LITCHFIELD – Scott Zipke didn’t think his team’s one-goal halftime lead would be enough against an opponent like Campbell, especially on the road.
So rather than pack in the defense against the Cougars, a squad that headed into Tuesday’s contest with no shutout losses on their resume, Zipke urged his Hopkinton boys’ soccer team to keep firing.
And much to the delight of the team’s veteran coach, the Hawk’s did just that, notching two more scores over the game’s final 40 minutes in a 3-0 statement win against one of the top teams in Division III.
Hopkinton (9-2) now sits tied with Campbell (9-2) in fifth place with just five games remaining before the start of the tournament.
“It was good to see them not just sitting on the 1-0 lead but actually being aggressive and taking care of business,” Zipke said after his team’s second straight shutout victory and fifth shutout of the season. “We knew they were going to be upset being down 1-0, and we were able to meet their surge and, I thought, actually take it to them in the second half.”
In fact, Zipke’s team was nothing short of dominant after halftime, outshooting the Cougars 9-1 in what was a drastic turnaround from the game’s opening 40 when Campbell held a 4-3 edge in shots.
The second-half dominance turned into a goal in the 53rd minute when senior midfielder Jacob Rockwood connected with classmate Will Rhynhart on a run toward the far post. Rhynhart had already snuck behind Campbell’s keeper by the time Rockwood’s pass met him, setting up a simple one-timer into the back of the net to make it 2-0.
And 10 minutes later, it was junior Azarius Meister fresh off the bench who rounded out the game’s scoring when he cleaned up a rebound.
“This win is definitely a momentum builder for us,” said Rockwood, who missed the first seven games of the season with a broken collarbone. “It gives us energy and excitement to go on to the next game and it kind of gives us confidence that we can beat the top teams in the division.”
Rockwood had one of the few first-half highlights for Hopkinton when he scored in the 34th minute. Junior forward Gerry Donahue began the play with a throw-in to the feet of Rockwood, who made one quick move before firing a shot past a diving Campbell keeper and into the back of the net to make it 1-0.
“He was the best player in the state last year according to all-state votes,” Zipke said of Rockwood. “To have him back on the field, playing like he’s playing, it’s great. It’s good to see him at full strength again.”
The Cougars nearly evened things moments later when Hopkinton goalkeeper Tim Meserve was caught out of position, but junior defender Dustin Rose was in the right place at the right time, and managed to block the ensuing shot out of harm’s way. And that was just one of the goal-saving plays the Hawk’s defense made in the first half.
“He always seems to be in the right place tactically,” Zipke said of Rose. “There were some guys working real hard to keep the clean sheet, and they got through it.”
Zipke was also quick to credit the play of Meserve in net, who turned aside each of the five shots he faced.
“We’ve been working with him on owning his box and playing super aggressive, and he did a great job with that right through the end of the game to sustain the shutout,” Zipke said. “He played very strong for us tonight.”
Things won’t get much easier for Hopkinton with games against two of the division’s top seven teams still ahead. The Hawks will take on Belmont (8-2) on Oct. 14, before rounding off its campaign against top-ranked Stevens (11-1) on Oct. 20.
Even so, Zipke said he doesn’t plan on letting his team forget about Tuesday’s win any time soon.
“We were pretty excited for this game to see what we could do, and I think we did a lot of things right,” he said. “Our guys are definitely leaving with a lot of confidence.”
Pembroke 2, MV 0
Key players:Pembroke – Damon Smith (goal), Glenn Dion (goal), Ben Mehegan (assist); Merrimack Valley – Adam Bodien (goalie), Ryan Heath (defense)
Highlights/key moments: Smith opened the scoring midway through the first half on a feed from Mehegan, and Dion doubled the lead with less than a minute before halftime on a penalty kick. The Spartans also found the goal’s framework six times.
Records: Pembroke 11-1; Merrimack Valley 1-10-1
Lebanon 2, John Stark 0
Key players: John Stark – Evan Caswell, Isaiah Lovering
Highlights/key moments: Lebanon scored midway through the first half and then just three minutes into the second half.
Coach’s quote: “We played better in the second half and had our chances, but overall we just got outplayed today.” – John Stark’s Jeff Vogt
Records: John Stark 8-3; Lebanon 10-1
Monadnock 2, H-D 1 OT
Key players: Hillsboro-Deering – Elijah Winters (goal), Billy Dubuque (assist)
Highlights/key moments: The Hillcats took an early lead on Winters’s goal and held it until there were just five minutes left in the game. Monadnock scored the game-winner near the end of the second overtime period.
Coach’s quote: “This was a heart breaker for these lads.” – Hillsboro-Deering’s Joe Donnelly
Records: Hillsboro-Deering 2-8-2; Monadnock 4-7-1
Portsmouth 3, Coe-Brown 2, 2 OT
Key players: Coe-Brown – Alex Gray (goal), Corbin LeBlanc (goal), Mitchell Wade (assist), Ethan Barbeau (assist), Max Fontaine (midfield), Mike Mulligan (midfield)
Highlights/key moments: Gray opened the scoring in the first half on an assist from Wade, and LeBlanc tied it up with 10 minutes left, but the Bears conceded in the extra session.
