INFERNO

On January 12th, the Inferno began the playoffs with by far their best effort to date. After having beat the Danvers Force on 2 occasions this year, the 3rd time was once again a charm as they prevailed 2-1, to advance to the 2nd round of the playoffs. The inferno wasted little time getting on the board as Megan R slammed home a 15 footer from the right side after taking a pass from Kaelyn A who was in constant motion the entire game. Only 15 seconds later, 20:34, the Force tied the game on a hard 15 foot shot from the left side as the defense did not get back. For the next 8 minutes the actiion was mostly in the Danvers end but to no avail. There were many standouts for the Inferno as every girl stepped up big time. The #1 star was Samanth M who was stellar in goal making the play of the day as she reached out while on the ground to deflect a would be goal. Lauren U played perhaps her best all around game to date displaying many hard kicks upfield and great passing. Megan McC and Megan R played as if it was their last game, hustling after every single ball and pressing on defense. Lucie P was staunch on defense and had many outstanding shots on goal. Finally with 12:30 remaining in the contest, Carolyn T to the delight of the strong Marblehead contingent hit home a shot from 15 feet on a breakaway. That score proved to be the eventual game winner as the Inferno held on to a 2-1 victory to advance to the 2nd round with a date with the #1 seeded Danvers team.

There was great jubilation on the field as the girls embraced in a mass celebration to culminate a great victory on a job well done.

The 2nd round for the Inferno started out on a high note, as they grabbed a 1-0 lead as Sarah C worked her way in goal to give them the lead at 14:49. Only 17 seconds later, Danvers tied up the contest as a shot bounced in after the initial save. For the next nine minutes the Inferno battled their hearts out, but at the 5:55 mark, Danvers gained the advantage 2-1 as the ball found its way into the goal. The game and momentum seemed to slip away as Danvers scored at 3:50 off a rebound, at 1:35 from the right side and finally with 39 seconds remaining on a hard 20 foot blast. Amanda G was a standout in the contest with hard nose defense and good kicks. With a final of 5-1, the Inferno might have lost but they left the field with their heads up high.

Throughout the entire season, the girls who represented the Inferno did themselves as well as Marblehead proud. Competing with this squad first session was: Kaelyn A, Sarah C, Amanda G, Sarah H, Megan McC, Samantha M, Lucie P, Ellie R, Megan Rn, Alexa S, Carolyn T, Sarah T, and Lauren U. Coaches Jill Ae, Kevin C and Drew T were the guiding force behind these fine girls.

On Saturday, November 10th, the U-10 Inferno opened the indoor season with a hard fought 2-1 victory over the Danvers Force. The 1st half featured S. Murray in goal who was stellar as she turned away all but one shot. The scoring opened with S.Tripodi knocking home a 10 foot shot from the left side at the 19:51 mark off a fine pass by E. Ronan. Spearheading the defense for the Inferno were L. Unterborn and L. Poulin who kept the majority of the action in the Forces end of the field. M. McCarthy and L. Poulin exhibited outstanding ball handling and passing which set the tone for the entire team throughout the game. Danvers tied the game at 12:51 connecting from 15 feet from the right side off a rebound. Just a few minutes later at 10:45, L. Unterborn struck home a 15 foot goal kick from the right side to make it 2-1. The kick was set up after A. Shapiro was tripped up working the ball in front of the goal.

L. Unterborn was rock solid in goal for the Inferno in the 2nd half as she held the Force scoreless - continuously diving in front of the ball and exhibiting fine long kicks down field. The forward line of K. Attridge, S. Cullen, and M. McCarthy had several chances but could not cash in. S. Murray was especially strong on defense throughout the half continuously stripping the ball and bringing it up field. K. Attridge in her first U-10 indoor game deserves special mention for her all around hustle on both offense and defense throughout the game. The final score of 2-1 indicates a tight well played game as the Inferno seemed to be in mid-season form as they played together as a true team. The Inferno face their cross town rival, Swampscott, next week on November 17th.

Nov 17 th....U-10 INFERNO vs. Swampscott L 2-8

It was a tale of two halves, as the Inferno saw their record drop to 1-1 as they lost to a fine, well coached Swampscott Blue Lightening Team 8-2 on November 17th. Swampscott scored early and often as they cruised to a 6-0 lead. The scoring began at the 23:57 mark with a 15 foot shot from the right side, 22:55 on a 5 foot shot from the left side off a nice pass, 17:17 20 footer on a tough right angle, 16:05 from 10 feet off a rebound straight in, 14:14 from a 8 foot straight in off a pass and finally with 2:07 remaining from the left side off a sizzling pass. The team work and passing, simply were not evident from the Inferno in the first half as they had exhibited last week. One lone stand out on defense was Samantha M. who personally took issue and broke up many a pass and sent tremendously hard balls up field. Samantha's play was truly dominant.

