Although it was only the first game of the season, Saugus girls soccer coach Aly Drake saw moments of brilliance on Tuesday against Marymount of Los Angeles, despite a 2-1 loss.
One of those moments was a goal from Shaina Berdin.
The visiting Sailors scored less than 10 minutes into the first half, but the Centurions got a goal of their own immediately after.
Breeanna San Lucas received a pass from midfield, then sent a cross to Shaina Berdin who knocked it in for Saugus’ only goal of the evening.
“It felt really good to get back on (the field) with my team and playing together again after like, a really long break … and finally coming together,” Berdin, a sophomore, said.
Although Marymount (1-0 overall) scored its go-ahead goal shortly after, Saugus kept the energy flowing. The Cents remained mostly in the attacking third for the remainder of the first half as the defense clamped down on the Sailors.
“In the first half, we were a little hectic but there was a lot of energy and you could tell that they really wanted it, so that’s a great thing to start out with,” said Drake.
While the Cents (0-1) kept up the upbeat pace for the second half, they were unable to generate any goals.
Kathleen Volpei fired a hard, fast shot in stoppage time, but the ball went wide right of the net, deflating Saugus’ final chance of a comeback.
“I think the hardest part was that we weren’t really used to playing their formation,” Berdin said of Marymount’s defense. “But after a couple minutes we got used to it and we started playing together and started passing around them.”
Drake, who is in her third year coaching at Saugus, is starting to see growth and is experiencing ownership with the Centurions.
“I’m starting to get some girls that are used to me and I’m used to them … they’ve become great leaders and they know what kind of program I want to run and they are emulating it,” said Drake.
“There’s times where I don’t even need to say a word and they’re already doing what I want them to do.”
Saugus plays its next game on Thursday at Oak Park at 6:45 p.m.
