THE NRHS boys’ soccer seniors were honored before their 3-0 win over Rockport on Oct. 21. Pictured from left to right is Landon Phillips, Quinn Riesenberg, Kiernan Schulz, Zac Heintz, Sebastian Gonzales, Dean Rooney, Alex Carpenter, Jake Mikulski, Ryan Tyrrell and Cody Cannalonga. (Nancy Carpenter Photo)
By DAN NUNN
NORTH READING — The Hornets thoroughly dominated the Lynnfield Pioneers in possession and scoring chances but couldn’t push one over the line and had to settle for an unsatisfactory draw on October 19.
Junior Josh Stanieich and senior Kiernan Schulz both had great chances in the first half, but their shots were right at the goalkeeper.
In the second half, Stanieich kept up his strong play with two great chances with his head that went just wide and another that the keeper made a tremendous save on.
Shut out Rockport
The Hornets celebrated Senior Night with a solid 3-0 victory over the Rockport Vikings on Oct. 21. Josh Stanieich potted two goals while Kiernan Schulz added another tally. Sophomore Kieran Gorgenyi and senior Sebastian Gonzales teamed up for the shutout.
“It was a phenomenal senior night from the standpoint of being able to get all the seniors plenty of playing time and being able to play in front of such a great crowd,” head coach Mark Bisognano enthusiastically said. “The atmosphere was fantastic.”
Before kickoff, the seniors – Sebastian Gonzales, Quinn Riesenberg, Zac Heintz, Jake Mikulski, Dean Rooney, Ryan Tyrrell, Alex Carpenter, Landon Phillips, Kiernan Schulz and Cody Cannalonga and their families were honored in a pregame ceremony.
Once the game got underway, it was clear that the Hornets were the superior team as they buzzed around the Viking goal. Twenty minutes into the half, Stanieich broke the scoreless tie when he redirected a pass from Liam Rodger.
Less than five minutes later, Stanieich scored again on a free kick from 30 yards out.
The third goal of the first half came from Schulz on a free kick that he placed nicely into the top left corner of the goal.
The three first half goals were all the Hornets needed as they cruised in the second half.
North Reading traveled to Martha’s Vineyard on Saturday where they tied the Vineyarders 0-0. The Hornets handed first-place Newburyport their first loss of the season 1-0 on Monday. Full stories will appear next week.
North Reading concluded their regular season yesterday at home against Pentucket after press time. The tournament-bound Hornets are currently ranked 23rd in the latest Div. 3 power rankings, a number that is sure to improve with a win over the No. 6 Clippers.
