Girls soccer goalie Hailey Gilmore makes history
The girls soccer team (5-4-5) dropped a 2-0 decision to host Beverly on Oct. 21.
“We played a terrific first half of soccer, controlling the play and creating some good scoring opportunities, but just couldn’t find the back of the net,” said coach Lisa Wales.
The Panthers, however, picked up the pace in the second half, and scored twice early on to secure the two points. Goalie Hailey Gilmore tried to do her part to keep the visitors in the game with six saves.
Speaking of Gilmore, the team celebrated a milestone moment in her scholastic career at practice a few days before the Beverly contest. It occurred in a 1-0 road win against host Manchester Essex on Oct. 16, when she came up with save No. 200. After that win, Gilmore was already up to 213 saves.
“Hailey brings a quiet focus to the goal to go along with steady hands and excellent footwork,” Wales said. “She has 15 career shutouts, and is still the only keeper in the Northeastern Conference to have three clean sheets (of giving up no goals) against powerhouse Masconomet.”
Field hockey remains in playoff hunt
The regular season is winding down for the Marblehead High School field hockey team (6-8-2), but it keeps on fighting to get back to the .500 mark after shutout wins over non-league Essex Tech (2-0, Oct. 22) at home and Peabody (7-0) the next day on the road. These dominating performances followed a 2-0 loss to Masco in Boxford to begin last week on Oct. 19. Teams that finish up with .500 or better records clinch a berth in the Division 2 state tournament.
These Magicians deserved a better fate against the Chieftains in a game that could have gone either way.
“We played a very strong offensive game against Masco,” said coach Alison Carey. “Our midfielders did an excellent job keeping the ball moving up field, while our forward line fought hard for scoring opportunities.”
Center forward Zoe Dwyer was the team’s Player of the Game. “Zoe never stops working on the field. She’s such a selfless, smart athlete, who genuinely seems to love the game,” said Carey. “But credit our defense, they gave Masco a real challenge, while our goalie Elizabeth Hayes continues to be calm in net. She was (definitely) on her A-game in this game.”
Carey was also impressed with the team’s “energy level,” especially on the sidelines.
Against Essex Tech, Carolyn Black, and Layla Dulac netted the goals, while the overall offense had a combined total of 19 shots on net, according to Carey.
“We definitely dominated the game,” said Carey. “Julia Mann typically is a midfielder, but in this game, she was a center forward throughout the first half, and was pivotal in our offensive push.”
Hayes came up with 14 saves to help record the shutout. “(Hayes) deserves a huge amount of credit for this win, along with our defense, for shutting (down) Essex Tech’s (ability to score),” said Carey.
After this win, the Marblehead girls went right back on the road, where they dispatched the Tanners with plenty to spare.
Ella McConnell led the way on offense with two scores. Keliane Salem, Lily Desgrosseilliers, Dwyer, Black and Mann each scored once. Hayes started the game in net, before backup Molly Beauchesne took over those chores to help secure another shutout for the team.
Girls volleyball clinches playoff berth
The Marblehead High volleyball team (10-5) went 1-2 last week, while also clinching a state tournament berth. These Magicians first lost to visiting non-league Woburn on Oct. 19, 3-1, before bouncing back to shut down Salem, also at home, two days later, 3-0. They closed out the week by falling to non-league host Melrose on Oct. 23, 3-0.
Against the Middlesex League Tanners, Lila Moniz led the way on offense with 18 kills. She was also the defensive leader with 13 digs. Sammy Walker collected five blocks.
Coach Shelley Burns says that Sydney Da Silva played a solid game against Woburn on the service line after coming up with 4 aces and 38 assists.
In the match against the Witches, Walker led the team on defense with two blocks to go along with six digs. While on offense, Moniz was once again one of the stars of the show with an impressive 10 aces and 12 kills. Da Silva continues to top the team in assists with 28.
Despite the loss against the Red Hawks, Sydney Faris still turned in a solid effort with three aces and nine digs, while Walker (10 kills) and Da Silva (17 assists) did their part to help out the team, once again.
Girls cross-country brings home NEC title, boys end regular season with winning record
The Marblehead High girls cross-country team ended the regular season with a perfect 7-0 record after defeating rival host Swampscott on Oct. 21, 19-40.
Sarah Munroe, Eleanor Morgan and Norah Walsh, Marblehead’s top three runners, sped off to a comfortable advantage early on, before ultimately sealing the deal by crossing the finish line in first, second and third place, respectively. Evelina Beletsky came in fifth, Ruby Assa was eighth and Sophia Letwin ended up right behind her in ninth place.
“Everything’s coming together at the right time for them, as they look ahead to the NEC Championship Meet on Halloween, and beyond that to the State Division 2A Meet on Nov. 14,” said coach Will Herlihy.
The boys team (4-3), however, fell to the Big Blue, 23-38. They were led by Filip Grubor’s second place finish. T.J. Waters (sixth), Isaac Durand (seventh), Ivan Monin (11th) and Felix Regnault (12th) rounded out the Top 5 runners for Coach Brian Heenan’s club.
Both boys and girls teams are now getting ready for the annual Northeastern Conference Meet at Stage Fort Park in Gloucester on Saturday, Oct. 31, which will determine this year’s conference all-stars.
Golfers finish eighth in D-2 North, before securing top spot in NEC Open
It just wasn’t their day, but it doesn’t diminish the fact that the MHS golf team had an historic season enroute to the Northeastern Conference title with a 13-0 record, 15-0 overall.
“Unfortunately, the team had a tough day (in) the State Division 2 North Sectionals at Haverhill’s Bradford Country Club (on Oct. 20), but that’s golf,” said coach Bob Green. “Sometimes, on the days that you want to play your best golf, it ends up not being your day. It’s understandable that they are disappointed, but what happened in Haverhill does not detract from their incredibly successful season.”
For the record, these Magicians ended up eighth in the North with 329 points. NEC rival Masco took the top spot with 294 points, followed by Newburyport (300), Milton (302), Canton (306), Wakefield (306), Billerica (307) and Reading (321).
But the Marblehead boys bounced back nicely to win the NEC Open the next day at Tedesco to successfully validate their perfect regular season. They were credited with 163 first place points, followed by Masco (166), Beverly (176), Danvers (179), Swampscott (180), Gloucester (182), Saugus (182), Winthrop (192), Salem (203) and Peabody (226).
“The conditions at Tedesco were very challenging with 25-mph north winds and firm, fast greens,” said Green afterwards. “Tyler (Forbes) and Greyson (Leventhal) had a great bounce back day after Tuesday’s disappointment. Overall, the entire team showed tremendous resilience to turn the page.”
