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Newburyport Clippers Girls Soccer '07

Fri, Nov 02, 2007 02:30 PM @ Newburyport
Team 1st 2nd Final
Bedford 0 0 0
Newburyport 2 0 2

Clippers begin run for repeat title

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A Newburyport player and a Bedford opponent go up for a header at Cherry Hill Park. Newburyport won the game, 2-0. » Jim Vaiknoras, Staff PhotographerMore photos

Friday, November, 02 By Dan Guttenplan
Sports editor

The Newburyport girls soccer team made its first step toward repeating as Division 3 North champions yesterday. The second-seeded Clippers beat No. 15 Bedford, 2-0, in the opening round of the Division 3 North at Cherry Hill Park. The victory gives the Clippers the first of four wins they'll need to reclaim the North crown.

It's been 12 months and 18 regular-season games since Newburyport lost to Norwell in the EMass. title game last fall. But with much of last year's roster returning this fall, the 15-1-2 record the Clippers compiled seemed to serve as nothing more than a tune-up for the tournament. "We definitely have more pressure on us this time around," said Clippers striker and Cape Ann League Player of the Year Jillian Kinter. "But we know how we can play. And we expect a state championship."

Kinter tallied a goal and an assist yesterday, the former coming in the 22th minute on a centering pass from Veronica Porier. She added the assist 17 minutes later when Taylor Bresnahan deposited a rebound from less than 10 yards.

"We've been focused all season," Bresnahan said. "But now that it's tournament time, so we're extra pumped up."

The two-goal margin of victory was actually a surprise to Clippers coach Robb Gonnam, who felt his team was capable of scoring as many as 10 goals against Bedford.

"I consider ourselves fortunate because we didn't play our best game," Gonnam said. "We never have a problem physically, but sometimes we're not quite focused enough. We could get away with that a lot during the season. But in the tournament, if you have a game like that, the season's usually over."

Newburyport will oppose a familiar foe in St. Mary's in the quarterfinals (date and time to be determined). The Spartans from Lynn fell to Newburyport in sudden-death overtime in last year's Division 3 North final. Gonnam believes No. 7 St. Mary's will have revenge on its minds when the teams meet either tomorrow or Monday.

"There will certainly be a vengeance factor," Gonnam said. "Whatever nerves we had," Kinter said, "we got rid of them in the first game."

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