OLIVIA SYLVESTER earned the game ball in Lynnfield’s season-opener last week as she collected 7 saves to lead the Pioneers to a 2-1 win over Newburyport. (Courtesy Photo)
Update September 15: Lynnfield High School 4, Hamilton Wenham Regional High School 0
By STEPHEN MARTELLUCCI
LYNNFIELD — Kerri Doherty is back for her second year as the head coach of the Lynnfield High field hockey team this season. Last year, the Pioneers reached the MIAA Division 4 quarterfinals before losing to host Sutton, 2-0.
With that defeat, Lynnfield finished with a record of 14-4-3.
In the Cape Ann League, they ended up in second place in the Kinney Division behind co-champions North Reading and Newburyport going 10-2-2.
Five seniors from that squad graduated including CAL First-Team All-Stars Gia Marotta and Taylor Valiton, who were both captains.
When fall practice opened on Aug. 18, Doherty welcomed back 10 veterans.
Three of them are this year’s senior tri-captains: Lily Alves (center-midfielder), Izzy Fiorentino (midfielder) and Cameron Munion (midfielder).
Alves was a CAL Second-Team All-Star last year.
Defenders, Erin Golden and Zoe O’Brien are the two other 12th-graders back.
Allison Sweeney (midfielder), Hayden Valiton (defenseman), Mia Capodilupo (forward) and Lauren Mattia (right-midfielder) are the four juniors back.
Mattia was a CAL Second-Team All-Star last fall.
Sophia Morgese is the lone 10th-grader returning and she is a forward.
Some key newcomers this year are junior Chloe Bergeron (left-back), and freshman Nola Maney (mid-back), Olivia Ellison (forward) and Addie Wolf (defenseman).
Bergeron is a transfer from St. Mary’s of Lynn.
The Pioneers scrimmaged Marblehead and Austin Prep during the pre-season winning both games 5-0.
After three regular-season games, the Pioneers’ record is 3-0 as they blanked guest Essex Tech, 4-0, on Monday afternoon.
Capodilupo scored the game’s first two goals both assisted by Morgese. Maney had the third goal (her first career one) while Mattia had the final one as LHS scored three times in the second half.
The Pioneers’ new goalie, junior Olivia Sylvester, made five saves to go to 3-0.
On Sept. 5, the Pioneers blanked Triton at home 7-0.
Leading 2-0 at the break, the Pioneers erupted for four goals in the third quarter. Mattia and Capodilupo both scored twice.
Fiorentino, Grace Allen and Ellison had the three other goals. For Allen and Ellison, it was their first varsity goals.
Alves had two assists while Mattia, Maney, Munion and Morgese all had one helper.
Sylvester made four saves to post her first varsity shutout.
In the season opener on Sept. 3, the Pioneers edged guest Newburyport, 2-1, also at home.
Fiorentino scored the game-winning goal with 1:35 left in the game assisted by Morgese.
The Clippers scored first with 6:11 remaining in the first quarter. Lynnfield tied it up on a goal by Morgese with 5:26 remaining in the second.
Sylvester made seven stops in goal.
“That was a great win for us,” said Doherty. “We set goals for ourselves when the season started and were able to get the job done against one of the teams that won the division.”
Doherty feels that Newburyport and North Reading will be the teams to beat in the CAL Kinney Division again this fall.
“We have a strong backfield and have a lot of depth,” said Doherty, whose team has been moved to Division 3 by the MIAA this year after being in Division 4.
The next game for the Pioneers will be on Sept. 15 as they visit Hamilton-Wenham. That game will be at 6 p.m.