2011 Danvers Invitational Tournament (May 28-30, 2011) : U14 Girls, Breakers

Saturday, May 21, 2011 : U12 Girls, Ladybugz

The North Andover Ladybugz U12 girls showed on Saturday May 21 that they cannot lose a game except through phenomenal performance and intense effort. Leaving the Winthrop field after their first regular-season loss in the 2010/2011 soccer year, with Winthrop having won 3-1, on the coach's part there was a stronger sense of satisfaction than after any other game due to the players' efforts and successes. As midfielder JESSICA LANGSTON said in her take on the game, "I'm proud of how we played!" And she should be. They all should be. It was a loss that felt like a win. "Let's just play them again in three weeks!" CHRISSY HOGAN was called on to play the entire game as keeper and was spectacular, absolutely deserving of the half-dozen commendations from complete strangers that came in after the game. Her reflexes were sharp, her judgment was sound, her directives to teammates had huge positive effect, and she frequently created scoring opportunities for North Andover (and drove the Winthrop coaches visibly mad with frustration) by dribbling outside the penalty box then passing out to a midfielder or forward, always successfully. MEGAN DAWLEY also played the entire game, as center back. Her contributions were just as strong as Chrissy's, as were right and left backs' GRACE FALLON, JENNY TABOLA, HANNAH DIGIOVANNI, and REBECCA SALINAS. The powerful North Andover back line kept the goal difference at two when it could have been a lot more. The midfielders and forwards SOPHIE JAMES, Jessica, KAITLIN KORNACHUK, KATIE HOGAN, ALYVIA PETROZZA, EMILY CARON, and SARAH MCGARVEY created enough scoring opportunities themselves; due to their efforts this was definitely not a one-sided or desparate game. Jessica, who scored the North Andover goal, showed twice in this game that she absolutely has the precision shots needed to score through the Winthrop defense. Katie's breakaways kept the game exciting and more equally-weighted. With Pingree qualifications still up in the air for their bracket as they approach the eighth and final week of the regular season, the Ladybugz still have one more regular-season game and two tournaments secured in their spring season and it is exciting to imagine what they have yet to do!

Saturday, May 14, 2011 : U14 Girls, Breakers

Saturday, May 7, 2011 : U12 Girls, Ladybugz

The late morning was warm and dry, a perfect setting for a road game against the struggling Triton Hurricanes.  The manicured field was the perfect chessboard for Coach Jeremy to work his skills with an undermanned team of only 10 girls.  The Grateful Dead's Jerry Garcia (at least his look-a-like) was the referree for the game and often seemed confused and out-of-place, but nevertheless, the game went on, with each coach wondering what the referree was looking at when he called a foul, or a ball went out of play.  The Ladybugz seemed slow out of the gates, but were able to position themselves well for the early part of the first half.  Rebecca was playing hard on offense, with several charges toward goal, each shot gathered up by their stingy goalie. Alyvia was doing an admirable job in our goal, deflecting the first shot on goal over the net.  The second hard shot came from a cross-pass that was then whizzed into the opposite corner of the net, an unstoppable shot, that gave the Triton's their first and only goal. This seemed to spark the North Andover team, with Sophie taking charge and dribbling deftly all over the field, bouncing off steal attempts, and firmly shooting a well-placed shot past the Triton goalie for the Ladybugs first goal.

Halftime was highlighted by strategic adjustments by the coaching team and a carb refill of water and munchkin doughnuts.  The girls were ready for the second half!

Both teams came out strong with several warnings by the referree for pushing and shoving.  Unlike the first half, it seemed that the North Andover team was in full control, the girls finally communicating, dribbling, and passing well. Rebecca was covering the goal for this half and had several amazing stops that kept her team in the game.  Kaitlin was injured when the referree stepped on her foot and was forced to sit on the side encouraging her team.  Her quickness and hard-nosed play would be missed. This also meant the girls would have little to no rest, since substitutions would be limited.  Sophie and Mehgan played a stifling defense and often ventured into the offensive side of the field to put some extra pressure on the Hurricanes. Jenny and Grace were stellar in running most of the offensive breaks, often taking a lot of pushes and falls to keep the ball in play.  Emily seemed to be all over the place, keeping her opponent off the ball and herself leading many forceful attacks toward goal.  Maddie had several stops, fought aggressively for the ball, and was skillful in her ball handling, especially in midfield.  Sara and Alyvia constantly ran the wings and had several shots on goal, many of which missed their target by just a hair.

