School News

VARSITY SOCCER

Wednesday, October 23, Fessenden School 7, Fenn School 2

Fenn’s varsity soccer team hosted Fessenden School on Wednesday October 23, but it was the visitors who bounced off the bus and snapped in three quick goals within the first ten minutes. Fenn responded at the fifteen-minute mark when Hans Scheibe lobbed a beautiful shot past the Fessenden goalie. Yet in the waning minutes of the first half, Fenn relinquished two more goals and headed into the half down 5-1. Fenn emerged from halftime determined to put pressure on Fessenden’s defense. Finn Hudson and Teddy Stiga, both forwards, put a lot of pressure on the Fessy goaltender, and after a great passing combination, Stiga found himself alone in front of the net, scoring his ninth goal of the season. But that was it for the offense, as Fenn surrendered two more goals and fell to defeat, 7-2.

Friday, October 25, Fenn School 0, Belmont Hill School 3

Two days later at Belmont Hill School, Fenn took on BH’s undefeated ninth grade ‘B’ team. Fenn dominated ball possession during much of the game, but it was the home team that was the most opportunistic in front of the net, scoring twice in the first half and notching a third goal in the second half. The Belmont Hill goaltender made several spectacular saves, and Fenn drove west on Route 2 with a 3-0 loss.

Wednesday, October 30, Shore Country Day School 2, Fenn School 1

The varsity soccer team played its final regular season game on Wednesday, October 30 as Shore Country Day School came to town. This was a rematch from two weeks ago, when Fenn claimed a 3-0 shutout.

Fenn survived a determined Shore attack in the opening minutes of the contest, as the boys from Beverly dominated play with a high energy, aggressive style that clearly caught the home team off guard.

In the tenth minute, a collision between the Fenn goalie John Donovan and a Shore forward resulted in the first goal of the game, 1-0, in favor of Shore. Donovan was injured on the play, so Hayden Shen took over between the pipes.

Fenn improved as the first half progressed, gaining control of the midfield and creating better scoring chances. With three minutes remaining in the half, forwards Finn Hudson and Teddy Stiga broke through the defense. Moments later, Stiga capitalized with his tenth goal of the year.

With the game knotted 1-1 to start the second half, Fenn midfielders Hans Scheibe, Harry Nerrow, Jackson Rich, Sean Trudeau, and Luca Raffa controlled the tempo of the game, while defensemen Sam Dean, Gerald Gao, Finley Stevens, and Jack Doherty shut down the counterattack.

Ten minutes remained on the clock when Luca Raffa picked up a rebound in close range and pounded it past the Shore goalie to push Fenn out in front, 2-1. The boys in blue-and-gold played great defense to protect the lead the rest of the way and converted it to a final score.

With the 2-1 victory against Shore, Fenn concluded a successful 6-3-1 regular season campaign. The team is scheduled to compete at the annual New England Independent School Tournament on Saturday, November 2nd at Eaglebrook School in Deerfield, MA.

Coming Up:

Saturday, November 2, Fenn School at New England Independent School Tournament

JUNIOR VARSITY SOCCER

Thursday, October 24, Fenn School 3, Belmont Day School 0

Fenn’s JV boys found it difficult to work in a small office on the road on Thursday, October 24, but at the close of the day’s business, their job was done. Extremely tight quarters inside the stone walls surrounding Belmont Day School’s grass pitch called for less dribbling, better spacing, and quicker passing than the team was ready to generate on a full-time basis, but Fenn patched together enough part-time possession to punch nearly two dozen shots at the hosts’ busy goalkeeper and, eventually, push three balls past him. At the other end, defenders Garrett MacKenzie, Kevin Yuan, Will Hickey, and Thomas Donahue conceded very little useful territory to Belmont Day’s forwards, and goalkeeper Niko Weaver safely handled the limited opportunities they generated in fifty minutes of rather bouncy soccer. Fenn won the match, 3-0.

