The Franklin High boys’ soccer team didn’t score in its first five games this year, and the Golden Tornadoes were riding a 12-game losing streak and coming off a 12-0 loss heading into Friday’s home game against Mount Royal Academy.
The Tornadoes found themselves facing yet another deficit to open the match against Mount Royal, but this time the ending was different.
Franklin tied the game before halftime, went ahead in the second half and survived two penalty kicks in the final nine minutes to claim its first win of the season, 2-1.
“They have played through a tough season and I’m proud of how they have handled it,” Franklin coach Kevin VanGorden said of his team, which includes several girls. “They got a well-deserved win tonight.”
These two teams met just 10 days earlier, and the Knights came away with a 5-1 decision in Sunapee for their only win of the season so far. Mount Royal (1-12) picked up where it left off in that one and scored the first goal on Friday, but that was all they would get past junior goalie Drew Croteau.
“Drew did a great job in goal,” VanGorden said.
The Tornadoes backed him up with a first-half goal from junior forward Danny Watts, and they took that 1-1 tie into halftime. Jaydn Lutz, another junior, doubled the lead midway through the second half. That goal proved to be the game-winner, but only after some drama in the closing minutes.
The Knights were awarded a PK in the 71st minute, but Croteau made a save to preserve his team’s lead. Just a minute later, the Knights were given a second PK. Croteau didn’t need to come up with a save on this attempt, which went over the crossbar.
Aidan Collum and Asher Graves played strong defense in front of Croteau for the Tornadoes, who had allowed at least five goals in every other contest.
“The team played well tonight, putting to use skills we have been working on in practice,” VanGorden said. “It was a hard-fought game between two well-matched teams.”
Concord 1, Timberlane 1, 2OT
Key players: Concord – Brandon Comire (G), Alasdair Ferrier (A), Duvan Morikawa-Montenegro (midfield), Mosi Masimango (midfield), Faisal Abdallah (midfield), Abbas Abdulrahman (13 saves)
Highlights: The Crimson Tide struck first early in the second half, but the sixth-place Owls answered with an equalizer seven minutes later. The teams kept each other off the scoreboard from there.
Coach’s quote: “I’m very pleased with the effort today. We played some of our best soccer of the season.” – Concord’ Scott Dunlop
Records: Concord 5-6-3, Timberlane 8-3-3
Bow 3, Pembroke 1
Key players: Bow – Matt Ferland (2G), Matt Selleck (G),
Highlights: Ferland’s second goal of the game came two minutes after Pembroke had scored halfway through the second half to make it a one-goal game and give the Falcons the breathing room they needed to secure the win. Bow also got strong performances from Daniel Leuchtenberger in the midfield, Graham Weisberg in the back and Ryan Leonard up top.
Coach’s quote: “We had not had a lot of luck with Pembroke this last cycle back in D-II. It was gratifying to get a win and right the good ship Falcon. We hope to keep the momentum going next week when we face two quality opponents on the road.” – Bow’s George Pinkham
Records: Bow 8-3-3; Pembroke 5-8-1
ConVal 4, Kearsarge 2
Key players: Kearsarge – Toby MacLeod (G), Parker Root (G), Evan Miller (A), Seth Rutledge-Davis (goalie)
Highlights: Kearsarge had a 2-0 halftime lead against the undefeated defending Division II champs. Rutledge-Davis was spectacular in the first half, including one sequence that saw him make a diving, one-handed save and bounce up to kick save the rebound. But with the game tied 2-2 in the second half, Rutledge-Davis had to leave the game with an injury and ConVal went on to finish off the win at home.
Records: Kearsarge 6-6-2; ConVal 11-0-1
Merrimack Valley 3, Plymouth 1
Key players: Merrimack Valley – Coby Mercier (2G), Logan Cassin (G, A), Rylan Merrill (A)
Highlights: The Pride started slowly at home and Plymouth held a 1-0 halftime lead. In the second half, MV attacked with speed and got two goals from Mercier, including a blast just under the bar to put things out of reach at 3-0. Cassin scored off a great cross from Merrill for the second goal. Plymouth had limited chances to respond, thanks to efforts across the midfield and in the back from Ryan Schoffield, Jesse Hirwa, Dylan Campbell, Chase Schnipke, Connor Baldwin, Tucker Nevers and keeper Mason Boudreau.
Coach’s quote: “This was an entire team win today. The guys knew this was important in the standings and came out ready to play. I was impressed with our possession and ability to move the ball. We were a little slow on our attack in the first half, but changed that in the second half.” – Merrimack Valley’s Ken Fuller
Records: Merrimack Valley 9-5-1; Plymouth 6-7-1
Hopkinton 5, Inter-Lakes 0
Key players: Hopkinton – Derek West (2G), Kevin Newton-Delgado (2G), Shea Dickson (G), Andrew Beckwith (A), Garrett Fitzgerald (A), Steven Newton-Delgado (A)
Highlights: West scored in the 10th on a full volley off a nicely taken corner, and he made it 2-0 in the 24th minute on a PK. Kevin Newton-Delgado scored seven minutes into the second half on a powerful solo run, and he made it 4-0 in the 66th minute on an assist from Fitzgerald. Dickson scored the game’s prettiest goal two minutes later, knocking one off the post from 18 yards out.
