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The downside of the state tournament is that ultimately every team, except for one in each division, is left unhappy.

In the first round of the Division 3 North boys soccer state tournament, No. 17 Rockport (9-9-2) traveled to No. 1 Shawsheen (12-2-5) yesterday. The Vikings gave the Rams everything they could handle, but still fell 2-1, ending their season.

For a team that hadn't been in the postseason for the past six seasons, the Rockport boys soccer team made its first tournament game look like old hat.

The 17th-seeded Vikings simply overwhelmed the No. 16 Maimonides with a 7-0 victory in the preliminary round of the Division 3 North state tournament. This contest had been decided long before the final whistle. Six different Rockport players found the back of the net, led by senior striker Florian Roell, who had two goals.

Through skill and some fortunate luck, both the Gloucester boys and Rockport boys soccer teams will be hosting MIAA State Tournament games this weekend.

Rockport is the No. 17 seed in Division 3 North and will play No. 16 Maimonides (a K-12 Jewish school from Brookline) in the preliminary round. Maimonides' home field didn't meet MIAA specifications so the Vikings will get an unexpected home game today (1:30 p.m.).

The game of soccer has come full circle for Rockport senior star Derek Osmond.

It wasn't too long ago that he was that little kid watching the game from the sidelines and racing onto the field at half-time to shoot on the goals. In fact, some of the most cherished times from his childhood were spent watching his older brother Ryan play for Rockport.

Rockport senior striker Derek Osmond has scored a lot of goals in his career but without a doubt, the one that he scored Thursday night has to be the biggest of his life. His tally was the difference in Rockport's (8-8-2, 5-7-1) 1-0 win over archrival Manchester Essex (5-9-4, 2-8-3) in both team's season finale. With the win, the Vikings qualified for the Divsion 3 North tournament beginning next week. It's the first time Rockport has made it since the 2001 season.

On paper, it didn't seem likely that the Rockport boys soccer team would get the tie it needed to stay alive for a postseason berth against Cape Ann League power Masconomet yesterday.

But as the old saying goes, games aren't played on paper. The Vikings tied Masco 1-1 to remain alive for the state tournament. Rockport is now 7-8-2 and needs a win tomorrow against Manchester Essex to qualify for the postseason.

History was in the air last week as the Rockport boys soccer team did something it hadn't done since 1997 | defeat powerful North Andover.

The Vikings knocked off North Andover, 4-3, last Wednesday in Rockport. Previously, Rockport had received a forfeit victory over the Scarlet Knights in 2001 (when the North Andover head coach received a red card) but you'd have to go back to 1997 for the last official win (1-0) over North Andover, a perennial leader atop the Cape Ann League Large.
"It certainly was a huge win, it's so infrequent (just three times in the last the 30 years) for Rockport to beat North Andover," said Rockport head coach Dave Curley. "Going into every season, all the CAL coaches know that North Andover and Masconomet are going to have good teams."

North Andover freshman forward Ryan Boudreau had to be immobilized and carried off the field in an ambulance after suffering an apparent upper leg injury in a 4-3 Scarlet Knight loss to Rockport. After the injury, which caused roughly a 30-minute delay, Rockport scored three goals in the first six minutes.

Tied 0-0 at halftime, North Reading scored two late second-half goals to put away the Vikings (4-4-1). Rockport goalies Colby Osier (6 saves) and Keady Segal (8 saves) split time in net while defenders Ross Brackett and Brendan Douglass played well.

MANCHESTER | Last night was a good night to be a member of the Manchester Essex soccer program.

The Hornets boys and girls soccer teams swept a doubleheader against rival Rockport at Sweeney Park in Manchester. The boys team won 2-1, while the girls won 2-0.