Medford boys play Lincoln-Sudbury Wednesday

Mike Cugno

Goalie Bryan Peguero earned the shutout in Chelmsford.

By Kathy McCabe, Globe Staff

CHELMSFORD - The Medford High boys soccer team beat a tough Chelmsford High team, 1-0, on Saturday in the first round of the state Division 1 North soccer tournament.

 Defender Jean Joseph scored the only goal the 10th-seeded Mustangs needed to beat the Lions on their home turf. Joseph shot from the 18 yard line with just one minute left  to play in the first half of the late-afternoon game.
      
 "It was a beautiful shot," Medford Coach Mike Petrides said after the game. "It went right up and in."

The Mustangs played a tight defensive game in the second half against Chelmsford, the Merrimack Valley Conference champs, who were 10-2-4 in regular-season play and the tournament's seventh seed.

"We wanted to protect our lead. We had the ball a lot of the time," Petrides said. "[Chelmsford] only got about two shots on our goal."

In the first half, Medford goalie Bryan Peguero got some key defensive help, when defender Gilbert Simas  stopped a shot Chelmsford got off while Peguero was out of the net. "He came up big for us on that play," Petrides said of Simas.

Medford, cochamps of the Greater Boston League (11-4-1), now travels to Lincoln-Sudbury Wednesday for a 2 p.m. game against the unbeaten second-seeded Warriors (15-0-2) in the North quarterfinals.

 Petrides said Saturday's win at Chelmsford proves the Mustangs can play anywhere. "When we play our game, we can beat anyone," he said.

 Kathy McCabe can be reached at kmccabe@globe.com.