Coach’s quote: “Smooth team play today from the entire roster resulted in the complete victory. Logan Rockwood, although not on the score sheet, played a bunch of quality minutes in the midfield tonight, constantly supporting the guy with the ball and never seeming to be out of position.” – Hopkinton’s Scott Zipke
Records: Hopkinton 9-4-1; Inter-Lakes 3-10-1
Belmont 6, White Mountains 0
Key players: Belmont — Nate Sottak (3G), William Riley (G), Kadin Jewell (G), Ben Hillsgrove (G, A), Bryce Hall (A)
Highlights: Sottak scored 14 seconds into the game and Belmont ran away with it from there. Devin Bricknell and Lars Major led the defense in front of keeper Jacobb Bivens, who needed three saves for the shutout. The goals from Hillsgrove and Jewell were the first of their varsity careers.
Coach’s quote: “Cold, wet and windy, nothing like fall soccer in New Hampshire. Belmont traveled north for the win and played an excellent game. Well done.” – Belmont’s Michael Foley
Records: Belmont 11-3; White Mountains 5-9
John Stark 2, Coe-Brown 1
Highlights: Bella Roy gave John Stark a 1-0 lead in the 18th minute on assist from Chelsea Woodsum, but the Bears countered just a minute later to tie things when midfielder Morgan Burnap placed a beautiful through ball for Sophie Laird, who finished from 12 yards away. Woodsum scored the game-winner with one minute left in the first half, assisted by Liz Downing. Roy and Woodsum are tied for the team lead with 10 goals each. Defense reigned in the second half, with the Generals focusing their efforts on Coe-Brown’s Burnap and Lian Welch. Mackenzie Quick made four saves for the Bears in goal.
Coach’s quote: “Our possession was strong and we did some nice things on offense. Our defense was solid. This was a fun game and balanced with action up and down the field. Now we have to control our own destiny and win our last two for a shot at making the playoffs. We can do it if we play soccer like we did tonight.” – Coe-Brown’s Josh Hils
“With three seniors, four juniors, seven sophomores and eleven freshmen, we have a diverse team all of whom are stepping up their game be it in training and matches. It is fun to watch the players taking ownership of the team.” – John Stark’s Chris Pike
Records: John Stark 8-5-1; Coe-Brown 5-9-0
Bow 9, Sanborn 0
Key players: Bow – Jocelyn Anderson (G), Lindsay Burnham (G, A), Anna Lafreniere (G, A), Madi Paul (2G, A), Tessa Thomas (G, A), (first varsit), Makayla Murray (G), Addie Trefethen (G), Annaliese Kaufman (G), Maddi Green (A), Kristina Pizzi (A), Nicole Sartorelli (A), Isabella LaPerle (A)
Highlights: It was the first varsity start for Anderson, who made the most of it by scoring just 1:30 into the game. The goals from Thomas and Kaufman were their first varsity tallies.
Coach’s quote: “It was good to see a number of different players find the back of the net and a lot of playing time for everyone on the team.” – Bow’s Jay Vogt
Records: Bow 13-1; Sanborn 1-14
Kearsarge 4, Pelham 0
Key players: Kearsarge – Jordan Busch (3G), Caroline Camp (G, 2A), Kallee Selby (A), Thea Spanos (A)
Highlights: Mary Meagher and Samantha Meadows combined in goal for the shutout for the Cougars, who won for the third time in the last four games. Mia Barron played great defense in front of the goalie combo and Ellie Camp was excellent in the midfield.
Coach’s quote: “It was a great team effort. Everyone worked together to maintain possession and create opportunities.” – Kearsarge’s Emily Wagaman
Records: Kearsarge 7-6-1; Pelham 3-11-0
Hopkinton 6, Monadnock 0
Key players: Hopkinton – Loren Charron (2G, A), Caitlin Clark (G), Eleanor Owen (G), Annie Higginbotham (G), Sofia Locke (G), Lillie Presti (A), Lilia Klingler (A), Paige Martin (A)
Highlights: The Hawks scored three goals in the first half and three more second half goals for the win. Owen, a senior captain and D-III Second Team defender last year, recorded her first career goal off a one-timed volley from a corner kick. Hopkinton keeper Emily Fleegle posted her seventh shutout of the season.
Coach’s quote: “Great day for the seniors last home game of the regular season. Monadnock is an improved young team from last season and the Hawks were able to work on some different buildup play this game. Great tribute for the seniors today.” – Hopkinton’s Mike Zahn
Records: Hopkinton 11-3-0; Monadnock 0-13-2
Belmont 4, White Mountains 0
Key players: Belmont – Katie Gagnon (2G, A), Sierra Borque (G, A), Rebecca Fleming (G),
Highlights: It was the ninth shutout of the season for Belmont, which got solid defensive play from Jada Edgren, Kailey Gerbig, Emma Winslow, Gabby Day, Lena Rodrigues and Brooklyn Erlick, as well as goalies Emma Cochran and Maddie Lima. Gagnon scored her first goal in the 37th minute to give the Raiders a 1-0 halftime lead.
Coach’s quote: “It took some time for us to get going in the first half, but I really thought our passing in the second half was the difference in the game.” – Belmont’s Mark Dawalga
Records: Belmont 11-3-1; White Mtns. 5-6-2