It was the kind of match you’d expect when two of the top teams in the division meet – tight, gritty, tense. It was also the kind of match where one mistake might make the difference, and Pittsfield’s Cam Darrah knew it.
“Everybody says, play the mistake,” Darrah said. “They made a mistake and I just capitalized on it.”
Darrah pounced on a shanked clearance attempt from Concord Christian (4-1-1) and hammered home the game-winning goal in the 68th minute to give the Panthers (6-1-1-) a 2-1 decision Monday in Concord. The goal was a bad break for the Kingsmen, but it also felt like Darrah earned himself the score with an afternoon of grinding.
“Sometimes hard work pays off,” Pittsfield Coach Derek Hamilton said. “We talk about taking advantage of some bouncing balls in there and (Darrah) ended up being in the right place at the right time.”
Darrah wasn’t the only hard-working Panther. Eli Johnson and Matt St. George were tireless in Pittsfield’s central midfield – shielding the back line, helping defend the wings, pressing forward when needed and distributing.
“They have an excellent work ethic and they work well off one another. They really apply a lot of pressure and do a good job of connecting our midfield to our attack,” Hamilton said. “I really thought their energy in the midfield kind of lifted everybody else around them.”
Johnson certainly lifted his team when he scored the equalizer in the 47th minute, just three minutes after Concord Christian had taken a 1-0 lead. The senior midfielder found himself with some shooting room about 25 yards from goal and launched an absolute rocket just under the crossbar.
“He ripped it,” Darrah said. “(Johnson) always says, ‘Oh, here comes a shank,’ so for him to stay over it and rip it in, that was huge for us.”
Hamilton added, “That was one of the prettier goals you’ll see all season.”
Another one of those prettier goals was the one Concord Christian’s Ian Gillespie finished in the 44th minute. The play started with a heads-up cross from Tim Stevens that looked like it was going long until Rusty Risteen tracked it down on the end line and had the wherewithal to head it back down and toward the middle to Gillespie, who didn’t miss with his right foot.
It was a quality finish, but Risteen’s header was the pivotal play, and he has been the pivotal player for the Kingsmen as they’ve found four wins in their first six games.
“It’s no secret (Risteen) is our best player. People know that at this point,” Concord Christian Coach Phil Tuttle said. “What really sets him apart is his work ethic. He’s not just a good player, he also outworks everybody, and that’s exciting for us as a team that he sets that example for all the young guys we have.”
Defense was the story of the first half as both teams played hard but couldn’t find a way past each other’s central defenders. For Pittsfield, it was Gabe Anthony and Noah MacGlashling holding things down in the back in front of keeper Gavin Knight (two saves). On the other end, it was Nolan Ritchie and Jacob Taylor protecting the area in front of Kingsmen goalie Nick Ritchie (two saves).
“The defense is a work in progress for us. I think for us to continue to compete with quality teams like Concord Christian, our defense is going to be key,” Hamilton said. “And today we were cohesive back there, we did a good job of defending, and it counts against a quality opponent like CCA.”
Tuttle also believes that what he saw on the field Monday can help his team in the future.
“Sometimes a good loss brings you back down to earth and you start to play how you were meant to play,” Tuttle said. “We didn’t play a great game today, they outplayed us and beat us to a lot of 50-50 balls. But seeing how disappointed a lot of the guys are after the loss, it’s more like we don’t want this to happen again. So those early-season losses are not always a bad thing.”
(Tim O’Sullivan can be reached at 369-3341 or at tosullivan@cmonitor.com or on Twitter @timosullivan20.)
Bow 1, St. Thomas Aquinas 0, OT
Key players: Bow – Chase Chamberlin (defense), Ethan Paige (defense), Aidan Koornneef (defense), Graham Weisberg (defense), Sean Miclette (defense), Sullivan Blair (defense)
Highlights/key moments: Two minutes into the first overtime, Chris Gallier chipped a free kick to the left post, where Max Elsasser was waiting to head it on to Blair, who finished on an open goal. The Falcons, led by goalkeepers Noah Bult and Joseph Rychwalski, have posted four shutouts in the last five games.
Coach’s quote: “Another tough, grinding, one-goal, D-II game. We were able to execute a dead-ball situation into a winning goal. As Coach Belichick would have said, “just do your job,” and that is exactly what Max and Sullivan did on the winning goal.” – Bow’s George Pinkham
Records: Bow 4-4; St. Thomas 3-5
Inter-Lakes 2, Bishop Brady 1
Key players: Brady – Olivia Crainich (assist, well-rounded midfield play), Maddie Boyer (solid all-around game with plenty of scoring opportunities), Alex Sacco (goal)
Highlights/key moments: Mackenzie Wetherill made a great save for the Green Giants in the first half but it wasn’t enough to snap a three-game losing streak.
