LYNN — The Lynn Tech Tigers came out playing with something to prove Monday night at Manning Field where they dominated ball control and routed KIPP Academy by a score of 6-0.
The Tigers jumped out to a commanding 3-0 roughly halfway through the first half. Sophomore Yudith Gomez scored off of a Tech corner kick and Senior captain Helen Pojoy used her strong dribbling to get by defenders and get the ball across the goal line to put Tech up by multiple scores early.
It was tough sledding for KIPP as they struggled to move the ball for most of the game, but especially so in the first half. Tech’s defense was able to pinch and collapse on KIPP when they had possession. They were able to get into the panther’s passing lanes and either steal the ball outright, or block the attempted pass. Junior goalkeeper Cindy DeLeon had a shutout in net thanks to help from her smothering defense.
Both the offense and defense were firing on all cylinders, to which Pojoy credits the win to the mindset that her team came in with.
“It all comes with mindset, if you’re strong in your head, you’re strong on the field,” said Pojoy.
That statement could not have been more true for Pojoy as she scored half of her team’s goals, earning a hat trick on the night. She scored two goals in the first half with the second credited to Pojoy and her teammates not giving up on the play.
KIPP tried to clear the ball out of their own zone, right at the top of the penalty box, but Pojoy kept the ball in their zone thanks to her defensive efforts, and was able to find room to send a kick into the middle left side of the net to put her team up 4-0 with about four minutes remaining in the first.
She would save the best for last however with a laser from nearly 20 yards out. The ball found its way to Pojoy, as it so often did Monday night, and she found herself with a ton of separation that allowed the senior to have a clear shot at goal from just inside the 20. Standing on the right sideline, Pojoy rocketed a shot that started a few feet above the net but had the speed, rotation, and trajectory to curve over the goaltender and find the top left net.
Pojoy impressed all night long with her passing accuracy, her ability to dance around and through defenders with the ball, and of course her shot making as well. But perhaps her biggest asset is her ability to lead the team as Head Coach Justin Barrasso notes.
“Our heart and soul is our captain, Helen. She hasn’t let this team quit, she won’t let this team quit and she pushes them forward,” Barrasso said. “Today’s one of those days where it shows that hard work pays off.”
Earlier in the half before Pojoy’s goal, forward Kalli Landaverde tapped in Tech’s fifth goal of the night, again thanks to the Tigers’ determination to not give up on the play. Pojoy got into the penalty box and tried to maneuver around a number of KIPP defenders and tried to get a shot off, but it was deflected. Pojoy was successful in drawing the goaltender out of position however, allowing the ball to skip to the other side of the net where Landaverde was able to clean it up and put Tech up 5-0 just minutes into the second half.
The hard work certainly paid dividends for Tech Monday night. The win gets the Tigers back to within one game of .500 as they try to claw their way to the state tournament. After the game, Barrasso told his team that a win on Tuesday against Nashoba Valley Tech is an opportunity to turn their season around.
“We are putting everything into our goal of making the state tournament and it’s not going to be easy, but were gonna keep working til we do it,” he said.
Tech plays Nashoba Valley at 4 p.m on Tuesday and Minuteman Regional on Friday. Both games are significant not only because they are must wins, but also because the Tigers lost to both teams 2-0 earlier in the year and they will certainly be looking for revenge and a pair of wins that will hopefully carry them to the state tournament.
Ryan Vermette can be reached at [email protected]