NORTHWOOD – The eighth-seeded Coe-Brown boys’ soccer team used a defensive shift, work ethic and some fortunate swimming pool activities to claim a 2-0 Division II quarterfinal win at home on Wednesday against No. 9 Bow.
When the two teams met in the regular season, the Falcons (9-8-0) employed long balls to unlock the Coe-Brown defense and scored three unanswered goals in a 3-2 win. For Tuesday’s rematch, the Bears (10-6-1) shifted from a three-man back line to a four-man. Bow had a clear possession advantage and created better chances, but the renovated back line never broke.
“(Bow) had good control over a lot of the game,” Coe-Brown Coach Christian Gompert said. “They had us pinned in pretty good for big chunks of time, that’s a credit to them … it’s testament to our guys for sticking with it.”
Coe-Brown countered against the Bow pressure in just the sixth minute as Noah Wojtkowski sent Don MacCallum into the final third with a lofted pass. MacCallum knocked a 25-yard shot off the cross bar and Matt Mulligan was there to pound home the rebound. It was a well-deserved goal for Mulligan, who worked tirelessly up and down the right side the entire game.
“I’ve got to say all year he’s been one of the great blue collar workers out there,” Gompert said of Mulligan.
The 1-0 score stood until halftime, but the Falcons felt good going into the break. With Sullivan Blair, JP Merchan and Chris Gallier leading the way, Bow was the more dangerous of the two teams.
“At halftime I told the guys, ‘You’re playing well, you’re doing a lot of good things, you’re controlling, you’re keeping the ball on the floor, you’re generating enough, second half keep it up, it’ll do,’ ” Bow Coach George Pinkham said. “But give Coe-Brown credit defensively.”
The Bears back line was centered by Ethan Barbeau and Ben Heyliger with Colin Cain on the right and Luciano Minasalli, who moved back from the midfield to turn three into four, on the left. They got plenty of help from midfielders Mitchell Wade, Max Fontaine and Tanner Bane, and of course keeper Corbin LeBlanc. Barbeau also added the splash of swimming pool experience.
The senior defender has a catapult of a throw in, and he claims it all started with him chucking a water-logged basketball over a volleyball net in a swimming pool when he was younger.
“I just did it for fun, but it definitely helped,” Barbeau said.
It certainly helped on Tuesday as a screaming throw in from Barbeau ricocheted off the punch attempt of Bow keeper Noah Bult and Coe-Brown’s Ben Watson got piece of the deflection at the far post to give the Bears a 2-0 lead in the 66th minute.
“It’s a difference maker,” Gompert said of Barbeau’s throw.
The Bears will now travel to top-seeded Lebanon (15-1) for 2 p.m. quarterfinal matchup on Saturday. The Raiders beat Coe-Brown, 4-0, on Oct. 11, so the Bears will have to find a way to play better this time around if they want to advance, but at least one coach thinks they have the kind of team it takes to challenge Lebanon.
“Coe-Brown is a good, tough team … and they’ve got to be in their face, they’ve got to be aggressive, they’ve to be tough with them,” Pinkham said before adding a warning. “Lebanon to me, we played them in the first game of the season, but they were the best team I saw all year.”
No. 4 Concord 5,
No. 13 Merrimack 1
Key players: Concord – Sebastian Pardo (goal, assist), Taylor Silverstein (goal, assist), Grant Rienstra (goal, assist), Joshua Adams (goal), Gopal Timsina (goal)
Highlights/key moments: The Crimson Tide jumped out to a 4-0 lead by intermission, and added a fifth and final score less than 10 minutes into the second half to all but ensure a spot in the quarterfinals. Liam Devanny played the majority of the contest in net before giving way to Brian DeFranzo late.
Coach’s quote: “We played one of our best matches of the year.” – Concord’s Scott Dunlop
Records: Concord – 13-3-1; Merrimack – 6-11-0.
No. 2 Pembroke 2,
No. 15 Kingswood 1
Key players: Pembroke – Damon Smith (goal), Matt Ferguson (assist), Tyler Smith (keeper)
Highlights/key moments: The second-seeded Spartans didn’t play their best, and Kennett took advantage and forced thuings to penalty kicks, but Smith made a pair of saves during the PK session and Pembroke escaped with the win, its ninth straight.
Records: Pembroke 16-1-0; Kingswood 5-11-1
No. 10 Souhegan 2,
No. 7 John Stark 1
Key players: John Stark – Lawson Murphy (goal), Jake Reynolds, Isaiah Lovering, Ryan Nelson, Tim Currier, Griffin Caswell
Highlights/key moments: Sark hit the post just eight minutes into the game and found other good chances in the first half, but the game was scoreless at halftime. Souhegan scored the first goal in the 67th minute, and the Generals replied with Murphy’s goal just a minute late. But the Sabers netted the game-winner with six minutes left on the clock.
Coach’s quote: “I am very proud of this group of young men. They have been a pleasure to coach and gave everything they had and unjustly saw their season end too early. A special thank you to the seniors for all they have done for the program.” – John Stark’s Jeff Vogt
Records: John Stark 11-6-0; Souhegan 7-6-2
No. 4 H-D 7, No. 13 Bishop Brady 2
Key players: Hillsboro-Deering – Bridgette Winters (3 goals, 2 assists), Izabella Warren (2 goals, assist), Mara Grady (goal, assist), Kiersten Clough (goal), Madeline Parisi (assist), Morgan Racine (assist), Melissa Veitch (3 saves), Sarah Ingalls (defense), Taveya Ortiz (defense), Halie Hurd (offense)
Highlights/key moments: The Green Giants took a 1-0 lead just three minutes into the game on an H-D own goal off a corner kick, but the combo of Warren and Winters tied the game six minutes later. Grady made it 2-1only a minute after that and the Hillcats built a 5-1 lead by halftime.
Brady scored a minute into the second half, but Winters answered just a minute later on an assist from Warren.
H-D will now host No. 5 Raymond in Saturday’s quarterfinal.
Coach’s quote: “We controlled the play of the game with possession and good passing, and high pressure. I am pleased with the outstanding teamwork of this team.” – Hillsboro-Deering’s Susan Else
Records: Hillsboro-Deering 13-4-0; Bishop Brady 5-10-2
No. 6 Belmont 3, No. 11 Derryfield 1
Highlights/key moments: It was the fourth win in five games for Belmont, but this one means a trip to the quarterfinals where the Raiders will face No. 3 Hopkinton.
Records: Belmont 11-4-2; Derryfield 7-9-1
No. 5 Raymond 3,
No. 12 Inter-Lakes 0
Highlights/key moments: The offensive struggles contrinued for the Lakers, who suffered their fourth shutout loss in the last five games.
Records: Inter-Lakes 6-10-1; Raymond 12-5-0