Coach’s quote: “The girls had a long time off between games and we came out a little slow but once we got into the game, we played better and gave ourselves a chance to win at the end of the game. We had a lot of chances towards the end but couldn’t find that final ball.” – Brady’s Andrew Mattarazzo
Records: Brady 1-3-0; Inter-Lakes (3-3-0)
Pittsfield 0,
Concord Christian 0, OT
Key players: Pittsfield – Becca Smith (7 saves), Jolene Wood (solid on defense), Alyssa Sullivan and Kylee Morel (impressive all-around play)
Highlights/key moments: The Panthers were inches away from scoring early in the first and second overtime but couldn’t find the back of the net. Smith, a freshman, came up with a couple of great saves to keep the game in reach.
Coach’s quote: “We were knocking on their door early but couldn’t manage to finish. It was a game of inches tonight and both teams fought hard the entire match.” – Pittsfield’s Jayme Kennedy
Records: Pittsfield 4-3-1; Concord Christian 1-4-2
Winnacunnet 1, Concord 0
Key players: Concord – Julia Ek (strong midfield play), Hayley Munroe, Megan Martel (7 saves)
Highlights/key moments: Olivia Branch, Becca Proulx and Bailey Jackson helped Ek shutdown the Warriors on 13 corner attempts but it wasn’t enough to derail unbeaten Winnacunnet.
Coach’s quote: “The game was tight back and forth.” – Concord’s Bonnie Proulx
Records: Concord 4-3; Winnacunnet 7-0
John Stark 3, Manchester West 0
Key players: Stark – Sarah Wagner (4 kills, 2 blocks), Hannah Chartier (3 kills, 10 aces), Piper Maclean (solid defense, 100 percent service)
Highlights/key moments: The Generals started a little sluggish in the first set but managed a 25-20 win. Stark came to life in the second set, though, winning 25-10 and held off the Blue Knights with a 25-21 win in the third set.
Coach’s quote: “We were a little sluggish tonight but prevailed. Any win is great and the girls are still playing hard.” – Stark’s Jeff McClellan
Records: John Stark 5-1; Manchester West 0-5
Mascenic 3, Hillsboro-Deering 0
Key players: H-D – Catherine Montanez (6 digs), Kristina Stevens (3 blocks)
Highlights/key moments: The Vikings continued a five-game winning streak despite a solid effort from the Hillcats.
Records: H-D 1-4; Mascenic (5-1)
Concord 3, Salem 0
Key players: Conord – Caitlyn Shea (33 assists), Lauren Hatch (16 kills, 10 digs)
Highlights/key moments: After posting a 25-21 win in the first set, Concord struggled in the second set. The Tide was able to rally behind Paige Weatherbee and Shea’s serving game for a 25-22 win before taking the third set, 25-18.
Coach’s quote: “Roll Tide!” – Concord’s Jonathan Flower
Records: Concord 6-0; Salem 4-2
Belmont 3, Pittsfield 0
Key players: Belmont – Emily Laflam (21 assists, 8 aces), Shannon Davies (8 kills, 2 aces, 3 digs), Jordyn Lavalle (key server, 4 aces, 4 kills)
Highlights/key moments: Swing players helped Belmont to 25-19, 25-21 and 25-14 wins at home. The Red Raiders have won two of their last three.
Coach’s quote: “I believe this team has what it takes to pull it together, and really give some of these top teams a challenge. I love seeing the trust they are forming with each other on and off the court. Volleyball is such a mental game and we cannot afford even one player being off their game.” – Belmont’s Colleen Brownlee
Records: Belmont 3-3; Pittsfield 0-5
Kearsarge first, Winnisquam third
Key players:Kearsarge – Will Chadwick (42, co-medalist), Solomon Neuwirt (43), Jake Bears (44); Winnisquam – Caleb Kuczkowski (44), Chris Hanson (45)
Highlights/key moments: The Cougars (12-3) shined at their home course, Country Club of New Hampshire, posting a team score of 181, followed by Pelham (199) and Winnisquam (207). Pelham’s Ian Morganstern (42) also earned medalist honors.
Coach’s quote: “We don’t have the power that some of these other teams may have. We just have a very deep team that continues to play consistently well.” – Kearsarge’s Dennis O’Connor
John Stark second
Key players: Stark – Ryan Rothdiener (39), Noah Green (41)
Highlights/key moments: Souhegan picked up the win, led by Jeff Boehm’s 34, which earned him medalist honors. Moses Green struggled on the sixth hole for John Stark but finished with a respectable score of 42. Stark (210) took second behind the Sabers (182), while Trinity (222) finished third.
Coach’s quote: “It felt good to get a win. The team played tough, and many were able to shake off tough scores on individual holes and focus on the remaining ones.” – Stark’s Justin Connell
Records: John Stark 2-15; Souhegan 11-5; Trinity 1-12