated the Magicians from the postseason.
In retrospect, nothing can take away from Marblehead’s memorable winning season. The starting defensive front of Colin White, Loughlin, Kelly and Miller contained opposing attacks methodically this season. They all played the ball well to enable the team’s transitional game to run smoothly at midfield. Quinn Fletcher, McDonald and Halpern anchored the middle, setting up the attack with precision passing and utmost patience. They let opportunities materialize laterally, before accelerating through the center to cause havoc.
The Marblehead strikers of Fontela-Tuttle, Druker and Magen leveraged speed and instinct to wear down the opposition, while outmaneuvering and confusing defenders.
Zampese, who continually brought excitement with his acrobatic highlight reel saves, led the defensive efforts.
Coach Magana and his assistant Tom Roundy helped elevate the team’s game this season. They were able to capitalize on the tremendous skills that the players brought to the pitch with their expert strategic gameplans.
NEC awards star-studded season on the pitch
Goalie Rory Zampese was recently named NEC All-Conference MVP by the conference coaches. Striker Miles Fontela-Tuttle joins him on the All-Conference team, while defender
Luke Miller and midfielder Ilan Druker were selected to the all-star squad.
Troy Miller contributed to this report.
