BEDFORD – Kearsarge fell short of ending its boys’ soccer championship drought against St. Thomas on Saturday night.
The No. 2 Cougars (15-0-4) lost to the top-seeded Saints (16-1-1) in the Division III Championship, 3-0, in what initially appeared to be a favorable match-up after Kearsarge won the encounter during the regular season.
“To come up short is devastating, you know. I thought I wasn’t gonna cry and then saw one of my seniors crying, and that just broke me,” junior defender Cooper Russell said as he composed himself.
A win in the championship would have been Kearsarge’s first in the sport since 1993, and would have also been a historic undefeated championship run by the team. St. Thomas just found a way to shut them down.
St. Thomas senior forward Angus Forman scored twice, first in the eighth minute of the game and again in the last 15 minutes to seal the game. Both of his runs were well-paced and swiftly cut through to finish one-on-one.
The Cougars’ defense had only given up seven goals all season, through 19 games, so it was a shock when the Saints found a way to control the game on offense. Russell said it just wasn’t their day, and he felt like they could have done more to stop them.
St. Thomas senior forward Angus Forman seals the championship with his second goal of the game. Credit: ALEXANDER RAPP / Monitor 
Kearsarge junior forward Quinn Cusick (R) battles with St. Thomas senior Ryan Gould (L). Credit: ALEXANDER RAPP / Monitor 
Kearsarge senior midfielder Elias Cooper (3) cuts back against a St. Thomas defender to jumpstart the attack. Credit: ALEXANDER RAPP / Monitor
Fourth-year head coach Couper Gunn said his team stuck to the game plan for the most part. The Cougars, while only down a goal for most of the game, controlled possession and hunted for a lobbed ball through or a cross to score, but never had a clear shot on target.
“They’re very direct. Very good at being direct and I think they’re always going to get those chances and they scored theirs and we didn’t,” Gunn said.
His senior class had been under his tutelage for their entire high school careers, and the improvements in the program were evident. After losing in the quarterfinals for three years in a row, they had finally made a state championship.
“I think the first thing, which is a hard lesson, is that no matter how much you try and how much you want something, it doesn’t always happen,” he added about what his seniors can take from the loss.
On the flip side, Gunn said, they showed how much change can happen and be created over the course of four years of people buying into something. The Cougars will return 14 players next year and lose nine seniors, so the hunt for a chip will continue and be passed down to a new group of hungry players.
Correction, November 10, 2025 11:07 am: This match was Kearsarge boys' soccer first appearance since 1993. They did not win that year, and a win in the championship would have been Kearsarge's first in the sport since 1978.