As the whistle blew to end the game, everyone agreed that it was a well played, enjoyable game.  The girls were tired and no doubt deserving of a good lunch....

Saturday, April 23, 2011 : U12 Girls, Ladybugz

The North Andover Ladybugz battled the Andover Leopards to a 1-1 tie on Saturday April 23. It was a wet and muddy game, saturated with spirit and effort, and to this ecstatically biased observer not so much a North Andover concession as a little dip in the springboard just preceding a giant leap into the bulk of the spring season. However the words “concession” and “dip” here speak to the enormous power and potential of this North Andover Ladybugz crew as the Andover opposition this day was a well-organized, well-coached, and powerful crew itself. It was a good match with teams of approximately equal strength on that particular day, but the strengths of the two teams were very different from each other. The Ladybugz are a team of individuals and they were especially creative and their individual characteristics especially accentuated in this game. The game ended with JESSICA LANGSTON the muddiest player. She had scored the North Andover goal as forward in the first half, and directed a stellar back line as center back in the second half including cutting off plenty of Andover shots herself with no regard to her distance from the ground or to the family’s dirty laundry bin. The second-muddiest player was CHRISSY HOGAN, as keeper the top of the second half’s chain of command and responsible for having shut down enormously powerful Andover presses forward in the second half and keeping the game a tie. Congratulations Chrissy! The third-muddiest player was JENNY TABOLA, a critical member of the sub-less but stellar line of backs. Jenny is one of this team’s most creative and effective players and one of the tactics she employed in this particular game was getting possession of the ball but then not moving at all, to where the opposing players look around wondering why the game stopped, Did I miss a whistle?, but then she would be gone, dribbling down the field. HANNAH DIGIOVANNI, MADDIE ZERBEY, and REBECCA SALINAS as midfielders contributed to powerful North Andover forward presses, at least as strong as Andover’s. GRACE FALLON had a perfect first half in goal, her first ever time in goal this season. She is a keeper. Congratulations Grace! SOPHIE JAMES and SARAH MCGARVEY were powerful forwards. Sarah’s dribbling explosions are in danger of becoming famous. This is a player who can dribble towards a corner flag, with the opposing defense organizing and preparing for a cross, you think she has dribbled so far towards the corner that she must either cross or pass back, going to goal is not an option anymore, but she has the speed to then turn and dribble around the opposing backs, beating them to the goal. KATIE HOGAN should not be the last player mentioned here as she was another critical player in the powerful back line and one who saw and filled gaps in the field ahead of her as needed, a truly intelligent and responsible player. Next week the Ladybugz face Swampscott Stripers in what may be another loaded battle, another hugely competitive match, again at home, same time, same field, next Saturday. This spring season is considerably more exciting than the fall season was and it is great that we have a lot of work to do.

Saturday, April 16, 2011 : U12 Girls, Ladybugz

The Ladybugz came out hot on this bone-chilling day in Marblehead! They spent almost the entire game in the offensive zone in a dominating shut-out against the Marblehead team. Hannah DiGiovanni brought her A-game and get the forward pressure on and the ball deep in the offensive zone. Rebecca Salinas had a great breakaway and goal to open up the game (her first of two for the game!). The defense did a great job of setting up plays and keeping the ball in the offensive zone. The Ladybugz used the sides and worked the ball up-field with some great passing that resulted in 6 unanswered goals. A great game for the girls with Grace Fallon, Emily Caron, and Sophie James adding goals to the mix.

