MASCO’S EARLY SCORES SET THE TONE IN NEC WIN OVER BEVERLY

In a battle of two Northeast Conference standouts, Masco shocked the Beverly Panthers, winning easily, 3-0, on Wednesday afternoon.

After losing a close match earlier in the season, 4-2, to Beverly, the Chieftains came hungry in this one. Beverly senior Daniel Silva scored all four goals in the first game but was held scoreless on Wednesday, along with the rest of the Panthers.

“I think we were better prepared for one of their star players there, Daniel Silva, who still played a really good game. He’s a good player,” said head coach Jared Scarpaci. “I think we were just a little bit more prepared for them and for him in particular, and some of the guys in the center midfield were pretty impactful.”

The momentum quickly swung in Masco’s favor as senior forward Timmy Lull hit a tap-in past the keeper from a through-ball by senior forward Enzo Nteta, only two minutes into the game. Five minutes later, Lull followed that up by blocking Beverly’s attempt to clear the ball, launching it into the net. Nteta then saw his powerful penalty kick strike the back of the net very early in the second half, boosting Masco’s lead to 3-0. 

“As a team, we really benefited from scoring two goals early on because we were able to get momentum, build our confidence, and keep that same energy throughout the rest of the game,” said Lull. “This win motivates us as a team to stay disciplined because we can see that our hard work is paying off, and we plan to continue to do that for the rest of the season.”

With a 2-0 lead in the first seven and a half minutes, there was absolutely no looking back for the Chieftains.

“Timmy Lull scoring those two early goals was huge. That changes any game when you score two goals in the first 10 minutes. It really puts the other team in a big hole, and it was a great advantage for us. I couldn’t ask for a better start,” said Scarpaci. “The only problem with that is there’s a lot of game left—there’s 70 minutes left—and managing the emotions in that, managing the game, is difficult. You could see that the last 20 minutes in the first half, the tide shifted a little bit toward Beverly, so we had to weather that storm, but I think the guys did great.”

Masco’s defense was on lockdown all game, anchored by senior defenseman captain John Green and senior defenders Nate Mroczek and Max Cabrera. For almost the entirety of the second half, Beverly was barely getting any good looks on net.

Goalkeeper Gabe Russo pitched his second shutout of the week and was fantastic in his decision-making on when to come out of the net and when to stay back.

“This was the best game I’ve seen Gabe [Russo] play,” said Scarpaci.

Russo and the defense haven’t let up much offense to teams all season.

“Keeping them scoreless is a mentality thing,” said senior goalie Gabe Russo. “If you go into the game thinking they will score, then you’re going to let up a goal. It’s very important to stay focused, run the course, and believe in ourselves. We had faith in our abilities and stuck to the high level of play we’ve learned through our training.”

Despite losing 4-2 in their first battle, Scarpaci believed his Chieftains gave a valiant effort, and the boys would be ready to go this time around.

“This could be controversial, but I actually think we played a better game in our first game against Beverly,” said Scarpaci. “I think we played better soccer and moved the ball well, but we just didn’t win. It was actually a closer game than the score indicated in that first game. So this game was going to be close either way. I think the guys were really up for it and believed they could win.”

Still sitting one game behind in the NEC, the Chieftains will more than likely have to win out to bring home an NEC title. They face a tough out-of-league opponent in Bishop Fenwick for senior night at the Masco field, with a 4 o’clock starting whistle.