Set Pieces girls soccer column: Versatility makes Pingree's Landers one of a kind

Sep. 21—Doc Simpson has coached a lot of amazing players at the Pingree School. So when he struggles to find one that he can compare, stylistically, to senior All-America candidate Maddie Landers, that says it all as far how unique she is as a player.

"She's her own animal," said Simpson, describing the way Landers can completely dominant a soccer game for the benefit of North Shore fans that haven't had the chance to see her play.

"Her ability to take over a game in any number of ways is special. If you need to lock somebody down, she'll sign up for that. If you need a goal, she'll go get one. She's a truly complete player."

A senior from North Andover, Landers had a breakout junior year and earned All-New England honors while helping Pingree reach the Class B championship game. She committed to play at Boston College during the offseason and comes into 2022 as one of the leaders of a loaded Pingree team that can hang with the best squads in New England.

"We're focusing on the things we can control such as attitude, effort and energy towards a common goal," Landers said of Pingree's start, which saw them top Class C champion Brewster in an impressive season opener. "We always want to work together as a team in addition to our individual strengths ... maintain focus and put the team first."

Landers is a capable scorer who had 12 goals and 10 assists as a junior. She's a physically rugged player who's not afraid to stick her nose on a defender to manufacture a scoring chance, but she's also a bona fide central midfielder with elite field vision.

Any time Landers touches the ball, she's sure to be aware of where her teammates are and where the opposition might be. Whether she's going to hold the ball and try to take a defender 1-on-1 or send a pass to start a play somewhere else, nothing is done blindly.

"One strength of mine is versatility ... going from attacking to defending very quickly based on what my team needs," Landers explained. "Knowing where people are gives me a good idea of when to attack, switch the field or change positioning."

The speed with which Landers processes her options is what truly sets her apart from most players in her age group. She's essentially playing at an iPhone 14 pace when most teenagers are in more of a Blackberry mode.

"I try to make a decision before I receive the ball," Landers said. "I feel very comfortable gong 1-v-1, but if I can find a teammate for a simple ball in the pocket, if they're in a better attacking position, I get it to them quickly. You want to keep defenses guessing."

Landers comes from an athletic family, with two older brothers being multi-sport standouts at Pingree and her older sister Taylor having played soccer and run track for the Highlanders before joining the track team at Stonehill. Her mom was a collegiate swimmer and her dad played baseball, so landing at arguably New England's best women's soccer program at Boston College is a natural fit.

"You have to be so talented to play in that league (the Atlantic Coast Conference) and I think Maddie had a chance to make an impact right away because of how well she defends," Simpson said. "She's the ultimate competitor. She's just a beast."

"I found playing in the number one soccer conference in the country very appealing. I think playing at that level will help me become the best soccer player I can be," added Landers, who also loved BC's academic reputation and location close to home.

Her fellow senior captains, defender Avery DePiero and goalie Maggie Warner, are also special players. Simpson believes they're the best defensive duo on the North Shore, if not the state, and both have earned tremendous reputations as multi-year starters.

"When you have someone like Maggie back there you can play a different game. She's so efficient with her feet that we can move the ball and not turn the game into a ping pong match," Simpson explained. "Avery is as smooth as they get out of the back, too ... she gets the ball and before you know it she's in the midfield dribbling.

"Those two allow us to be so efficient in our build up to Maddie and then Catherine Watrous and the girls up top. Everything starts with them."

DePiero, a Swampscott native, hasn't committed to a college because she'll likely play at an Ivy League or NESCAC school. Her older sister, Dana, was a Pingree captain who now plays at California Santa Cruz.

Since these Highlanders lost their entire sophomore season to the pandemic, they're bent on taking a New England title as seniors. Their junior year was an 18-4-1 campaign that saw them dominate league play and reach the Class B finals. They'll be tested by a tough schedule all year, with a bout against a highly ranked BB&N team on tap soon.

"Our biggest goal would be to settle some unfinished business in the NEPSAC. This year we are aiming to win the NEPSAC championship," Landers said. "We are taking it game by game and keeping a steady focus. We want to stay true to our style of play and work together as a team."

----Hamilton-Wenham saw its 21-game unbeaten streak come to an end Tuesday with a 1-0 loss to Lynnfield. It was also the first time in 19 matches that the Generals had lost at the stadium on campus going back to Sept. 24, 2019, with a 16-0-3 streak on the grass carrying over parts of four seasons.

Interestingly enough, the Generals' last loss of 2021 was also to Lynnfield in September; a year ago after falling to the Pioneers, they rattled off 18 straight without a loss and won the Division 4 state title. In that sense, H-W would be happy to see history repeat itself.

----Peabody High has been wearing gold socks for the month of September to spread awareness for pediatric cancer. Many Tanner players are very familiar with the "Ella's Army" movement, having been classmates of the late Ella O'Donnell, who fought a brain tumor and passed away at age 10 in 2016. The pediatric cancer cause certainly hits close to home as well with football captain Mikey Mastrocola battling leukemia.

"The girls had the idea to wear the gold socks for all of September, which is childhood cancer awareness month," said Peabody coach Andrew Douglass. "It's the last we can to do honor some people that can't step on the field for whatever reason. It's a privilege that we're healthy on the field, and we don't take that for granted."

Next Wednesday, both Peabody and their opponent Beverly will wear green socks in support of mental health awareness as the calendar turns to October.

----Unbeaten Essex Tech (3-0-1) got a hat trick from sophomore Kayleigh Silva last week and looks to be one of the most dangerous attacking teams around with 16 goals in the last three games.

Silva is a converted midfielder, similar to senior Sam Harrison while the Martinez sisters Carrie and Chelsea, are also scoring.

"Kayleigh came in as a mid and we really needed her more at forward. After a year, I think she's more used to it and she's just owning it right now. She looks very comfortable," Hawks coach Kelly Barrio said. "A similar thing happened with Sam last year."

The Hawks have a big one Friday against Greater Lowell in a faceoff of unbeaten Commonwealth Athletic Conference rivals.

----Something will have to give this Wednesday when one of the North Shore's hottest offenses, Beverly, meets a thus-far impenetrable defense in Swampscott. The Big Blue have yet to allow a goal in four games while the Panthers have scored 14 over the course of a three-game win streak. Kickoff is slated for 4 p.m. at Frank Forti Field.

----Check out Twitter to see a great top shelf strike by former Danvers High standout Lauren Clement, now a senior forward at Stonehill. An All-New England pick last year in Division 2, Clement has three goals on the year as the Skyhawks have made the leap to Division 1.

This boot came in a 1-1 tie with Sacred Heart. Who had the tally for the opposition? None other than Masconomet grad Morgan Bovardi. Two former Salem News all-stars getting the only goals in a college game?

As Larry David might say, pretty good.

Set Pieces, a column on North Shore girls and women's soccer, appears in The Salem News during the fall. Contact Matt Williams at MWilliams@salemnews.com and follow along on Twitter @MattWilliams_SN.