Saturday, April 9, 2011 : U12 Girls, Ladybugz

The Season opener was a great battle for the Ladybugz who came out on top of the HW Diamonds. The team played very well in their opener bringing strong forward pressure and keeping the ball in the offensive zone. Fantastic passing by all of the girls including Emily Caron and Jessica Langston combined with some fancy footwork by Maddie Zerbey, a big move and breakaway shot by Sarah McGarvey, and an insane off-foot shot by Sophie James. On the defensive end, Alyvia Petrozza not only had some great moves, but showed you can be well mannered to your coach as well. An amazing running and diving save by Christina Hogan kept the game close. Other highlights included a brilliant pass by Sarah to Katie to set up the first goal and set the tone for the game. Jessica Langston was running around like she was on Red Bull and couldn’t be stopped! Alyvia had a great inbound fake that tricked them all out. First header of the season by Grace Fallon (along with some killer D). And, Christina completely faked out the goalie with a beautiful move and goal. The Ladybugz came to play and showed the Diamonds what they were made of in this strong win.

Saturday, October 23, 2010 : U12 Girls, Ladybugz

The North Andover Ladybugz U12 girls traveled to Beverly on Saturday October 25 and handled a challenging game very well, winning 0-3. The theme of the game though mild was takeovers and though the girls did execute a few takeovers in the game the credit for their success is more appropriately given to general enthusiasm, creativity, and concentrated dribbling. Almost all their passes were great and their effort and desire to try new things were extraordinary. An important quality of a keeper is her ability to direct her teammates well enough to never actually handle the ball herself. CHRISSY HOGAN and BRIANNA SLATTERY came very close to accomplishing this in this challenging game. Chrissy made a few great saves including shutting down a couple breakaways. Brianna's punts were like U14 punts on a U12 field, easily crossing the halfway line. KATIE HOGAN scored the first two goals, in the first half. Chrissy scored the third goal, in the second half. The Hogans also brought the halftime snack - all three of these things seriously ramped up that family's contribution to this game. GRACE FALLON was the first player to arrive at the Beverly field. Normally this wouldn't be mentioned but this was an away game expected challenging, players were asked to be ready to go a half-hour prior to the game, and Grace was there very early with her concentration and effort continuing right up to the end of the game. Midfielders and forwards JENNY TABOLA, MADDIE ZERBEY, JESSICA LANGSTON, KAITLIN KORNACHUK, SOPHIE JAMES, MEGAN DAWLEY, Chrissy, Katie, Grace, and Brianna saw the most action and under directive to dribble with concentration also notched up their passing under pressure. There were a few close calls in terms of shots and crosses on the Beverly goal, and more situations where players were ready for a cross which didn't quite get there. Though the three North Andover goals were scored by individuals following concentrated dribbling, credit for the goals belongs also to the entire team which did a terrific job pushing the ball forward, keeping it forward, and looking to combine in new and creative ways.

Saturday, October 16, 2010 : U12 Girls, Dynamite

The North Andover U12 Dynamite travelled to leafy and windy Merrimac for a Saturday afternoon game with the Pentucket Fisher Cats. The Dynamite submitted their best team effort of the season and the passing exhibited by all of the players was a sight to see. In the first half, SOFIA FEDELE made a crisp pass upfield that sprung HANNAH DIGIOVANNI for an excellent scoring chance. After a scoreless first half, the Dynamite really got down to business based on the strong midfield play of LAUREN GRUBER, IZZY DIADAMO and RACHEL YOST. Their hard-nosed play set up ABBIE CRONIN’S laser shot that tied the game near the final whistle. Anchoring the Dynamite defense was REBECCA SALINAS who shut down the right side of the field as well as MADDIE ROMANO who played hard on both sides. The Dynamite return home to face the Amesbury Express this coming weekend.

