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- Category: Past Issues
caption, page 9:
Comeback
NECONN boys’ U14’s Ryan Black, #4, initiates comeback vs. Plainfield. Photo courtesy of Jenn McGroary.
NECONN,
Plainfield
battle to tie
Under 80-degree heat, the NECONN boys’ U14 soccer team battled Plainfield to a 2-2 draw Oct. 9. It was a very well played game by both teams, and a tie was probably an appropriate ending.
For the first 20 minutes of play, NECONN and Plainfield traded shots, but it was mostly each team’s defense that stood out. NECONN’s Jonathan Hummer donned the goalie jersey, and fullbacks Robert Totten, Zach Gagnon, Cal Wilcox, William Liscomb and Aaron Lambert competently cleared balls from the area and kept the score knotted at zero.
It was the speed and persistence of the Plainfield strikers, though, which finally paid off. Plainfield’s first goal came at the 22-minute mark off a quick counter attack that Hummer had not chance at saving. NECONN would battle back, and with two minutes left in the half, center midfielder Max Paro sent Evan Cunning a through ball behind the defense. Evan gobbled up the loose ball and slid it past the helpless Plainfield keeper.
In the second half, NECONN started slowly and found themselves pinned back in their defensive end. Despite aggressive work from midfielders Evan O’Connor, Sean McGroary and Elijah Dufour to clear the ball, Plainfield notched a very nice goal six minutes into the period on a sideline run and ensuing crossing ball that an unattended Plainfield player easily tapped into the back of the net.
Down 1-2, NECONN slowly regrouped and started to take charge of the game. Sweeper backs Sam Paul and David Redfield stepped up into the offense, and with the hard work of midfielder Travis Hayward, they kept the ball deep in the NECONN offensive half of the field. With six minutes left on the clock, Paro again sent a through ball behind the Plainfield defense that Marco Suriano hustled under.
Suriano’s initial shot was deflected, but Ryan Black camped under the loose ball and volleyed into top corner of the Plainfield net. Despite relentless pressure by NECONN for the remaining minutes of the game, they could not get the go-ahead score and the game ended in a 2-2 tie.
NECONN’s record now stands at 2-1-3. They next take on Stafford at 2 p.m. Oct. 16 on the Pomfret School campus.