It’s been an atypical couple of weeks for Bow boys soccer.
For the better part of two decades, the Falcons — year in and year out — have been one of the premier programs throughout the state in Division II. But in the last few matches, they’ve been bested by teams they’ve traditionally had no trouble with.
Dating back to Oct. 5 in its state championship rematch against Oyster River, Bow and its downward trajectory began following that 1-0 loss. An overtime defeat to area opponent Coe-Brown and a tie against Pembroke last week just aren’t things that have been seen.
All it takes is one win, however, to snap that sinking feeling. And that’s exactly what the Falcons experienced on Tuesday with a 3-0 win against Stevens in their final home game of the regular season.
“Finally, the offensive gods listened to us and listened to our prayers,” Bow coach George Pinkham said after Tuesday’s match.
Bow’s three goals were the most it has scored since Sept. 22, when it tallied six against Souhegan. Pinkham attributes the lack of offensive success to mental aspects in that the Falcons are overthinking the game and simply aren’t taking enough shots.
Not every goal is going to be pretty, and sometimes you just have to kick the ball toward the net with the hope it’ll find its way in. Luckily for the Falcons, that’s what they were able to do in the second half against Stevens.
John Salerno opened the scoring near the 50-minute mark on a feed from Zach Anderson on the wing. Not even two minutes later, Anderson followed up with a goal of his own, and Cal Smith added another shortly after that.
Three goals in the span of 10 minutes changed the dynamic of both benches. Where once a stone-faced squad, the Falcons were jubilant and making noise, demanding more goals. The Cardinals, who had defeated Bow, 3-2, back in the second week of the season, fell quiet with the realization that coming up with three goals of their own with the time dwindling was a tall task.
Bow found the right time to get back on track as the preliminary round of the 2021 tournament is next Tuesday. Before that happens, though, the Falcons have to make a road trip to Lebanon and close out the regular season.
“We’re heading in the right direction,” Pinkham said.
Better late than never, too. As they currently stand, the Falcons (9-5-1) sit in fifth place in the unofficial Division II standings. If that holds, they would host Souhegan in the first round.