Pre-game tactical talk included the observation that long throw-ins by Fenn’s big backs could be as valuable as corner kicks in the attacking half of the short, narrow field. Sure enough, Nathaniel Pynchon (in the 20th minute) and JJ Oldershaw (26th) were well positioned to finish their chances when long tosses from Hickey bounced into the penalty area. Tal Richmond cushioned the lead with an accurate curling shot from the 18, after he manufactured a rare bit of space with some deft dribbling at 35 minutes.

Fair accounting for the match indicates that the blue-and-gold were much the stronger of the two sides, yet they struggled at many points to settle the ball properly and move it around effectively — a bugbear which cannot be attributed solely to the size of the field. With upcoming matches against sturdier competition, Fenn must continue to focus on dead-accurate first touches and more purposeful movement away from the ball to nurture the desired brand of trap-look-pass football.

Friday, October 25, Fessenden School 4, Fenn School 2

This one might sting for a while. Two weeks after a thrilling and closely competitive draw against Fessenden in West Newton, Fenn’s JV squad was geared up to make a statement in the rematch on Monument Street. Sporting bright pink jerseys in support of breast cancer research and clearly fired up to play, the boys produced four quality looks at goal in the first five minutes on this Friday, October 25. Tom Mulvany’s power drive from the corner of the goal area, following several crisp, flat passes along the left touchline and into the penalty area, gave Fenn an early lead. Yet the Bears replied twice in the next ten minutes — once with a well-played and speedy attack, and once as beneficiaries of a defensive lapse — and their core midfield group exerted their influence at key points throughout the afternoon. Fessenden fashioned a 2-1 advantage in each half and headed back down Interstate 95 with a 4-2 victory. As much as the blue-and-gold wanted it, Fessenden actually earned it by executing just a bit more reliably with the ball and avoiding errors close to their own goal. 

Jamie Book popped in Fenn’s second goal with a heads-up swipe of a soft goal kick. He deked around the only Fessy defender in the vicinity and swiftly finished his breakaway.

The play of Fenn’s three co-captains, Hudson Wesel, Will Hickey, and Garrett MacKenzie, stands out as a high point in this sharply contested match with a discouraging-but-eminently-fair result.  These three 9th graders competed with continuously rising intensity and exemplary sportsmanship, demonstrating to their younger teammates what the rivalry with Fessenden means to a Fenn athlete.

Monday, October 28, Pike School 1, Fenn School 0

Schoolboy soccer virtually always imparts its lessons and rewards on the merits – win, draw or lose – and Fenn’s spunky JV Soccer squad has absorbed this truth throughout their 2019 term. It is rare to steal points from a stronger team; the game simply does not cough up many flukes. Monday, October 28’s pitched battle against Pike School’s solid varsity side was no exception, yet the boys in blue made it exceptionally difficult for the visitors to earn their slim 1-0 victory alongside Carr Road in Concord. Pike carved out their singleton on a well-struck corner kick in the 42^nd minute, but for the remaining 59 minutes and 45 seconds of intense football, they found themselves stymied by Fenn’s relentless, fearless, inspired pressing and counterattacking.

The intensity reached an all-time high for this edition of the blue-and-gold while facing Pike, yet according to Coach Sanborn, the critical uptick in their pace and purpose was actually attributable to the work of their captains – Garrett MacKenzie, Will Hickey, and Hudson Wesel – in the final fifteen minutes of the *previous* match. The closing moments of that frustrating loss to Fessenden revealed the senior captains hustling into a previously untested higher gear in an effort to turn the tide, and clearly, fifteen younger teammates absorbed that sense of competitive desire. The entire Fenn side was at that same fever pitch for the full hour against Pike’s well-coached and eminently sporting “A” team, and they discovered individual abilities and tactical cohesion that was not within reach a week beforehand. Fantastic performance by the whole group!

The team extends hearty thanks to the all-star afternoon ground crew – Dave DiPersio, Steve Gasper, Dave DiMatteo, and Tim Winters – for sweeping a heavy coating of leaves and twigs off the Reynold turf prior to the match.

Wednesday, October 30, Fenn School hosted Carroll School – no score reported at press time.

