John Stark’s junior goalkeeper, Zach Morrison, battled through an intense Pembroke onslaught to save a draw for the Generals with 17 saves on Monday night.
The undefeated Spartans (4-0-4) hosted a gritty Stark team (3-3-3) in an evenly-matched game that ended in a 1-1 tie.
Morrison was crucial in his team’s set-piece defense and in keeping Pembroke in check even after the equalizer. His coach, Mark Boucher, and teammates commended his performance.
“Huge shoutout to our keeper, Zach Morrison; we owe it all to him,” junior forward Connor Brooks said.
Stark went up after 27 minutes of play when Desmond Bogle, assisted by Owen Gitchell, knocked a rebound into the bottom left of the net, out of reach of Pembroke’s keeper, Dylan Hawkins.
Hawkins remained solid after the unfortunate lapse in defense and shut out the Generals in the second half with eight saves on the night.
The teams traded shots on either end. Pembroke went into the second half down a goal and improved after a motivational speech by head coach Drou Goff.
Goff called on his team to intensify, show mental focus and urged them to demonstrate their desire to win.
The Spartans picked it up in the second half and dominated possession. Only a few minutes in, senior forward Jacob Watts finished a clear chance to draw his team even as the home crowd cheered.
Morrison, however, shut down everything after that. Coach Boucher was content with the result but believed his team could have done more to settle the game and go for a win.
“I’m proud of the way they held it together, and we didn’t concede another one,” he said. “A tribute to trying to collectively play better team defence, but sometimes we play so much defense, your attack disappears.”
Stark’s Connor Brooks and sophomore midfielder Blake Maxwell said the draw was a good momentum and chemistry builder. Maxwell said they’re out to prove they’re not the same team as last year, and have to continue growing.
John Stark played away at Souhegan (3-4-2) on Tuesday afternoon and looked to get a win to stay above .500 on the season. Pembroke also had a back-to-back schedule and hosted Lebanon (4-3-1) that same afternoon.