The Danvers Varsity Girls Soccer Team traveled to North Andover Monday afternoon for their annual non-league match.  Danvers came into the game having tied 2 and lost 1 in their last 3 games against powerhouse Teams.  North Andover came into the game with a 3-7-1 record and struggling with a young Team.  Danvers knew it needed to right the ship in this game and get back in the win column.  The Falcons looked strong early on and maintained possession while getting several good looks on the Scarlet Knight's net.  However, with missed offensive opportunities usually comes something negative to follow and once again, Danvers found itself in the hole.  In the 12th minute, a N. Andover player's shot from the left side of the box found the side netting behind keeper Maddie Dembowski for the early 1-0 lead.

 

"This is 4 straight games where the other Team has scored first on us.  We were playing great, but lost our defensive focus for a split second.  That's all it takes sometimes.  We had a minute lapse and during that time North Andover could have had 2 on us.  Thankfully, we turned it around quickly."

 

One thing the Falcons have learned recently is that they can come back from a deficit and this game was no different.  While peppering the North Andover goal with 16 shots in the half, it was a mater of time for one of them to find the back of the net.  In the 25th minute, freshman defender, Ali Doucette sent a through ball between defenders to senior captain, Georgia Prouty.  Prouty made sure to finish her chance equalizing the game at 1.  Only 4 minutes later, Danvers got the eventual game winner.  Doucette hit a clearing ball out of the defensive end that her junior sister, Lila, beautifully flicked on with the outside of her foot.  The flicked on pass found sophomore Emma Sutherland's feet.  The skillful sophomore took a dribble to her right and hit a low, hard shot that beat the Home Team's keeper for the 2-1 lead.

 

"That was a gorgeous flick on by Lila and Emma's shot was perfectly placed.  That was a pretty goal and it gave us tons of momentum heading into halftime."

 

The second half was all Danvers as Dembowski didn't have to make a single save.  The defensive center of Ali Doucette and Addi McCarty were rock solid and cleared any chances that came their way.  All 4 outside backs locked down their sides of the field.  Juniors, Lila Flynn and Sabina Sturgeon and freshmen, Cassidy Randall and Maddie Hanas were aggressive at winning balls and preventing N. Andover from getting into the Danvers end of the field.  Senior, Brooke Wynott and juniors, Ashley Freitas and Lila Doucette did well to maintain the midfield and feed the attack.  Wings, DeAnna Figueiredo and Gianna Sutherland both had strong days at their spots on the field with timely runs and creative passes.  

 

10 minutes into the 2nd half, Prouty got her second of the game.  Freitas picked the pocket of a N. Andover midfielder and played a direct ball to Prouty up the left side of the field.  The quick senior beat her defender and ripped a shot from the left side that screamed low into the net for a highlight level goal.

 

"You won't see many high school players that can hit that kind of shot from that angle and pace.  That was a fantastic goal."

 

Danvers continued to get positive efforts all over the field throughout the game.  Kaia Glover, Liv Page and Claudia Drakos all added to the attack when on the pitch.  The defense continued to limit any dangerous chances.  

 

Finally, in the 34th minute of play in the second half, Danvers got their 4th.  Lila Flynn took a throw in deep in the North Andover end and found classmate Lila Doucette.  Doucette brought the ball down, turned and unleashed a cannon just inside the near post for the final goal of the game.  The 4-1 win gave Danvers their first victory in over a week and improved their record to 10-2-3.

 

"After they scored on us early, we settled in and played very well.  We got strong play from everyone and this was a huge win for us going forward.  Georgia, Lila and Emma all had strong games for us in the attack and Maddie Hanas and Adi Doucette really stepped up defensively.  Hopefully we can use this win and build some momentum going into our final 3 games of the regular season."