Records: Coe-Brown 6-5-1; Portsmouth 4-6-2
Pittsfield 2, Concord Christian 0
Key players: Pittsfield – Matt St. George (goal), Cam Darrah (goal)
Highlights/key moments: St. George won a pair of 50/50 balls and hit a bullet from 18 yards out to beat the CCA keeper in the 11th minute. Darrah capped the scoring with a PK in the 71st minute.
Coach’s quote: “We got positive contributions from a number of players today. Weston LeMay, Tucker Wolfe, and Jacob Marcotte all played strong in the second half. Our depth will continue to be key for us down the stretch.” – Pittsfield’s Derek Hamilton
Records: Pittsfield 7-4-1; Concord Christian 6-3-1
MV 3, Pembroke 2
Key players:Merrimack Valley – Emily Knouse (3 goals), Abby Grandmaison (assist), Maddy Bourque (assist), Sarah Davis (midfield); Pembroke – Emily Harlow (2 goals), Kayla Paquin
Highlights/key moments: Harlow scored first off a penalty kick, and it was back and forth from there. The Pride scored the game-winner with five minutes left on the clock.
Coach’s quote: “This was a great win for us. The girls put together 80 strong minutes, showing some great heart. Making a push for the playoffs will take more days like this.” – Merrimack Valley’s Jeff Richard
Records: Merrimack Valley 2-9-1; Pembroke 9-3
Hanover 2, Kearsarge 0
Key players: Kearsarge – Mia Bailey (midfield), Kaylyn Storozuk (defense)
Highlights/key moments: The Cougars hit the post, created chances and stayed within one goal until Hanover scored in the final minute.
Coach’s quote: “It was a really hard-fought game and we showed a lot of hustle.” – Kearsarge’s Travis Dezotell
Records: Kearsarge 6-4-1; Hanover 9-2
Hopkinton 4, Stevens 3
Key players: Ellie Morrall (2 goals), Lilias Whitehead (goal), Meg Ellsworth (goal), Amelia Bassett (7 saves).
Highlights/key moments: The Hawks fell behind 1-0 less than three minutes into the contest, but responded with back-to-back scores from Morrall to take the lead, and momentum, into the second half.
Coach’s quote: “We managed to stay pretty consistent with our offensive attack, which is something we’ve been working on for awhile.” – Hopkinton’s Lauri Izzi
Records: Hopkinton 8-3; Stevens 8-4
Pittsfield 1, Concord Christian 0
Key players: Pittsfield – Kira Wood (goal), Katie Rollins (assist), Beccca Smith (4 saves), Destinee Ellis
Highlights/key moments: Wood scored off a corner kick from Katie Rollins 15 minutes into the second half for the game’s only goal and Pittsfield’s defense made it stand.
Coach’s quote: “It was a total team effort tonight, the girls played hard for 80 minutes. It’s a well deserved win.” – Pittsfield’s Jayme Kennedy
Records: Pittsfield 5-6-1; Concord Christian 1-8-2
Mascenic 9, John Stark 0
Key players: John Stark – Haley Decotis (midfield), Olivia Fatcheric (midfield), Mackenzie Pelkey (15 saves in first varsity start), Melina Jackson (10 saves on 12 shots)
Highlights/key moments: Mascenic pressed hard and dominated most of the game.
Coach’s quote: “Tough game but we grew some today. Despite the score we made a decent amount of good plays.” – John Stark’s Dennis Pelletier
Records: John Stark 2-10; Mascenic 6-3-1
Windham 2, MV 0
Key players: Merrimack Valley – Kylee Warren (16 saves, stopped a penalty stroke), Lauryn Masse (defense), Brit Leonard (defense)
Coach’s quote: “I think we put up another good fight against a top team. We are just going to keep fighting on.” – Merrimack Valley’s Kim Kenney
Records: Windham 10-1; Merrimack Valley 3-7-1
John Stark third
Key players: John Stark – Brandon Langdon (2nd, 18:24), Jack Hagan (10th, 19:47), Erik Hilyard (11th, 19:54), Owen Payeur (12th, 19:55)
Highlights/key moments: John Stark’s top seven all ran season best times and finished with 51 points, but that wasn’t enough to beat out Windham (28) or Goffstown (48). Langdon ran head-to-head against Goffstown’s Mason Foley, who eventually pulled away in the last 800 meters to claim the win.
GIRLS’ CROSS COUNTRY
John Stark second
Key players: John Stark – Hailey Erskine (3rd, 22:47), Alison Wright (6th, 23:26), Katie Brennan (7th, 23:25), Haliegh Bilodeau (11th, 24:34)
Highlights/key moments: Wright and Brennan each ran personal best times to help lead the Generals (43 points) to a second place finish over Goffstown (60). Windham, led by Susie Poore (first, 20:41), finished first with 21 points.
Coach’s quote: “All our kids are meeting their goals for this time of year which is real encouraging. In time, they’ll be coming out on top in some of these.” – John Stark’s Jeff Richard