After locking up the second seed in the Division three North Quarter Final tournament last fall, the Pentucket boys’ soccer team fell 1-0 in penalty kicks to Melrose. However, this season the Pentucket boys’ soccer squad returns with high hopes and confidence into the new season. The Sachems posted a 12-3-3 record last fall, and are now 4-2-1 this season; the lone tie coming from a defensive duel with Newburyport ending in a 1-1 final. The two losses come from the Cape-Ann League Kinney Division rival’s Masconomet and Lynnfield, dropping both games by two goals.

Besides the two recent losses, so far the Sachems have won against Triton, Manchester-Essex, Georgetown, and Ipswich. To add to the team’s success, the Sachems have outscored their opponents 21-7, displaying pure dominance on the pitch so far this fall. “We’re in a better spot than I thought we were going to be,” said head coach Christian Langlois, who has entered his 19th year as head coach, “A lot of that comes from leadership, from our captains, and [from] other seniors. There’s good chemistry among these guys, along with a great mix of age.”

This year’s captains for the team are Ryan Gallagher (who scored 8 goals last season), Jack “Huncho” Queenan, Patrick “Mega Pat Dawg” Dillon, and Jake Messier. “We’re excited for what we think is going to be another great year for us,” said senior defenseman and captain Dillon, “We have a great core and some good experience, so we are definitely looking for big things.” Alongside the four senior captains, seniors Cameron Hegarty, Trevor Blanchard, Nico Dyer, and Ryan Smith look to help lead this year’s experienced players. Others who have stepped up for the Sachems are juniors Matthew Tineo, Nick Lamattina, Dylan Buchanan, and Jake Correnti, as well as Correnti’s younger brother, freshman Tyler Correnti.

Tyler Correnti, only a freshman, has looked good since day one of pre-season according to his coach and teammates, filling in the position of goalkeeper. “He’s a legitimate goalie. He can compete with every goalie in the league, and I think he’s better than a lot of them, too,” said Coach Langlois, “It takes the weight off my shoulders having him step up, because the goalie position is easily one of the hardest to fill. It’s also very different than all the other positions too.”

Helping out Tyler Correnti will be a strong defensive core led by senior captains Dillon and Queenan as well as junior Dylan Buchanan. The midfield will be propelled by Lamattina, Tineo, and Jake Correnti, as well as sophomores Jarod Belliveau and Seamus O’Keefe. Jake Messier and Ryan Gallagher are up front to get the Sachems on the board. This offensive duo has done well this year. Messier has a hatrick to his name already this season, in the Sachem’s 5-0 win over Manchester-Essex. Gallagher also displayed a brilliant five point performance consisting of two goals and three assists in the Sachem’s 7-1 route over Ipswich last Wednesday at the Jack Welch Stadium.

The Sachems are set for success for the rest of the fall, but Coach Langlois knows there is still work to do, which leaves him unsure of how the Sachems will turn out come postseason. “I’m still kind of thinking about it. We still have to let some things develop, and then I’ll see how things look around mid-season,” said Langlois on the team’s goal for the season, “Then we’ll be able to tell where we can see ourselves after the regular season.”

(Cover Photo Source: Patricia Dillon)