North Andover Columbus Day Tournament : U12 Girls

The season's first early-morning frost was evident on Sunday as the North Andover LadyBugz tournament team squared off against the North Reading Edge on the second day of the Columbus Day tourney. Both teams quickly shook off the morning chill as their offenses began to heat up. North Reading talllied first but this was followed quickly by a goal from JADE JULIUS that was set up by strong support on the right side from JESSICA LANGSTON and SOFIA FEDELE. The teams traded goals again with the LadyBugz receiving a nifty tally by DANIELLE MAGUIRE who scored off an indirect free kick. The team received very strong goaltending from CATHERINE MAGUIRE and MEGAN DAWLEY to keep the game close in the first half. North Reading took a two goal lead in the second half but the LadyBugz drew closer on a scrappy goal down low by CHRISTINA HOGAN, which was aided by SARAH MCGARVEY and ISABEL DIADAMO. The teams battled hard as they moved deeper into the half with KATHLEEN HOGAN and GRACE FALLON anchoring a strong midfield line. JENNY TABOLA, ALYVIA PETROZZA and RACHEL CAVALLARO played very hard as they forced the action upfield in a push for the equalizing tally. ANNIE MELLEN stoned every  North Reading shot on goal for the balance of the half and the LadyBugz came up just short as the final whistle blew. Every member of team played with passion and pride and they represented North Andover well in all of their tournament games.

Saturday, September 18, 2010 : U12 Girls, Ladybugz

The North Andover Ladybugz U12 girls again proved themselves a small group of incredible well-rounded players in their 0-1 victory over Gloucester. MADDIE ZERBEY played midfield and showed exceptional restraint as first defender in the defensive third. GRACE FALLON adapted amazingly fast to the keeper role in the first half of the game including great instructions to teammates to neutralize threats. KAITLYN KORNACHUK played back, rarely getting beaten and clearly looking to delay attackers when warranted in the defensive third. JENNY TABOLA was a leader as back pressing forward on offense to stay engaged and establish a back line far up the field. JESSICA LANGSTON as back seemed to always be actively neutralizing Gloucester threats. KATIE HOGAN was a contributor to probably every one of dozens of mind-blowing passes and group plays in the offensive third. SOPHIE JAMES was either involved in or the initiator of many of these mind-blowing passes, striking the ball with the outside of the foot directly to the feet of a fast-moving teammate almost as an afterthought despite heavy pressure. BRIANNA SLATTERY as keeper in the second half was easily one of the major contributors to North Andover having held the game at 0-1, after having scored the game's only goal herself as midfielder in the first half. CHRISSY HOGAN played forward and employed terrific dribbling and beating technique, and could often be found in the defensive third looking to neutralize a Gloucester threat.

Saturday, September 11, 2010 : U12 Girls, Dynamite

The North Andover U12 Dynamite kicked-off the season on the road against the Amesbury Express on September 11^th.  Jade Julius staked the Dynamite to a 2-0 lead with two quick tallies. Assisting on the goals were Rebecca Salinas and Emily Caron. Kim Pepoli added another score before Amesbury came back to cut the lead to 3-2. But then the Dynamite defense stiffened as Alyvia Petrozza and Rachel Yost led a swarming Dynamite defense. Late in the game Izzy DiAdamo brought the ball up field and passed off to Sofia Fedele who went in for the score that put the game away. Hannah DiGiovanni and Kim Pepoli shined as goaltenders. The Dynamite will host the Boxford Cosmos this coming Saturday.

Saturday, September 11, 2010 : U12 Girls, Ladybugz

The North Andover Ladybugz (U12 girls) opened their regular season with a 5-1 victory over the Lynn Tigers, conceding just one goal early in the game and playing with as much focus and effort as anyone could ask. BRIANNA SLATTERY was frequently a perfect threat to the Lynn keeper in the first half of the game, being open and unmarked in front of the opposing goal as forward, and was in turn a perfect keeper herself in the second half. GRACE FALLON can't be commended enough for effort in this game, insisting on playing despite a sore foot and contributing as a focused and determined back. KATIE HOGAN played her second straight game as a resolute and valuable back. MEGAN DAWLEY was again a fearful back and terrific moving forward to engage on offense. CHRISSY HOGAN was keeper in the first half and played there like a professional with great instructions to teammates even with the ball in the offensive third. In the second half Chrissy played forward and was just as strong in that role, at one point scoring a goal by dribbling around the keeper! KAITLIN KORNACHUK and JESSICA LANGSTON played forward the entire game, together contributing to all of North Andover’s five goals! JENNY TABOLA, SOPHIE JAMES, and MADDY ZERBEY played the entire game as midfielders and were terrific prepping fast offensive pushes as the game progressed as midfielders began toggling who comes all the way back when threatened on defense.