In opening the second half, Lauren U. was in goal for the Inferno as she continuously rebuffed several hard shots by the Blue Lightning. The scoring opened with Swampscott kicking home a 20 foot shot that was well over the keeper's head at the 14:45 mark. The Inferno exhibited much better passing and teamwork throughout this half and somewhat contained the Blue Lightning. Finally at the 10:34 mark, Amanda G. cashed in from 15 feet out on the right side off a gorgeous pass from Samantha M. to make it 7-1. Again at the 6:15 mark, Megan McC. scored from 10 feet out on the left side off an outstanding feed from Amanda G. to make it 7-2. The scoring ended at the 4:15 mark, as the Blue Lightning scored to make the final 8-2. Unlike the first half, which continuously was in the Swampscott end the second half featured more control by the Inferno. Lucie P. displayed great ball handling and field awareness in trying to muster up some offense. Megan McC. also exhibited another strong game in her general hustle and determination. It was a great tribute to the Inferno players' as they showed great determination despite facing such a large deficit at half time. The Inferno will hope to ride the momentum from the 2nd half as they look to up their record to 2-1 as they face Danvers next Saturday.

On November 24th, Inferno vs. Danvers L 9-2

On November 24th, the Inferno's record fell 1-2 as they weredefeated by Danvers 9-2. For one half, the game was fairly competitive but in the second half Danvers dominated outscoring the Inferno by a 6-1 margin. With Lucie P. in goal, the game was close as Lucie made several good stops an exhibited nice movement in goal. At the 14:26 mark, a hard 15 foot shot put Danvers up 1-0. Again at 11:50, Danvers scored from 10 feet out as the goalkeeper was forced too far out. With 1:29 remaining, Danvers scored on a long breakaway to go up 3-0. Finally, with only 10 seconds remaining in the half, Jade L. scored from 5 feet on the right side of the goal off a nice pass from Alexa S. who was working the ball in front of the net. Jade's goal ended the half 3-1. Lauren U. and Kaelyn A. had many fine passes and worked the ball up field but to no avail.

In the 2nd half, Danvers stared right away at the 23:07 mark connecting off a rebound to make it 4-1. With 19:05, the Inferno finally got on the board as Sarah C. scored from 10 feet out on a highlight real pass off the right wing from Carolyn T. With the score now 4-2 in favor of Danvers, the momentum was to change and favor of the visitors. At 16:38, a 15 foot shot with the goalie out of position, 14:25 a 20 foot straight in with a hard kick, 7:22 5 foot straight in from a pass from the corner, 4:51 five foot from the left side and with only 41 seconds left a 10 footer in front of the goal to finish the scoring. The Inferno should be at full strength on December 1st as the look to even their record 2-2 vs Ipswich.

Dec. 1st... U-10 INFERNO vs. Ipswich... L 7-4

Although the Inferno fell to the Ipswich Clamors 8-4 on December 1st , the spirited comeback in the second half was very encouraging. The first half was played strong by Ipswich as they scored two goals within the first five minutes of the half.. Down 2-0, Inferno’s Sarah C assisted an outstanding pass to Kaelyn A who took the shot and scored Marblehead’s first goal, putting Inferno on the board, 2-1. Despite strong plays from Lucie P in defense and Caroline T and Ellie R in offense, Ipswich kept the ball in Marblehead’s end, scoring four more before the half was over, leaving the score 6-1.

Inferno came out determined to play strong in the second half of the game. With Alexa S making her debut in the goal to start the second half, the tide was about to turn in favor of the Infernos. Alexa made the all the stops and displayed outstanding passing upfield getting the ball to the forwards to start the offense. The key to the Inferno's offense was bringing the ball up-field faster. Lauren U, Kaelyn A and Sarah H displayed tremendous enthusiasm and hustle as Inferno’s defense as they broke up passes and sent the ball downfield to their offensive line of Megan McC, Megan R and Sarah T. Every single player seemed to be on the same page and everything clicked. Lucie P cashed in on a goal to score for Inferno again, making the game 6-2. The crowd cheered as Marblehead seemed to be making a come back. Samantha M drilled a 20 footer home unassisted to make it 6-3. Amanda G and Meg McC had several nice moves and some great shots on goal but Ipswich’s goalie was strong, stopping all balls. Samantha M cashed in on her second goal of the game off an assist from Lucie P from 10 feet out to finish the Inferno scoring 6-4. With only two minutes left in the game, Ipswich was able to finish scoring two more, making the final 8-4.

The Inferno showed great heart and determination throughout the game and should be commended. With a bye on December 8th, the Marblehead Inferno look to get back in the win column on December 15th vs. Lynnfield.
Jan 5th...
On January 5th the Inferno finished the first half losing to a tough Swampscott team 5-2, dropping their record to 2-6. The loss assured the Inferno of finishing in 6th place. The 1st half was a defensive struggle as both teams played very aggressively. Amanda G was in goal for the Inferno and made many fine saves. Swampscott scored a t the 20:23 mark on a tough 10 foot shot from the right side and again at 19:20 on a 15 footer from the left side. The Inferno had many chances but to no avail and trailed 2-0.

The 2nd half started with a Swampscott goal at 22:15 off a 15 foot laser shot and again at 22:20 on a high 25 foot shot over the keepers head to make the deficit 4-0. Finally at the 16:58 mark, Sarah H cashed in off a nice feed from Megan McC for her first goal to make the score 4-1. At 10:29, Swampscott scored from 10 feet out on the right side as the defense was out of position for their 5th and final goal. With just 7:25 remaining in the contest, Megan R struck a hard 20 foot straight in shot to close the scoring to a 5-2 final. Throughout the game Megan exhibited many fine moves.

The Inferno faced the #7 seeded Danvers Force on January 12th and have a dated with the #1 seed should they prevail.