The boys soccer match between Gloucester and Marblehead (4-7-3) ended with a 3-1 win for the visiting Fishermen on Tuesday. As for the bragging rights involved, you don’t know the half of it.
Marblehead coach Elmer Magaña and Gloucester coach Armando Marnoto married into the same family years ago, and now, as coaches of rival sides, it’s a game Magaña looks forward to every year.
“It’s all in the family,” said a chuckling Magaña. “He’s a great coach. I have a lot of respect for him… it’s always quite fun.”
Unfortunately for his side, it couldn’t reel in the opposition at Christopher N. Piper Field. But, with the holidays right around the corner, it added a new element to dinner table conversations.
“It’s bragging rights for Thanksgiving and Christmas, you know?” Magaña said. “Last year, I was able to beat him, and this time, he beat me. So, it looks like we have exchanged punches.”
That said, it wasn’t all love between the players, as the 90 minutes were filled with physicality between very familiar foes.
It was a quiet first 30 minutes as the rain fell in Marblehead, but the Magicians dominated the midfield and used their speed up top to create chances, largely in part to James Achterhof and Stefan Shepard.
Their relentless pressure would soon pay off, as Ilan Druker’s rebound finish gave the Magicians a 1-0 advantage with less than 10 minutes remaining in the half. The assist went to Marc Grazado, whose long shot was saved by Gloucester’s keeper, but gave a golden opportunity for Druker to snatch the lead late in the half.
“I was pretty pleased with how we were able to attack the sidelines, and we were able to send the ball into the penalty box,” Magaña said.
But even as Marblehead struck first blood, the game flipped on its head after a controversial penalty kick allowed Gloucester to knot things up, 1-1, just minutes before halftime.
Marblehead goalkeeper and captain Rory Zampese – who registered five impressive saves in the first half – punched a long free kick away from his goal. The called penalty sent the Marblehead side into outrage.
Magaña called the penalty call a “morality killer” as he felt his team’s excitement washed away going into the break.
“We were pressing and pushing, creating shots, and then, you know, out of the blue, here comes this [penalty kick]. I wish it hadn’t happened,” he said.
After Gloucester tucked it home, teams went into the locker room tied, but that momentum carried the Fishermen to victory. Two goals in the final 20 minutes were enough for Gloucester to take the 3-1 victory in the end.
Although the penalty kick at the end of the first half was less than ideal for Marblehead, Magaña knew it was the multitude of missed chances that led to his team’s defeat.
“I was happy with the quality of the shots. We just have to make sure they find the net,” Magaña said. “We just have to make sure we have more men in the penalty box to make contact because we missed a few chances.”
Marblehead will travel to play Peabody for a league match at 6:30 p.m. Thursday.