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Marianapolis
Varsity Soccer
Nov. 3: The boys travelled to nearby Woodstock and defeated a very determined Hyde team. After adjusting to the turf field the Golden Knights settled down and had some nice chances to score. An aggressive Hyde goalkeeper frustrated the Knights in the first half. Senior Peter Boguszewski made a tremendous save seven minutes before the half stopping a point-blank header by the Hyde striker with the ball cradled on the goal line. It was Pete’s best effort of the season. Trevor Ouellet played brilliantly at the stopper position filling in for the absent sophomore Eric “Fefe” Bordua who was out sick. The Knights were also missing outside midfielder Samuel Elizondo. He was admirably replaced by Juniors Rafal Lachcick and Kyle Higginbottom. It was Kyle who scored the winning goal with a lovely lofted shot just over the Hyde keepers head mid-way through the second half. Junior Isauro Figueiredo playing in the mid field instead of second striker had the assist. Hyde battled back at the end of the game but the Knights’ defense led by seniors Colin Duethorn and Greg Diaz, along with junior Hayden Yaworski, held firm. The boys stretched their SENE unbeaten streak to 9-0 this year. The overall team record now stands at 16-1-2.
Pomfret School
Varsity Soccer
Pomfret 3 Tabor 3
Nov. 3: It was a tough game in that Pomfret out shot Tabor 18-6 and really played good solid ball. Tabor scored first on a breakaway situation, which seemed to plague us all day. Pomfret was a little down but still playing control ball in the middle. We used Charlie Gruner a great deal today, and he played his best soccer of the year, and he fed ball after ball to the forwards and then also had some shots himself—including the chance to be the hero with 20 seconds left. But the Tabor goalie—Ian Horne—was on fire. He saved the game for Tabor time and time again.
This tie was much different that the tie against Marianapolis a week ago as Pomfret was finding the net and finding the range. The boys attacked from the outside and brought the ball across on numerous occasions. As players like Chris Alves, Chris Grandi, Tim Haggerty, Jack Nicholson drove the net from the side more and more, goal scoring opportunities were created. It was exciting to watch. What did result were corners. Pomfret took NO corners against Marianapolis last week. This week all three of our goals were from the corners—and two were scored by backs that Kyle Lasewicz sent on runs.
Tabor scored early in the first on a breakdown in the back, as we were not sure what was going on. AJ was once again seeing some action in front but only in spurts and a ball that the wind knocked down got just away from him after a strange bounce and Tabor tapped it home. I wanted to see how the boys would react as we had been dominating the game. The boys came right back. Matt Bourdeau was once again playing the role of stopper,—after Max started there and then we moved him to forward, and we fed some nice flat and square balls off of him once we settled down. It was really the control of the mid field all day by players like Matt, Dave and Charlie that was the difference. Tabor sat with five in the back so we knew we had to attack outside. Kyle was doing a really nice job of making splitting runs out of the back and then dishing to that outside. Sometimes it would go to Diego Briones or Chris Alves or Jack who then would turn up field and run some classic give and goes—or play the two man game in the corner.
At first we thought we could go long ball but then realized that would not help us at all so we settled down. The Tabor team was big and physical. Maria Zeek said, “Those were big boys out there, I was worried about my little Ray-ray.” She need not have worried as Ray hands out plenty of his own when he goes on some classic runs. On the other side, we had Brian Lawler starting for the injured Evan Hoffman and he was great. We still need a little more speed up top so we moved Brian there and Remy came in and played most of the game. He has his patented slide tackle down pat and used it twice today.
So the half ended with Tabor up one and Pomfret breathing some fire. Coach Deary made some half time adjustments with the marking and placement of players that really had us clicking. Charlie and Dave just started to play really well together and Matt was covering ground like the field was not big enough to contain him. Pomfret kept attacking and finally were rewarded with a corner—we had nine on the day—nine—and none against Marianapolis—go figure. Jack cracked a nice corner and everyone was in the box. Dave got up to get a head on it and bounced it back the keeper who got a hand on it deflecting it out. Matt then cracked it low and on net from the 18, and the keeper made another save and then Remy Hatfield—on the spot—makes a header into the corner for a goal. Three minutes into the half, and we were tied. Then we really started to play well. Charlie and Dave were finding the seams and the ball was moving quickly. Tabor got free a minute later and took a long throw-in, which beat our mark and resulted in a play across the box and a tap in score. We worked so hard for our goals and they seemed to score with ease.
Pomfret came right back again and Chris Grandi made a nice run down the sideline, made a juke and was totally taken out on the play by his Tabor mark. It was a play that he would not have made a month ago and shows how far he has come with his hard work. The game wore on and Pomfret had chance after chance and Horne came up with the ball time and again. Finally on another corner Jack Nicholson put the ball up and Chris Alves soared through the middle to score a picture perfect goal. Pomfret had come back to tie it up—a second time—we had never done that all season. Yet that is what I expect from this team as they play with pride and ego. This time Tabor did not take the lead. It was on yet another corner where Charlie put the ball up far post,
Dave got a piece of it and flicked it on and there was Ray—all alone—and he chested it down and took a touch and then struck it home. It was Ray’s first goal of the year in a regular game. It is fitting that this was the last goal scored on the Pomfret field with this team—scored by a senior and four year letter winner—know more for his physical style of play than his touch. The sad part is that Pomfret was not really ready as Tabor lined up and drove the ball the length of the field and scored in 20 seconds after Pomfret had scored. Pomfret had five or six shots in the last six minutes and drew a corner. Charlie took the ball and drove it near post and then got back into the play. Matt and Dave worked it and then Charlie drove end line and had a chance. It deflected off Horne—his best save of the day and out to the outside of the 18 where Tim tracked it down and turned on the ball with his back to the goal and cracked it—an incredible shot. Horne was just able to flick it over the bar as the horn sounded. Two game savers in the last 20 seconds—unreal.
Hyde
Varsity Soccer
Hyde 2 St. Andrews 0
By John Rigney
Nov. 1: The Wolfpack rang the bell again after another win within the Southeastern New England (SENE) league. Facing St. Andrew’s at home on the turf, the team was finally full strength and fired up to play. Recent efforts to improve ball movement paid off early on as forward Henry Killeen ’11 had numerous opportunities to go one-on-one with the Saint’s keeper Stephen Matriscano. Killeen’s speed and tenacity did not pay off with a goal but it gave the team the momentum and confidence to continue the attack. With three minutes remaining in the half, midfielder Matan Peltier ’11 charged into the corner with the ball and ferociously crossed it to goal. Jae Kang Lee ’14 was there to collect it but could not contain it; forward Nate Chesley ‘12 took a whack at it as well and managed to keep St. Andrews’ players from clearing it long enough for Peltier to find the ball again and put it past the keeper. Supporting him was Chris Wells ’11 and new to the position of stopper, Richard Schuler ’12. The second half opened with a strong showing for Hyde. In the third minute, Chesley received a cross from Scott Connolly ’11. The ball dribbled into goal to put the Pack up by two and to secure a more comfortable lead.