LYNN — There’s the family you’re born into and then there’s the family you find yourself through years of playing the game you love together on the pitch.
Tuesday’s 28th annual Agganis girls soccer all-star had plenty of connections in both directions. Teammates laced up the boots together with their adopted families one last time and there were more than a few limbs of various family trees involved as well.
Division 2 state semifinalist Masconomet had six players earn a spot on this year’s North all-star squad and they all contributed in a 4-1 victory over the South on a hot afternoon on the turf at Manning Field.
Lauren Boughner, bound for Merrimack College in the fall, had a goal and an assist and was her usual nearly unstoppable self on the ball. Frequently juggling by defenders on the wing to set up either her own shot or one for a teammate, she buried the game-winner in the 28th minute of the opening half.
Chieftain teammates Kara Lindonen, Sam Schena, Lilly Podgurski and Abby Moore all enjoyed their last high school games together; their on-field communication was spot-on as expected and they all helped the North possess and defend exceptionally well.
“It was a fun game to be part of,” said Boughner, “and it’s awesome that we all got to play together one for last game.”
Defender Caitlin McNeil from Essex Tech had a nice game on the backline for North. She got to share the sideline with her grandpa, Ed, who coached Lynn English for many years and was an assistant in Swampscott this past season. Saugus coach Chris Coviello, who was handling the North side, used to coach with McNeil as well and gave his old friend a call to help out.
“He’s been one of my coaches since I was five years old,” said Caitlin McNeil, whose mom played in the 2005 Agganis girls soccer all-star game as well. “Having him here for this game was great. It was an amazing experience getting to play with all these girls from different schools.”
South actually broke out ahead of the North when Manchester Essex star forward Pippa Spingler lofted a high shot into the top of the net just 37 seconds after the opening whistle.
The North took over in the late stages of the first half. St. Mary’s striker Cierra Johnson leveled the score at 1-1 at the 18 minute mark before Boughner broke through to make it 2-1 at the break.
It could’ve been a bigger lead if not for a near Herculean effort in net by Winchester’s Reagan Murphy. She stopped seven shots in the opening half and finished the game with 12 saves on 14 shots to earn Most Valuable Player honors for her side.
“She was incredible,” said South coach Jaymie Caponigro of Swampscott, who also played in this game in her Big Blue playing days (even though her senior year’s contest was shortened due to lightning in the area). “The way Reagan used her voice to direct the defense and encourage everyone was very impressive. At this age, you don’t always see girls with the confidence to do that.”
Austin Prep’s Sydney DeRoche scored the only two goals of the second half as the North pulled away. The first was assisted by Boughner at the 54 minute mark and the second came on a corner kick served up by, who else?, Boughner. Essex Tech’s Carrie Martinez (who had a phenomenal game at midfield) put a shot on that was saved but DeRoche found the rebound for a goal.
For North, Peabody’s Eva Joyce and Lynn’s Lauren Wilson combined for five saves. Lynnfield’s Ava Gamache played a bit of the second half in net for South and stopped two shots. Also for South, Beverly’s Emma Fitzgerald had a whale of a game on defense with a number of deflections and clears in dangerous areas. Panther teammate Mia Bilotti also played well along with Skylar Laws and Molly Godfried of Danvers.
“It’s such a great even to be a part of. Getting to know so many girls from different teams that you normally coach against is awesome,” said Caponigro, whose dad Joe coached in the Agganis baseball game just a few days prior. “I told the girls even though they may not have gotten the result they wanted, the whole experience is what they’ll always remember.”