LYNN — The Lynn English boys soccer team got off to a solid start Tuesday morning, but in the end the Bulldogs made a few too many mistakes and ended up settling for a 2-2 draw against Greater Boston League foe Malden at Manning Field.
“We had some chances and we played well against a very good Malden team, but we still made plenty of mistakes out there as well,” said English coach Kerry King. “We’re a little banged up early on and still getting used to being out there after such a long layoff, but I saw some good things out there.”
Senior captain Ryan Lima and junior Jalen Coriolan each scored one goal in the tie for the English.
It’s been a rapid-fire start to the season for the Bulldogs, who only were allowed to start practicing last Monday and have already played two games. It helps to have a senior-heavy group, as English has 12 seniors on the roster this season, but getting used to game action and shifting positions around keeps things challenging.
“Having so many seniors certainly helps, but there’s not much you can do about the fact that we’re missing some guys from last year and we have had to move guys around,” said King. “We have a number of guys who are playing in positions for the first time, so that’s going to lead to some growing pains.”
The Bulldogs were struck with some adversity early on, as senior captain Robyn Barrios went down with an injury just six minutes into the game. His absence forced English to switch things up in terms of positioning, which in turn caused the Bulldogs to get off to a fairly slow start.
“The guys were forced into positions that they weren’t used to right away, and we had to shift our game plan as well,” said King. “It definitely led to us getting off to a slow start, but I though the guys recovered well.”
But still, it was the Bulldogs who struck first as Coriolan found the back of the net about 15 minutes into the game to make it 1-0.
Unfortunately, Malden came right back and responded with two unanswered goals to take the lead and all the momentum. English had to fight back and score late, getting a goal from Lima in the final minutes of the half to make it a 2-2 game.
English had a few opportunities to score in the second half as well, but the Bulldogs just couldn’t cash in and were forced to settle for the draw.
English (1-0-1) now has several days off before taking on Revere Saturday (TBD).
“We have to prepare for a very good Revere team now, and we’re in the heart of a tough GBL schedule,” said King. “The thing about moving to this new league is that we’ve got a great challenge on our hands every single night, so we’re going to have to work hard in practice over the next few days if we want to compete this weekend and beyond.”