Beverly girls soccer thrives under new coach - Boston Herald

When a new coach takes over, the team is supposed to undergo a transition period, which includes a slow start as it adjusts to having a different leader at the helm.

Beverly didn’t follow that logic.

The Panthers have thrived from the outset under first-year coach Samantha Charest, getting off to a scorching 11-1 start behind a dynamic offensive attack and an equally impressive stout defense.

“The girls work ethic is really what made it seem so seamless,” Charest said. “We definitely had our fair share of growing pains, but we try to work those out in practice. The girls, since the first day I met them in March, have had this attitude that they’re willing to do whatever it takes to be successful.”

Beverly couldn’t coast into the season with the first week offering a hellacious slate of contests against Wilmington and the Northeastern Conference iron of Swampscott, Danvers and Peabody.

Beverly came away unscathed, though, earning marquee wins, including a 2-1 decision over perennial power Danvers. Against the Falcons, keeper Sydney Anderson starred by making 16 saves.

“To come out and make such a big statement in those first four games was everything because we’ve been riding that confidence ever since,” Charest said.

That confidence only grows due to the stellar play Beverly receives all over the field. Cassie Jones leads the Panthers in scoring and the striker notched a five-goal performance in an 8-0 win over Lynn English Monday. Cierra Merritt is a formidable running mate alongside Jones, while Sam Carnevale solidifies the attack and Lia Whitehair provides a strong presence in the midfield.

Beverly has scored five or more goals on six separate occasions, and its defense has held up its end of the bargain. Anchored by Anderson in net along with Sophia Hemsey and Nora Devitt on the back line, the opposition has struggled immensely to crack Beverly’s defense.

“Our girls are just so close-knit and so competitive that we want to win every game,” Jones said. “We’re kind of out for blood every single game.”

But Beverly hasn’t replicated its regular-season success in the state tournament. The Panthers have lost their opening game of the postseason each of the last five years, and that’s a trend Charest hopes to end in her inaugural season.

“That’s something that we have not been shying away from,” Charest said. “We definitely have a conscious effort in our mind that we want to make it past that first round.”

Hungry Hawks

Milford is in a much different position now than it was in when coach Brian Edwards took over in 2016.

In Edwards’ first season, the Scarlet Hawks finished 4-10-4 and fourth in the Hockomock League Davenport. Fast forward three years later and Milford is on the verge of clinching a second straight divisional crown, but still remains hungry.

“We’re playing pretty good, but we’re not really happy,” Edwards said. “I know it sounds really silly, but we’re not really happy. We’re really critical of ourselves.”

Milford has navigated a difficult Hockomock League to post a 10-0-1 mark and earned its most impressive win on Oct. 4 by defeating Kelley-Rex leading Oliver Ames, 3-2, on a late tally from Joao Pedro Da Silva.

Milford now possesses a more balanced attack after relying heavily last season on Walisson de Oliveira, who ended his career tied for the most points in program history. Da Silva, Lucas Da Silva and Leo Coelho are all key contributors, and Milford still boasts the top scorer in the league in Pedro Araujo.

“We became really predictable down the stretch and we struggled against teams that played a certain way,” said Edwards of last year’s offense. “We made the conscious decision to really focus on how we play and play a certain brand of soccer.”

Goalie’s goal

Bishop Stang started the scoring in the unlikeliest of ways against Middleboro Tuesday.

From his own end, goalie Declan Markey sent a booming punt down field that carried in the wind, it took a high carom just inside Middleboro’s 18-yard box catching the keeper by surprise and landed in the back of the net for Markey’s first career goal.

“That’s one way to do it,” Markey said. “I noticed it was really windy and I knew I could get it in the area, but you never expect the ball to go in on a punt.”