Coming Up:

Friday, November 1, Fenn School at Fay School

Wednesday, November 6, Fenn School at Noble and Greenough School

THIRDS SOCCER

Friday, October 25, Fessenden School 0, Fenn School 5

Fenn’s Thirds soccer team registered a “W” on Friday, October 25 in front of the home crowd on Monument Street. Facing off against Fessenden School, Fenn got a pair of goals from Will Hatten, plus single tallies from Dereck Then, Gabriel Aberbach, and Sean Leahy for a 5-0 shutout. Coach Derek Cribb reported that forward Jayden Guzman also put some solid shots on net, while Evan Ning was strong at midfield. Max Libby earned the shutout with some key saves and consistent play.

Monday, October 28, Hillside School 1, Fenn School 0

It was a much closer game on Monday, October 28 when Fenn hosted Hillside School. The boys in blue-and-gold spotted the visitors a first half 1-0 advantage, and despite trying desperately to get the game tying goal, it was not to be. This game was as close as the score indicated. Standout performers for Fenn included Charlie Krayer, who registered some good shots on net, and Ben Paradis, who was just short of capitalizing on a couple of breakaways. Coach Cribb also credits Nick Brady with solid play at midfield.

Wednesday, October 30, Fenn School 3, Sparhawk School 2

Fenn picked up its second win of the week when the team delivered a 3-2 victory over Sparhawk School on Wednesday, October 30.

Fenn took a 1-0 lead when Charlie Krayer ripped a strong shot by the Sparhawk goalie from the 18. Krayer, who played exceptionally well, peppered the Sparhawk goalie with several shots throughout the game, and even contributed defensively for Fenn. At one point, Krayer was the only man back in the defensive zone with a Sparhawk player upon him. Krayer blocked the shot and cleared the ball out of the zone.

Dereck Then notched Fenn’s second goal on a long arcing shot that found the upper corner of the Sparhawk net.

While it looked to be a comfortable 2-0 advantage for Fenn, things changed quickly. Sparhawk got right back in the game with a goal and penalty kick, 2-2.

Midway through the second half, Josh Weig, who had played goal during the first half, was unleashed on offense and scored the game winning goal, 2-1.

Coach Derek Cribb also credits Panha Sam with an excellent game on defense, while Will Gaynor showcased some very good saves in the 2^nd half when the pressure was high.

Coming Up:

Friday, November 1, Fenn School at Fay School

Monday, November 4, Fenn School hosts Carroll School

Wednesday, November 6, Thirds Classic

CROSS COUNTRY

Thursday, October 24, Fenn School at NEC/Munn Invitational

The annual Jim Munn Invitational took place on Thursday, October 24 at Stage Fort Park in Gloucester. Fenn School placed fifth out of 33 teams in the boy’s category.

Connor Soukup and Bobby Skrivanek earned medals as top individual performers, followed by Tyler Martinez, Will Simon, Chris Lando, Colin Soukup, and Colby Bloch.

Wednesday, October 30, Fenn School at Roxbury Latin Jamboree

Fenn competed in the annual Roxbury Latin Jamboree under a dreary sky on Wednesday, October 30. Fenn placed seventh out of 15 teams, while Roxbury Latin won the meet and Belmont Hill came in second. The 2.3-mile Roxbury Latin course is the longest course that Fenn boys competed on this year.

Individually, Connor Soukup placed 15^th to earn a medal, while Bobby Skrivanek finished 17^th overall. The other members of the select squad of harriers were Will Simon, Colin Soukup, Chris Lando, Owen O’Malley, Elliot Johnson, Colby Bloch, Xander McTeague, and Jackson Gage.

Coming Up:

Friday, November 1, Fenn School hosts Park School

Wednesday, November 6, Fenn School hosts Rivers School

FOOTBALL 

Friday, October 25, Fessenden School 38, Fenn School 12

Back in action for the first time in two weeks, Fenn’s football team hosted Fessenden School on Friday, October 25. Fessenden entered this game undefeated at 3-0, while Fenn held a 1-1 record in regular gridiron action this season. Fenn fell behind early in this one and never could get any momentum going in front of the fans at Reynold Field, falling to defeat, 38-12.

Coming Up:

Friday, November 1, Fenn School at Fay School

Wednesday, November 6, Fenn School hosts Dexter Southfield School