Saugus Scores Surprise Victory Over Harvard

And the surprise winner of the 1995 Burroughs High boys’ soccer tournament is . . . Saugus.

From a draw of 16 teams featuring traditional powers such as Royal, Burroughs and Arcadia, the Centurions emerged victorious, defeating Harvard-Westlake, 2-0, in the tournament championship match Saturday night at Burroughs High .

Saugus (8-0-1), which finished second to Burroughs in the Foothill League last season, defeated Arcadia, Bell-Jeff and Royal before beating the Wolverines (5-1-1).

In the title match, two goals by forward Jeff Hammond, strong defense and a brilliant performance by goalie Jason Berriz (nine saves) carried the Centurions.

Hammond struck for his first goal in the fifth minute, drilling a loose ball in the Harvard penalty area into the upper right corner of the net from 10 yards.

The junior forward scored again 10 minutes into the second half after a booming, 25-yard direct kick by Nate Wright bounced off the chest of Wolverine goalie Justin Child and Hammond kicked it in from five yards.

Following the first goal, Wright moved from forward to sweeper and keyed an impressive defense that held Harvard - at bay.

The Wolverines took 13 shots in the second half but were denied twice by the crossbar and seven other times by Berriz, who did not allow a goal in the tournament and was named the most valuable player.

“He’s unbelievable,” Wright said of Berriz. “He’s so aggressive and loud. He does everything right.”

Berriz had help. The Centurions used hustle and positioning to keep the ball in front of them and allowed Harvard few close-range chances.

“They had a couple of open shots but they were far out and we didn’t give them any lanes to drive to the goal,” said Wright, who scored in Saugus’ 1-0 semifinal victory over Royal Saturday afternoon.

Royal 2, Kennedy 1--Shaun Neff scored in the 55th minute of regulation and also nailed the deciding shot in a sudden-death shootout as the Highlanders (3-1-1) defeated the Golden Cougars (5-2-2) in the third-place match.

Scott Ko scored in the 43rd minute for Kennedy.

Harvard-Westlake 3, Kennedy 2--Danny Sable, Greg Nortman and Peter Richards scored as the Wolverines opened a 3-1 second-half lead and defeated the Golden Cougars in a semifinal.

Saugus 1, Royal 0--Two minutes after missing a penalty kick attempt, Nate Wright scored on a 15-yard shot from a sharp angle in the 75th minute as the Centurions upset the Highlanders in a semifinal.

Glendale 1, Burroughs 0--The Dynamiters (5-1) converted three of three penalty kicks in a shootout to win the consolation championship.

Glendale 2, Arcadia 1--Gilbert Agaverdyan scored twice as the Dynamiters defeated Arcadia in a consolation semifinal. Glendale played the match’s final 70 minutes a man short after Abel Abramyan was ejected.

Burroughs 1, Burbank 0--Gustavo Palomares scored from 40 yards in the 15th minute for the Indians in a consolation semifinal.